AI Summary
As someone who’s spent a fair bit of time building WordPress forms, I know how often it comes down to one question. How do you get a PDF into someone’s inbox the moment they hit submit?
The good news is that WPForms gives you a few ways to do it, and I’ve used all of them. You can attach a file the person uploaded, automatically attach a polished PDF of their whole submission, or send them a download link for something like a lead magnet.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through all three so you can pick the one that fits what you’re sending, whether that’s a contract, a receipt, or a free ebook.
Send a PDF in a Form Notification
How to Send a PDF Attachment in a Form Notification Email
Start with the setup step below, then pick the route that matches whatever you’re sending. The first two produce a genuine attachment, while the third sends a link instead.
- Prerequisite: Install the WPForms Pro Plugin
- Method 1: Automatically Attach a PDF of Each Entry
- Method 2: Attach a PDF Someone Uploaded to Your Form
- Method 3: Send a PDF Link When the File Is Too Big
- Which Method Should You Use?
- FAQs About Sending a PDF in a Form Notification Email
- Next, Print Form Submissions With WPForms
Prerequisite: Install the WPForms Pro Plugin
You’ll need WPForms installed and a form to work with before any of the attachment settings appear, and the plugin ships with 2,100+ templates so you rarely have to build one from scratch.
What I like most is that everything lives in one place, so you build the form and then handle the PDF and the notification from the same settings panel without wiring a second plugin into the mix.
The PDF addon that powers Method 1 needs a Pro license, while the File Upload route in Method 2 works on any paid plan from Basic up. Pick the tier that matches the method you want.
To get started, buy the Pro license and install WPForms on your website. If you need a hand with that part, follow these instructions on how to add a plugin to WordPress. Once it’s active, go to WPForms » Add New from your dashboard.
Give your form a clear name and pick a template, and note that a simple contact form or signup form is all you need for the PDF work ahead.
The drag-and-drop builder is easy to work with, so you can add or remove fields as you go. I usually keep the form short so it’s quick for people to fill out.
Method 1: Automatically Attach a PDF of Each Entry
The PDF addon builds a styled PDF from the entry itself, then attaches it to whichever notification emails you choose. That’s the setup most people are actually after when they search for this, and nothing gets copied by hand.
You pick a template category and a style, then apply one of the 40+ themes and drop your logo in, all from inside the form builder. The PDF comes out as a real document rather than a text dump.
Create Your PDF and Choose Its Notification
Start by installing the PDF addon from WPForms » Addons, then open the form you want it on.
The PDF settings don’t live under your notification settings, which is where most people look first. Go to Settings » PDF inside the form builder and click Add New PDF.
Give the PDF a name in the overlay and click OK, then look at the panel that opens on the right.
The Notifications field is the one that matters, and it asks which email notifications this PDF should attach to. Whatever you pick there is what carries the file.
Name the File and Pick a Template
The File Name field sits just above Notifications, and it takes smart tags, so you can build names like invoice-{entry_id} instead of shipping every attachment under the same generic filename.
The Conditional Logic toggle in the same panel generates the PDF only when a rule you set actually matches.
If you want the notification itself to fire conditionally rather than just the attachment, that’s a separate setting, and the docs cover it under conditional notifications.
Below that, the Template Section dropdown groups the layouts into Notifications, Documents, Financial, and Certificates.
Pick a category, then narrow it with the Style dropdown and one of the 40+ presets in Theme. Logo takes a .png, .gif, .jpg, or .svg, though not a .webp.
If you want the output to match your brand properly, I go deeper on that in how to generate branded PDFs with WPForms.
Restrict Who Can Open the PDF
Open the Advanced section for the settings that decide who can actually see the file, and Enable Access Restrictions is the one to look at.
It limits access to logged-in users or specific roles, and it can sit behind a password. Paper Size and Orientation live in the same place.
Send a Test Entry and Confirm the Attachment Arrived
The builder preview only renders the first page, so submit a real test entry before you trust the output.
Open WPForms » Entries and pick your form, then click View on the entry. The PDF section sits there with a download link.
Check which inbox it landed in while you’re here, because a notification addressed to you as the site admin will never reach the person who filled out the form.
The docs walk through sending a notification email to the person who submitted the form if you need to add one. That mix-up is the most common one I see with this setup.
Method 2: Attach a PDF Someone Uploaded to Your Form
You’ll need a File Upload field on the form so there’s somewhere to put the file when the user submits your form once its live.
Open Settings » Notifications, click Advanced to expose the extra options, and switch on Enable File Upload Attachments.
For the full version of this route, including the wp_mail() approach and a deeper troubleshooting pass, I’ve written it up separately in how to send an email with attachments in WordPress.
The uploaded file rides along as a true attachment either way. The docs on attaching files go through the individual settings.
Method 3: Send a PDF Link When the File Is Too Big
If you want that link on the confirmation screen people see right after submitting rather than in an email, I cover that end to end in how to add a downloadable PDF to your form confirmation. What follows here is the email route, which is the one that actually lands in an inbox.
Upload the PDF to your media library and copy its file URL first, because you’ll paste it into the email in a moment. Then click Settings » Notifications in the form builder.
Next, click Add New Notification in the top-right corner.
In the Send to Email Address field, pick the Email smart tag from the list. This automatically grabs the email address of whoever filled out the form.
Scroll down to the Email Message field and add your PDF link there.
To save everything, press the orange Save button in the top-right corner.
Now, any time someone fills out your newsletter signup form and subscribes, they’ll get a notification email with the lead magnet you promised them.
And if your WordPress email notifications aren’t delivering the way they should, your SMTP setup is the first place I’d look.
Which Method Should You Use?
Which one you want comes down to what you’re sending, and the table below is how I decide.
| Your goal | Best method |
|---|---|
| Attach a formatted PDF of the whole submission | Method 1: PDF addon |
| Email a copy of a file the user uploaded | Method 2: File Upload Attachments |
| Send the same file to a big list, or one too large to attach | Method 3: Download link |
For personal documents like contracts and receipts, a real attachment is the right call. Reach for the link only when the file is large or identical for everyone.
FAQs About Sending a PDF in a Form Notification Email
Attaching a PDF to a form notification email raises a few recurring questions, and these are the ones I’m asked most, including how to auto-generate a PDF from a WPForms submission.
How do I attach a file someone uploaded to a notification email?
Add a File Upload field to your form, then go to Settings » Notifications, click Advanced, and turn on Enable File Upload Attachments.
Select the File Upload field you want to use and save. After that, WPForms attaches the uploaded file to your notification email automatically.
Can I attach a PDF of the submission itself?
Open your form’s Settings » PDF and click Add New PDF, then use the Notifications field to choose which emails carry the file.
Conditional logic can narrow it further so only some submissions generate one at all. This is the addon’s core job, and it needs a Pro license.
Can I attach a different PDF depending on what someone selects?
Add more than one PDF under Settings » PDF and give each one its own conditional logic rule, so a dropdown choice decides which file goes out.
The notification itself can be made conditional the same way. Multiple PDFs on a single form is supported.
Why did the PDF go to me instead of the person who filled out the form?
The PDF attaches to whichever notification you selected, and the default notification is addressed to the site admin.
Add a second notification that sends to the form’s Email field using the Email smart tag, then attach the PDF to that one instead.
Why isn’t my PDF attachment being delivered?
Email providers cap attachment sizes, often around 10 MB, and a file over that limit can stop the message from sending at all.
An SMTP service usually clears that up, and the docs on troubleshooting email notifications plus this guide on WordPress emails not sending go deeper.
Next, Print Form Submissions With WPForms
You now have the setup for attaching a real PDF to a form notification email, plus the link fallback for when a file is too heavy to send.
If you also want every entry saved as a PDF you can pull on demand, take a look at how to print your WordPress form submissions to PDF.
That pairs well with what you’ve just set up, since one covers the email that goes out on submission and the other covers the record you keep.
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Hi !
Is there a possible way to receive and send notifications (all_fields) in a .pdf format or a Carbon Copy in .pdf ?
Thank you !
Hi Greg,
We don’t have a way to do this right now, but I’ve made a note on our feature request list so we can keep it on our radar! Thanks for the suggestion 🙂
Hi Daisy, we are also looking for this functionality – have you implemented it yet?
Hi Katie! I apologize but PDF functionalities have not yet been implemented, however it is in the works! We don’t have an ETA yet, but please do check back in again in the future!
I’ve also added your details to this particular feature request, so you should receive emails about any updates on this!
If you have any further questions about this, please contact us if you have an active subscription. If you do not, don’t hesitate to drop us some questions in our support forums.
Hello, has this functionality been implemented yet? we have been waiting.
Hi Eyad,
We apologize but PDF functionalities have not yet been implemented. We don’t have an ETA yet, but please do check back in again in the future!
We’ve also added your details to this particular feature request, so you should receive emails about any updates on this!
If you have any further questions about this, please contact us if you have an active subscription. If you do not, don’t hesitate to drop us some questions in our support forums.
Is There Any Way That I Want To Send Different Pdf On Different Select Condition?
Hi Maulik,
I’d recommend checking out our guide on sending out conditional notification emails in WPForms. 🙂
Is there a way to have the PDF download upon pressing the SUBMIT button, instead of through a link?
Hi Bob,
We don’t have a way to do this right now, but I’ve made a note on our feature request list so we can keep it on our radar! Thanks for the suggestion 🙂
Have you added this yet… it really is important vs. a link
Hey John – Yes, we already have it in our feature request list so that the dev team can consider it when they decide on new features for the future.
Thanks for your patience!
Just checking to see if this option became available yet?
Hi Anzela! We haven’t released a PDF addon for the WPForms plugin yet, however it is something we’re working on to provide in an upcoming release.
We’ll be sure to announce it when it does become available, so please check in often, or sign up to our newsletters 🙂
Thanks!
Is it now available? Still need this feature very much
Hey Monique – I am afraid, it is still not available, we definitely want to have a pdf addon but we don’t have an estimated date as of now. I will upvote the request on your behalf. Thanks for your patience.
Hi we have a problem just on gmail, I mean that all the people with an email on gmail, are not getting the email. Which is the problem?
Hi Nicolas,
I’m sorry to hear you’re having trouble with email deliverability! I’d highly recommend checking out our article on how to fix email delivery issues with the WP Mail SMTP Plugin.
I hope this helps!
This appears to just add a link for download – is there a way to actually attach the PDF document in the email. So the lead doesn’t click a link, but rather sees a PDF file attached with the email?
Hi Jason,
WPForms doesn’t support including attaching files to emails currently. The reason is that it can often hurt email deliverability. Different email providers have different limits on the type and size of files they can accept. Sending files that don’t pass these rules most often means the email won’t get delivered or will bounce.
I’m sorry we don’t have quite what you’re looking for but I hope this helps!
Hi Daisy… The form that we are creating will allow users to upload files to send to us. We don’t want the files stored on the server and would prefer that they be attached rather than linked back to the site. How can we do this?
Hi Shomari! It seems you’ve already reached out to the Support Team, but in case you missed their response, our plugin doesn’t support including/attaching files to emails currently. The reason is that it can often hurt email deliverability. Different email providers have different limits on the type and size of files they can accept. Sending files that don’t pass these rules most often means the email won’t get delivered or will bounce.
All file uploads would also need to go to your server initially. However in the case that you’re concerned about third parties accessing the uploaded files, the plugin does add a unique hash to the end of the file name (eg: my-logo-570543445db74.png), so that the uploaded file is not easily found when searching for the file.
If you have any further questions, the Support Team would be happy to continue assisting you 🙂
Hi,
I am trying to use a link to a pdf in a notification email. But the link in the email is unclickable (so you cannot access the pdf). Other than being unclickable, it looks like a link (it is the link color and only the text meant to be shown–not the url or any code–is visible).
Hi Scott – It sounds to me like something in the HTML probably needs to be changed, but it’s hard to say for sure without a closer look. When you get a chance, could you please contact our support team with more details?
If you have a WPForms license, please submit a support ticket, otherwise we provide limited complimentary support for Lite users. Thanks! 🙂
Hello was this ever resolved? I am having the same issue.
Hey Illary – This is not a general bug, we need to check the specific site to troubleshoot it further. I would suggest contacting the support team for this.
If you have a WPForms license, you have access to our email support, so please submit a support ticket.
Otherwise, we provide limited complimentary support in the WPForms Lite WordPress.org support forum.
Thanks 🙂
I must have done something wrong or I am confused. I went through these steps, but the pdf download link was included in the email notification that I received as the administrator and not sent to the person who filled out the contact form. Any help would be appreciated.
Hi Dave!
Most probably you have included it into the wrong notification, the one that goes to the site admin.
You will have to doublecheck it.
If you have a WPForms license, you have access to our email support, so please submit a support ticket.
Otherwise, we provide limited complimentary support in the WPForms Lite WordPress.org support forum.
Have a good one 🙂
I tried to include a link to a PDF in the notification email, but the link is not clickable. If I copy the link, it looks like this: x-webdoc://630916B8-D6DE-4633-B34E-8D8570739C2A/”http://swissphotonscience.ch/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Invoice-SSPh-membership-fees-2020.pdf”.
Before the actual link, the email link contain the x-webdoc part, which is the reason that the link doesn’t work. How do I solve this?
Hi Jan — We’d be happy to help! When you get a chance, please drop us a line in support so we can assist, please submit a support ticket here.
Thanks 🙂
Hi. Did you get that issue solved?
Hey Enrique – Sorry for the trouble you are facing. Most of the time, this issue will be due to some wrong WordPress configuration or file permissions issues. Our support team will be able to help you better with this.
If you have a WPForms license, you have access to our email support, so please submit a support ticket. Otherwise, we provide limited complimentary support in the WPForms Lite WordPress.org support forum.
Thanks 🙂
It seems there is a bug in sending the link via the message section. When I open the email the desired text is not clickable and I saw this same issue in some previous tickets.
I even checked the inspect code of the page and there wasn’t any HTML tag I mean.
Could you please check and solve this problem? I really need this. Thanks in advance
I tried both versions of the HTML template and plain email. Both had the same issue.
Hey Mehran – Sorry to hear you are having trouble with file attachments. Could you please create a support ticket here so that our support team can assist further.
Thanks!
can i know does the pdf document go as a attachment to the receivers email or a link that ends up downloading the attachment on click?? also if it possible to setup the form to send the document from yourself to your friends ??
Hey Dinesh, I am sorry but it does not go as an attachment but as a link.
In regards to ” it possible to setup the form to send the document from yourself to your friends ??” question,in order to make sure we answer your question as thoroughly as possible and avoid any confusion, could you please contact our team?
If you have a WPForms license, you have access to our email support, so please submit a support ticket. Otherwise, we provide limited complimentary support in the WPForms Lite WordPress.org support forum.
Thanks.
WP-Forms is a great provider when it comes to WordPress forms. How can it be that you can’t add such a simple function like sending files with a confirmation email. The link is useless, most of my clients miss it because they assume they will receive an attachment.
Hey Siegmo, We haven’t released a PDF addon for the WPForms plugin yet, however it is something we’re working on to provide in an upcoming release.
We’ll be sure to announce it when it does become available, so please check in often, or sign up to our newsletters.
Thanks!
I’ll second the request to be able to send notifications and confirmations in PDF form. That feature would be extremely helpful.
Voted added! Thanks for sharing your interest here! 🙂
I am planning to purchase the plugin if the following points are there:
1. do you have a signature file?
2. can we send filled-up data as a pdf in the email with a signature?
Hey Pravin – Yes, we have Signature Addon available in the Pro license or higher plans!
Regarding the PDF version of the filled up form, I apologize, currently we don’t have this feature. I do agree it would be super helpful, though. I’ve made a note of the feature request and we’ll keep it on our radar as we plan out our roadmap for the future.
In the meantime, there are a couple of options you could consider, depending on your particular goals:
1) You could set up form notification emails to send an email with the content of the submitted entry. Most browsers will then let you save an email as a PDF (here’s an example for Chrome). In case it helps, here’s our tutorial on setting up notification emails.
2) You could manually create PDFs of each entry by printing. Here’s our tutorial with all the details.
3) You could attach a downloadable CSV file to the email notification that contains the information users submit through your form. This file can also include extra data points such as the entry ID, user’s IP address, and more. Here’s our tutorial with all the details.
Thanks 🙂
i have created form in wpforms i want to send all entries in table format like table tow and table head there is no option showing for that I have selected HTML template and add table tag of HTML and tried to send email notification but when I receive notification table body does not fit to start I have to scroll down to view table when I inspect element it added lots of br tag is there any solution
Hi there — We’d be happy to help! When you get a chance, please drop us a line in support so we can assist.
If you have a WPForms license, you have access to our email support, so please submit a support ticket.
Otherwise, we provide limited complimentary support in the WPForms Lite WordPress.org support forum.
Thanks 🙂
Hi,
I have a form created using WpForm and we want to send all the fields in Pdf format along with the fields in email. Is it possible using WpForms?
Hi Salman – I apologize, currently we don’t have this feature. I do agree it would be super helpful, though. I’ve made a note of the feature request and we’ll keep it on our radar as we plan out our roadmap for the future.
In the meantime, there are a couple of options you could consider, depending on your particular goals:
1) You could set up form notification emails to send an email with the content of the submitted entry. Most browsers will then let you save an email as a PDF (here’s an example for Chrome). In case it helps, here’s our tutorial on setting up notification emails.
2) You could manually create PDFs of each entry by printing. Here’s our tutorial with all the details.
3) You could attach a downloadable CSV file to the email notification that contains the information users submit through your form. This file can also include extra data points such as the entry ID, user’s IP address, and more. Here’s our tutorial with all the details.
Thanks 🙂
Hi! Do you have PDF addon already? I see users have been asking for this for more than 3 years. I’m choosing between WPForms and ContactForm7 + Ultimate addon (PDF file is included in free version). And it’s essential to have the option to send a PDF file of what was filled in in the form. Please, let me know if you have it. Thanks
Hi Michel. Thanks for your feedback! I can tell you that this feature is under active discussion. I am not able to share any more details right now, but it’s great that you commented so we can get a measure of how popular this request is. Thanks for stopping by to comment.