Attach or embed files

Learn how to insert files in your source document and publish them in PDF output.

At the time of authoring, you can add reference documents in your source document itself. These documents are then attached or embedded in the PDF output. Depending upon the type of preset that you are using to generate the PDF, you will have to use either the embed or attach file option. For example PDF/-A2-compliant PDFs support inserting other PDF/A-compliant files, while PDF/A-3-compliant PDFs can support any file type as an attachment.

To attach a file, go to Insert > Attach File in PDF.
To embed a file, go to Insert > Embed File in PDF.

Browse to and select the file that you want to insert, and click Select on the Select File dialog.

The following screenshot shows attached and embedded files in a source document:

Figure 1. Files attached and embedded in the source document

When you generate the PDF output, the inserted files are shown in the Attachments section in Adobe Acrobat:

Figure 2. Inserted files in PDF output

Note: It is recommended to embed a file at the end of the document, as it might introduce a blank space at the insertion point in the published PDF.