Embed PDFs in OLE container documents

Last updated on Aug 16, 2025

Learn how to embed a PDF file into Word, PowerPoint, or other OLE-supported documents for easy reference and access within your content.

You can incorporate PDFs into other files that support Object Linking and Embedding (OLE), such as InDesign or Word documents. These files are called OLE container documents. Later, if you edit the original PDF, the OLE features in the container application update the embedded file in the container document to reflect your changes.

Embed a PDF from the OLE container application

Open the OLE container application, such as Microsoft Word.

Select Insert Object or Insert Hyperlink, whichever is applicable.
For example, in Word, go to the Insert tab and select Object.

In the Object dialog box, select Adobe Acrobat Document and select OK.

Select the PDF file you want to embed and select Open.

Embed a PDF from Acrobat 

In Acrobat, open the PDF you want to embed.

Select Menu > Undo, Redo & more > Copy file to clipboard.

Under the Undo, Redo & more menu, Copy file to clipboard option is highlighted.
From the Undo, Redo & more menu, select Copy file to clipboard option.

In the OLE container application, select Paste Special to embed the PDF.