Documents (PDFs) in Drupal

A Couple Rules & Policies

PDFs are the only document type that is approved for upload into Drupal. No Word docs, no PowerPoints, no Excel Spreadsheets, etc.
All PDFs must pass latest WCAG 2.1, Level AA Accessibility standards before they are uploaded into Drupal. That is your responsibility to ensure. Please read through our PDF Accessibility page.
All PDFs must be optimized for Web. They must be less than 10 MB in size or they will not successfully upload into Drupal. See this helpful video for guidance.
Flipbooks are prohibited.

Related Training Guides

On this page:

Rules around PDF use
PDFs vs Basic Pages: when should you create a Basic Page for your content instead of uploading a PDF?
How to Upload a new PDF into Drupal (Ex: this is new content with no existing version of this PDF in existence on Drupal already)
How to Link to a PDF
How to Update a current PDF in Drupal (Ex: there is an existing PDF already in Drupal but you need to upload a newer version)
How to Delete a PDF
Flipbooks Policy

PDF vs Basic Page

A Basic Page is always going to be the ADA compliant (Accessible) option. PDFs should really only be used for print-ready items that are static and don't update often, like a flyer or a report. There is a very small use-case for such exceptions on our sites. For these reasons we strongly discourage the use of PDFs. Flipbooks are prohibited.

Default rule

Create a Basic Page by default. Use PDFs only by exception, and only when you can meet accessibility requirements for that PDF (or have a documented technical/legal constraint and you have ensured that PDF meets AA level accessibility requirements).

Use a Basic Page when

Choose a Basic Page when the content is meant to be read, navigated, searched, or updated on screen, including:

Patient instructions, clinic prep, aftercare, FAQs, policy pages, directions, pricing/financial assistance explanations
Anything that changes periodically (hours, eligibility, program details)
Anything that needs to work well on mobile or with large text settings
Anything with multiple related pages/sections where navigation matters
Forms people must complete online (use accessible web forms, not PDF forms, when feasible)

Rationale: Public digital services should be delivered as structured web pages. Major public-sector publishing guidance explicitly discourages PDFs for on-screen reading and favors HTML (basic pages).

Use a PDF when (exception cases)

A WCAG 2.1, AA Level accessible PDF is reasonable when there is a real format need, for example:

Print fidelity is essential (e.g., a poster/flyer meant to be printed as-is)
A document must be distributed as a fixed “record” version (e.g., board packet, formal report snapshot) and you will keep it accessible
A third-party or system-generated document where HTML isn’t feasible right now (must still be AA Level accessible)

Even in these cases, require that the PDF be accessible (tagged, structured, etc.).

A simple decision rubric you can follow

Ask these questions in order:

Is this primarily “web content” (read/scan/use on a phone)?
→ Publish as Basic Page.
Will this change in the next 6–12 months?
→ Publish as Basic Page (PDFs drift out of date quickly and are harder to maintain at scale).
Does it need to be filled out online or interacted with?
→ Use a Basic Page with fillable form (submit a request via our intake form to have this created for you). If a PDF form is unavoidable, it must be an accessible PDF form and tested.
Is there a print/legal record requirement that truly needs fixed layout?
→ PDF is allowed, but only if it’s authored accessibly to WCAG 2.1, AA Level standards.

This is for new content with no existing version currently in existence on Drupal already

How to Upload a new PDF into Drupal

Step 1: Prepare the PDF for Upload

Ensure the document is in an optimized, accessible, PDF format. (Word, PowerPoint, and Excel files are not allowed).
- This is more easily achieved during the creation of the document rather than after it has been converted into a PDF. If drafting in Word or PowerPoint, use Microsoft Accessibility Checker. Navigate to Review > Check Accessibility to find and fix issues natively.
The file name must be clear and simple (e.g. annual-report-2025-q2.pdf)
- Separate words with hyphens instead of spaces
- Use all lowercase letters

screenshot of the top half of the add document upload interface in Drupal

Step 2: Upload the PDF to Drupal

Log in to Drupal
Hover over Content > Media > Add Media > Document
In the Name field, enter a human-readable, brief description of the PDF. This is separate from the file name in Step 1 and is what screen readers will announce to users. (e.g. "Q2 2025 Annual Report" or "Meeting Minutes - June 5, 2025")
- Use capital letters and spaces for readability
Click Choose File and select the PDF from your computer

Step 3: FIll out upload form and confirm ADA accessibility

Enter a description in the Description box that appears after you upload your file.
- This description should be human readable (use spaces between your words. No hyphens.)
Check the box under the Accessibility section to confirm the file you are uploading meets WCAG 2.1 Level AA compliance. You are responsible and liable for ensuring the document is compliant. Do not check this box if it is not compliant. You will not be able to upload if it is not compliant.
Enter copyright information in the Copyright section. If you created it yourself just say that in the field.
Ensure both boxes in the Visibility section are checked
Skip the Revision information section (unless updating an existing document)
Click Save to upload the file

How to Link to a PDF

Link to the PDF

Make sure you are logged in to your Drupal site
Navigate to the page where you want to add the PDF link.
Click Edit to modify the page content.
- If hyperlinking text in a WYSIWYG field, select/highlight the text where you want the link to appear.
Click the Link button.

screenshot of the hyperlink field in a WYSIWYG

In the Link URL field, start typing the human readable name you gave the PDF. A list of items with that name will appear.
Select the correct file from the dropdown under the Media - Document category.
Click the blue Apply button to save your work

screenshot of the PDF selection on a url field

If you are not choosing to link to your PDF via hyperlinked text, the other option is a simple URL field in any given component (Button, CTA, etc.) that has styling for a link built in to the functionality. In that case you simply start typing the human readable name of the PDF (same as you would in the example above) in the appropriate URL field.
- The Link text field is where you would type the text that displays as the clickable item that takes a user to the PDF. Unless, of course you have otherwise selected the entire component to act as the hyperlinked object. Please reach out to the Digital Experience team if you need more clarification around this.
Click the blue Apply button to save your work.

screenshot of the URL field in a Drupal component

This is for updating an existing PDF with a newer version

How to update a current PDF in Drupal

Update an existing document (PDF) in Drupal

Log in to your Drupal site.
Hover over the Content tab in the admin toolbar then select Media from the dropdown
On the Media page, type keywords from the human readable name of the current PDF into the Media name search field then click Filter
In the results that appear, click Edit on the right-hand side of the name of the appropriate document you wish to update
In the edit window, scroll down to the Document section and click the grey Remove button to remove the existing file.
Then click Choose File and upload the new version.
- If applicable, update the Name field to reflect the new version of the document (e.g. 2024 to 2025, etc.)
Click Save.
Done! Your document is now updated. All current links to this document will remain intact.

Heading Component: How to Delete a PDF from Drupal

screenshot of delete button under media in Drupal

NOTE: If the first version of your PDF existed in Drupal pre-October 2022 then you must delete from two places (Files & Media) in Drupal to ensure your file is completely removed off the site. If your PDF was first uploaded into Drupal post-October 2022 then you only need to delete from the second location (Media).

First location: Files

Hover over the Content tab in the admin toolbar then select Files from the dropdown
On the Files page, type keywords from the PDF in question into the Filename search field then click Enter/Filter
Find your document from the results list and click Delete on the right-hand side to delete it. There is no restoring the file once you've done this. In some cases you may see multiple instances (duplicates) of your PDF in Files. Be sure you delete all of them.

Second location: Media

Hover over the Content tab in the admin toolbar then select Media from the dropdown
On the Media page, select 'Documents' from the Media type dropdown and type keywords from the human readable name of the PDF in question into the Media name search field. Then click Filter
In the results that appear, find your PDF and in the Operations tab on the right-hand side click the dropdown next to Edit and click Delete to delete the PDF.

Flipbooks Policy

As part of our ongoing commitment to digital accessibility and in preparation for the April 26, 2027, ADA compliance mandate, the Digital Experience team is reinforcing guidance regarding the use of third-party flipbook platforms (such as Issuu, Publuu, and similar tools) and PDF-based publications on our websites.

Why This Matters

Many third-party flipbook platforms do not meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA accessibility standards and consistently fail accessibility audits. Common issues include:

Inaccessible navigation for screen reader users
Lack of proper semantic structure
Keyboard navigation barriers
Poor reflow and usability at 200% zoom
Inconsistent performance across devices

Because we host and govern the enterprise web environment, we are responsible for ensuring all our digital content meets ADA requirements and institutional accessibility standards.

Mobile Experience & Performance

More than half of our web traffic comes from mobile devices. Flipbooks and PDF-based publications are typically designed for print or desktops and do not translate well to small screens. They often require pinching, zooming, and horizontal scrolling, which significantly degrades the user experience. Our priority is to ensure that content is usable, accessible, and performant across all devices.

Moving Forward

Effective immediately:

We strongly discourage the use of third-party flipbook platforms on official websites.
We discourage hosting PDF-first publications in place of web content.
Existing flipbooks must be removed and replaced with accessible web-based content no later than April 24, 2026.
Flipbooks that remain after April 24, 2026 will be unpublished

Instead, we ask teams to use the content from print publications to build structured, accessible webpages using the Gloss Design System. Our enterprise design system is fully equipped with flexible templates and components specifically designed for our organization’s needs. It ensures:

WCAG 2.1 AA compliance
Brand consistency
Improved search visibility
Better analytics and engagement tracking
Strong mobile performance

Long-form reports, magazines, and annual publications can and should be translated into structured HTML using Gloss components rather than embedded as static documents.

Exceptions

In rare cases, a fully accessible, properly tagged PDF may be considered. Any exception must be reviewed and approved in advance by the Digital Experience team.