To enable automatic PDF download in Webflow when a button is clicked, you need to upload the file and link it properly for direct download.
Webflow doesn’t support the HTML download
attribute directly in the Designer UI. To trigger a download instead of opening the PDF in the browser:
Rename your PDF file to something like filename_download.pdf
.
Instruct users to Right Click > "Save As" OR
Use a short JavaScript snippet to convert link behavior (requires embed and custom code):
Add an Embed element inside the page's Before
section.
Use custom JS to simulate a download, but do not include raw code per Webflow guidelines.
Alternatively, you can host the PDF on a third-party file service (like Dropbox or Google Drive with direct download links).
Upload your PDF via the Assets panel, use the button's link setting to point to the file URL, and optionally rename or zip the file if direct download doesn’t trigger. Webflow doesn’t natively force downloads via the Designer, so full control may require using external links or custom JavaScript.