Generate PDF Using Apex Without Visualforce | Spring ’26

January 4, 2026 Nick

If you have ever tried to generate a PDF using Apex in Salesforce, you know the limitations that came with it. Without a Visualforce page, creating a PDF was not possible, and in many cases, teams had to rely on paid third-party tools.

Even when all the business logic was written in Apex, Visualforce was still required behind the scenes just to handle PDF rendering. The Spring ’26 Salesforce release changes this behaviour and introduces a better way to generate PDFs directly using Apex.

How to Generate a PDF Using Apex Without a Visualforce Page?

Here’s what actually happens now. Apex builds the content as HTML, and that HTML is passed into Blob.toPdf().

Apex code example showing Blob.toPdf() used to generate a PDF without Visualforce — Apex implementation using Blob.toPdf() to generate a PDF and attach it to an Account record, without relying on a Visualforce page.

Below is a complete Apex example that builds HTML in code, converts it into a PDF using Blob.toPdf() and automatically attaches the generated PDF to the related Account record as a File.


public class AccountPdfService {

public static void generateAccountPdf(Id accountId) {

Account acc = [
SELECT Name, Industry, Phone, Website
FROM Account
WHERE Id = :accountId
LIMIT 1
];

String html =
'<html>' +
'<body style="margin:0; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; background-color:#F3F6F9;">' +

'<table width="100%" style="background-color:#0176D3; color:white; padding:24px;">' +
'<tr>' +
'<td>' +
'<h1 style="margin:0; font-size:30px; font-weight:bold; letter-spacing:1px;">SALESFORCE GEEK</h1>' +
'<p style="margin:6px 0 0 0; font-size:13px; opacity:0.95;">PDF generated using Apex • Blob.toPdf()</p>' +
'</td>' +
'</tr>' +
'</table>' +

'<table width="92%" align="center" style="background-color:white; margin-top:22px; border:1px solid #D8DDE6; border-radius:8px;">' +

'<tr style="background-color:#EEF4FF;">' +
'<td colspan="2" style="padding:14px; font-size:15px; font-weight:bold; color:#032D60;">' +
'Account Information' +
'</td>' +
'</tr>' +

'<tr>' +
'<td style="padding:12px; border-bottom:1px solid #E5E5E5; color:#032D60;"><b>Account Name</b></td>' +
'<td style="padding:12px; border-bottom:1px solid #E5E5E5;">' + acc.Name + '</td>' +
'</tr>' +

'<tr>' +
'<td style="padding:12px; border-bottom:1px solid #E5E5E5; color:#032D60;"><b>Industry</b></td>' +
'<td style="padding:12px; border-bottom:1px solid #E5E5E5;">' + acc.Industry + '</td>' +
'</tr>' +

'<tr>' +
'<td style="padding:12px; border-bottom:1px solid #E5E5E5; color:#032D60;"><b>Phone</b></td>' +
'<td style="padding:12px; border-bottom:1px solid #E5E5E5;">' + acc.Phone + '</td>' +
'</tr>' +

'<tr>' +
'<td style="padding:12px; color:#032D60;"><b>Website</b></td>' +
'<td style="padding:12px;">' + acc.Website + '</td>' +
'</tr>' +
'</table>' +

// FOOTER
'<table width="100%" style="margin-top:28px; background-color:#F3F6F9; padding:12px;">' +
'<tr>' +
'<td style="text-align:center; font-size:11px; color:#5C6F8C;">' +
'PDF created using Apex Blob.toPdf() — Spring ’26' +
'</td>' +
'</tr>' +
'</table>' +

'</body></html>';

Blob pdfBlob = Blob.toPdf(html);

ContentVersion cv = new ContentVersion();
cv.Title = acc.Name + ' - PDF';
cv.PathOnClient = acc.Name + '.pdf';
cv.VersionData = pdfBlob;
insert cv;

ContentDocumentLink cdl = new ContentDocumentLink();
cdl.ContentDocumentId = [SELECT ContentDocumentId FROM ContentVersion WHERE Id = :cv.Id].ContentDocumentId;

cdl.LinkedEntityId = acc.Id;
cdl.ShareType = 'V';
cdl.Visibility = 'AllUsers';
insert cdl;
}
}

Salesforce now renders the PDF directly and returns it as a Blob, without requiring a Visualforce page. There is nothing extra to deploy or reference in your org.

Behind the scenes, Salesforce still uses the same PDF rendering engine that powered Visualforce PDFs for years. This makes the experience feel entirely Apex-based, while the platform continues to handle the rendering quietly in the background.

What Did Not Change in Apex PDF Generation Logic?

Your Apex code stays the same.

Blob.toPdf() still takes a string
It still returns a Blob
Existing implementations keep working

Example Output: PDF Generated Using Apex Without a Visualforce Page

Below is an example of a PDF created using Apex and Blob.toPdf().

All of that comes from HTML and inline styles passed into Apex. Salesforce handles rendering and returns the final PDF. There’s no Visualforce page sitting in the org just for output.

PDF generated using Apex Blob.toPdf() without a Visualforce page in Salesforce Spring ’26 — Example of an Account PDF generated using Apex and Blob.toPdf(), showing a styled header and account details without using a Visualforce page.

Fonts and Layout Changes in PDFs Generated Using Apex

There is one visual change to be aware of. The Visualforce PDF rendering service supports a wider range of fonts and improved multibyte character handling. As a result, the default font changes from serif to sans-serif.

If your HTML doesn’t explicitly define font styles, you might notice small layout differences:

Line lengths are changing slightly
Page breaks moving
Text wrapping differently

Nothing breaks, but layout-sensitive PDFs should always define fonts explicitly. That avoids surprises later.

When is the apex PDF rendering update planned to be enforced?

Salesforce plans to enforce this change in Summer ’26. You don’t need to wait until then. You can enable the update early from Release Updates in Setup and review how your existing PDFs render.

That gives you time to adjust styling if needed, instead of finding out during enforcement.

Best Use Cases for Generating PDFs Using Apex Without Visualforce

Generating PDFs directly from Apex makes sense in places like:

Record summaries
Invoices or statements
Approval documents
Flow-driven document creation
Scheduled or background reports

Removing Visualforce pages from these flows keeps solutions simpler and easier to maintain over time. Before enabling the update in production, it’s smart to review:

Page breaks
Headers and footers
Tables and borders
Font alignment

Also Read – Preview a File in a Screen Flow | Spring ’26 Release

FAQs

1. Can I generate a PDF in Salesforce using Apex without creating a Visualforce page?

Yes. With the updated behavior of Blob.toPdf(), you can generate PDFs using Apex alone. You pass HTML content to Apex, and Salesforce renders the PDF using the Visualforce PDF rendering service behind the scenes, without requiring a Visualforce page in your org.

2. How does Blob.toPdf() work in Spring ’26?

In Spring ’26, Blob.toPdf() uses the same rendering engine that Visualforce PDFs use. The method signature stays the same, but Salesforce routes the rendering through the Visualforce PDF service to ensure consistent output and better font support.

3. Does this change break existing Apex PDF generation code?

No. Existing Apex code that uses Blob.toPdf() continues to work. The change only affects how the PDF is rendered internally. You don’t need to modify your Apex logic unless your PDF layout depends on default font behavior.

4. Why does my PDF layout look slightly different after enabling the update?

The Visualforce PDF rendering service uses a different default font. If your HTML doesn’t explicitly define font styles, text wrapping and page breaks may shift slightly. Defining fonts in your HTML prevents these differences.

5. When is the Blob.toPdf() rendering update enforced?

Salesforce plans to enforce this update in Summer ’26. You can enable it earlier from Release Updates in Setup to test existing PDFs before enforcement.

Conclusion

Spring ’26 makes PDF generation in Salesforce quieter and cleaner. You can now generate PDFs using Apex without a Visualforce page while still relying on the same rendering engine Salesforce uses for Visualforce PDFs. The platform takes care of consistency. Your code stays focused on logic.

If your org creates PDFs through automation or backend logic, this update is worth enabling early and testing with confidence.

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Salesforce Geek

Generate PDF Using Apex Without Visualforce | Spring ’26

How to Generate a PDF Using Apex Without a Visualforce Page?

What Did Not Change in Apex PDF Generation Logic?

Fonts and Layout Changes in PDFs Generated Using Apex

When is the apex PDF rendering update planned to be enforced?

Best Use Cases for Generating PDFs Using Apex Without Visualforce

Also Read – Preview a File in a Screen Flow | Spring ’26 Release

FAQs

Conclusion

Get a complete Roadmap to Learn Salesforce Admin and Development👇

Nick

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