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Knowledge check: This page assumes you know the basics of Inline Frame
1. Build the embed content URL
Note: This page describes how to manually build the embed content URL. You can also generate an embed URL from a Looker dashboard, Look, or Explore. Consider an example of Looker content at the URL https://instance.looker.com/dashboards/4?theme=red&Timeframe=14+day. From this Looker content URL, we will construct the embed content URL and set the iframe's src attribute to it. Feel free to use your own Looker content URL as you work through these steps.
The embed content URL from the preceding code sample is follows:
https://instance.looker.com /embed/dashboards/4 ?theme=red&Timeframe=14+day
The embed content URL consists of three parts:
Hostname : your Looker instance's hostnamePath : Looker content URL path prefixed with /embed (with extra steps for query visualizations)Parameters : URL parameters that specify filters and theming
The protocol must always be https://. This example will build each part in detail.
Note: As a shortcut, think of the embed content URL as your complete Looker content URL with embed/ prefixed to its path (unless you're embedding query visualizations ). Part 1: Hostname
Navigate to your Looker content. Following the example Looker content URL: https://instance.looker.com/dashboards/4?theme=red&Timeframe=14+day.
Your embed content URL hostname is instance.looker.com.
Note: The hostname includes the port number, if present, e.g., instance.looker.com:9999.
Part 2: Path
Your embed content URL path depends on the Looker content you embed.
Embedding all Looker content except query visualizations
Navigate to your Looker content. Following the example Looker content URL: https://instance.looker.com/dashboards/4?theme=red&Timeframe=14+day
Identify your Looker content URL's path: /dashboards/4.
Prefix /embed onto your Looker content URL's path. Your embed content URL's path is /embed/dashboards/4.
Embedding a query visualization
Navigate to your query visualization. Example URL: instance.looker.com/explore/my_model/my_explore?qid=1234567890abcdefghij12
Identify your query client ID. The qid parameter: 1234567890abcdefghij12 is your query's client ID that represents the query and the visualizations settings.
Your embed content URL path is /embed/query-visualization/ appended with your query client ID. The example embed content URL's path is /embed/query-visualization/1234567890abcdefghij12
Note: You can also find the query client ID with the Looker API Get Query method as the client_id field of the Query object. Part 3: Parameters
Your embed content URL parameters control your embedded content's filters and theming.
Filters
Navigate to your Looker content URL.
Manually adjust the content's filters to what you want. For this example, your resulting Looker content URL is: https://instance.looker.com/dashboards/4?Timeframe=14+day
Your embed content URL parameters are the Looker content URL parameters, for example, Timeframe=14+day
In this example, the parameter Timeframe=14+day sets the value of the dashboard's Timeframe filter.
Note: The filter parameter does not create the filter, it must exist on the dashboard beforehand. Theming
Check out the theming guide to read about how to control the appearance of your embedded content.
2. Test your embed content URL
Open your embed content URL in your browser to preview your embed content's behavior and appearance.
3. Create your iframe
Create your iframe element in your host application.
Set the src attribute to your embed content URL.
Define the width, height, and other attributes to what you need to best display your embedded Looker content.
4. Consider user access issues
The user must be logged in to Looker to view your embedded content. The iframe will show a 401 error page if the user is not logged in.
User login options
Your user can log in to Looker in one of two ways:
1. Log in to Looker beforehand
Your user must log in to Looker on the same browser before they can view the embedded content.
2. Enable an optional embed Looker login screen
Add allow_login_screen=true to your embed content URL parameters to present a Looker login screen in the iframe if the user is not signed in. Our example embed content URL becomes: https://instance_name.looker.com/embed/dashboards/4?Timeframe=14+day&allow_login_screen=true
Keep in mind two caveats:
You must disable the Same-Origin Protections for Looker Login Pages setting to enable the Looker login screen in the iframe embed.
If your Looker instance authenticates users using single sign-on (SSO) with an identity provider, your identity provider may block the login screen within your iframe. You will need to use option 1 if this happens.
User browser cookie policy
Looker uses cookies for user authentication and session storage. Your user's browser must enable third-party cookies if your user accesses your Looker instance embed content URL's hostname is under a different domain from your host application.
Some browsers, such as Firefox and Safari, default to a cookie policy that blocks third-party cookies. If the user's browser cannot allow third-party cookies, you can add a custom domain to your Looker instance so your host application and embed content URL's hostname Looker instance reside under the same domain.
Note: You can view a list of the cookies that Looker uses on the Looker cookie list documentation page. 5. Interact with your iframe
Get started with Looker embedding iframe post messaging .
Next steps
Get started with signed embedding using our Embed SDK and check out examples of what you can do with Looker embedding.
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Except as otherwise noted, the content of this page is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License , and code samples are licensed under the Apache 2.0 License . For details, see the Google Developers Site Policies . Java is a registered trademark of Oracle and/or its affiliates.
Last updated 2026-09-30 UTC.
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