How to make a PDF shareable link.
Sometimes, sending a PDF as an attachment isn’t possible - perhaps the file is too large or the recipient doesn’t have a PDF viewer installed. In these situations, sharing a PDF via a link is a simple way to ensure everyone can access and view your document seamlessly. Plus, if you’re looking to gather feedback or collaborate with a group, a shareable PDF link is the perfect solution as it allows for comments.
Ready to learn how to create and manage shareable PDF links? Our guide will show you how to convert your PDF to a link, track shared links, and understand what the recipient experiences when you share your document.
What you’ll learn.
- How to create a link to a PDF
- How to track shared PDF links
- What the recipient sees with a shareable PDF link
- FAQs
How to create a link to a PDF.
There are three simple ways to share a PDF as a link. First, you’ll need to create a PDF in Acrobat or Acrobat Reader. Then, choose one of the options below to convert it into a shareable link:
Share an anonymous or public link to the PDF file.
- Select Share in the upper right-hand corner.
- By default, the People can comment on this file option is enabled. Click the switch if you want to turn it off.
- Click Create link to share to generate and copy the URL. This will upload the PDF to the Adobe Cloud, which may take a few moments depending on the size of the file. Once uploaded, the link will be ready to share.
- Share the link by pasting it into an email, messenger platform, or your document as needed.
Share the PDF link by email.
- Open the PDF in Acrobat and click the Send File By Email icon in the top-right corner of the toolbar.
- Choose your email application in the Send by Email dialogue.
- By default, the Attach a Link option is enabled. This shares a view-only link to the PDF in the email body.
- Click Next. This will open an email containing the link in a separate window. You can then modify the email subject and add any additional information for the recipients within the email body.
- Enter the recipients’ email addresses and click Send.
Send personalised invitations for viewing or commenting on the PDF.
- Click the Share with Others icon.
- Enter the names or emails of the recipients.
- Optionally, add a message to include in the invitation.
- Choose whether to allow comments or not by clicking the icon.
- If you like, you can set a deadline for accessing the PDF.
- Click Send.
- Recipients will receive an email with a link to the PDF.
How to track shared PDF links.
It’s easy to keep track of PDF files that you’ve shared as links. All your recently shared files are listed under Home > Recent in Acrobat or Acrobat Reader. You’ll get a notification in Acrobat and an email when the recipient views the file. To view and manage all files you've shared or received, follow these steps:
- Click Home in the top left corner of the Acrobat window.
- Click Shared By You to see the files you’ve shared with others for viewing or review.
- Click Shared By Others to see the files you’ve received to view or review.
You’ll find three columns of information for each file:
- Name - the name of the file.
- Sharing - if the file is shared or unshared.
- Date Modified - the last time the file was modified.
- To view the details of a file, click on the file and a thumbnail will display on the right pane. You’ll see the actions you can perform displayed below. You’ll see different actions depending on whether the file was shared by you or shared by others.
Actions on files shared by you.
Here’s how you can manage files that you've shared:
- Add People to the shared file.
- Unshare File if you want to prevent anyone else from viewing or downloading it.
- Copy the Shared Link to share with other recipients.
- Delete the shared file from the Adobe Document Cloud
Actions on files shared by others.
For files shared with you, you can:
- View the timestamp of when the file was received.
- Copy the Shared Link to share with others or open the file in your browser.
- Remove Me allows you to remove yourself as a reviewer of a shared file.
- Report Abuse for any inappropriate content received.
What the recipient sees with a shareable PDF link.
When you receive a PDF shared via a link, you’ll get an email notification – which means you’ll need internet access. The email contains an Open button as well as a URL link to the shared document. You can click the button or copy and paste the link to open the document in your internet browser.
FAQs.
You can share a PDF via email with these steps:
- Open Adobe Acrobat Reader.
- Click Send File By Email.
- Choose your email application in the Send by Email dialogue.
- Attach a Link is switched on by default. This shares a view-only link to the PDF in the email body.
- Click Next, enter the recipients’ email addresses and then click Send.
To allow others to leave comments when sharing it:
- 1. Open your PDF in Acrobat and select Share With Others.
- 2. Enter the email addresses of your recipients.
- 3. Enable the People can comment on this file option (this is switched on by default) to let recipients add feedback.
If you share a PDF link, the recipient will be notified via email when they have internet access. The email contains a link to the shared document.
Once online, they can click the button or copy and paste the link into their browser to open the document. If you enabled comments when sharing, they’ll also be able to add their feedback.
Yes, you can unshare a PDF link at any time:
1. Open Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader.
2. Go to Home > Shared By You.
3. Select the file and click Unshare File.
This will prevent anyone from accessing the document via the link.
Sharing a PDF via a link can be secure, but it depends on who you share the link with and how you manage access. Public links can be forwarded, so it’s best to use personalised invitations if you want to control who views the document. For added protection, you can set a password for the PDF:
1. Open your PDF in Acrobat.
2. Go to File > Protect Using Password.
3. Choose whether the password applies to opening the document or editing it.
4. Set your password, then share the link. The recipient will need the password to access the PDF.
Always be mindful of who you share the link with, especially for sensitive information.
More resuources.
Content as a Service v3 - Wednesday 8 January 2025 at 17:05
