Turn a PDF
into a link.

Three ways to turn a PDF into a link

There is no single right answer. It depends on who is reading, on what device, and whether the PDF will change.

• A cloud drive link. Free, quick, and fine for sending a file to a few people.
• Your own website. If you have a site, most site builders let you upload a file and link to it.
• A flipbook link. The PDF becomes pages that turn in the browser, with a link, embed code, QR code and a reading report.

And sometimes you don't need a link at all: attaching the PDF to an email still works.

The free way: share it from a cloud drive

Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive and similar services all work roughly the same way:

1. Upload the PDF to your drive.
2. Open the file's sharing settings and choose who can open it. For a link anyone can use, pick the option that lets anyone with the link view it.
3. Copy the link and paste it wherever you need it.

This is a good choice for a contract, a form, or a file a colleague needs to download. It costs nothing if you already have a drive. A few things to watch:

• Check the sharing setting. If it is limited to people you invite, anyone else who taps the link won't be able to open the file.
• Readers see the drive's viewer. The PDF opens as a document in the drive's own preview, which works but looks like a file, not a publication.
• Updates depend on the drive. Some drives let you upload a new version under the same link. If yours doesn't, a new upload means a new link to send around. Check your drive's help before you print the link anywhere.

When attaching the PDF is enough

If you are sending one file to one person, or to a small group who will download and keep it, an email attachment is simple and needs no account anywhere. The trade-offs: email providers cap attachment sizes, every update means sending a new file, and once it's sent, you can't see whether anyone opened it.

When a flipbook link is better

A flipbook link is worth it when the PDF is something people browse: a catalog, a menu, a brochure, a newsletter or a proposal.

• It opens on phones, in the browser. Readers tap the link and read right away, one page at a time with a swipe on phones and two-page spreads on computers. There is nothing to download.
• The link stays the same. Replace the PDF any time, and the link, embed code, QR code and reading stats stay the same. That matters for anything printed.
• You can see who read it. The reading report shows readers and link taps for each flipbook. Pro adds reads by page, time on page, who read to the end, and tracking links for each place you share it.
• A QR code is included. Download it for a table card, a flyer or a window. It suits restaurant menus well. See our menu example.
• Links inside the PDF still work. Web links, email links and page jumps carry over, and you can add a button at the top of the flipbook with a link, email address or phone number.
• You choose who finds it. Unlisted flipbooks open only for people with the link and are skipped by search engines. Public ones include a text version of each page that search engines can read.

For more on reading stats, see how to track who read your PDF.

How to turn a PDF into a flipbook link with FlipWild

1. Upload the PDF, up to 200 MB and 500 pages. On a phone, pick it from Files, Google Drive, Dropbox or a mail attachment.
2. Check the pages and links, and preview it. This part is free.
3. Publish it with a plan or Buy just one to get the link.
4. Copy the link, download the QR code, or grab the embed code for your website.

The full walkthrough is in our PDF to flipbook guide.

What it costs

Sharing from a cloud drive or by email is free. A FlipWild link is paid: there is no free publishing plan, no trial and no money-back guarantee, though making and previewing is free.

• Starter is $15 a month billed yearly ($180), or $19 month to month, for 2 published flipbooks with a small Made with FlipWild badge.
• Buy just one is $29 once for a single flipbook hosted on a FlipWild link for 30 days, with embed and QR code, and a download to keep forever. It shows text and images only, so web links in the PDF won't work, and the PDF can't be replaced.

Bigger plans are on the pricing page.