Share and track PDFs online

You can quickly share a link to a PDF document with others for viewing or commenting. The document shared as a link opens in any browser, on any device. The document is stored securely in Adobe Document Cloud. Recipients get an email with a link, and they can click the link to view and comment on the document in a browser; no sign-in required.

Adobe Acrobat deeplink

Try it in the app
Invite people to view, review, or sign your PDF in a few simple steps.

Share PDFs

Open a PDF in Acrobat or Acrobat Reader. The sharing tools are displayed in the top-right corner of the tool bar.

Share PDF files tools

You can share a PDF file using any one of the following methods:

An anonymous or public link makes the files accessible to anyone who clicks the link. Also, the detailed tracking information is not available for files shared using public links.

  1. Click the Share A Link To This File icon ().

    Share a link to the file

  2. By default, the Allow Comments switch is turned on. To share the file only for viewing, click the switch to turn it off. Click Create Link.

    Copy link and share

    The Get a Link prompt displays the progress.

    File upload and sharing progress

  3. The link is created and copied by default. The shared file is open in Acrobat viewer after the link is created. You can also perform any of the following actions from the right pane:

    • Add People with whom you want to share the document
    • Unshare File
    • Save A Copy of the file
    Share the created link with other recipients

The detailed tracking information is not available for files shared as attachments.

  1. Click the Send File By Email icon ( ).

    Send your PDF file by email

  2. In the Send by Email dialog, do one of the following:

    • Choose Outlook if it is your default email application.
    • Select Webmail in the drop-down list and then select Add Gmail. Enter your email address and click OK. Enter the password when prompted.
    • Select Webmail, and then select Add Other email address you use. Enter the email address, password, IMAP, SMTP settings in the Add Webmail Account dialog and click Add.

    The Attach a Link switch is turned on by default; a shared view-only link to the PDF will be added in the email body. If you want to attach the PDF instead of the link, click the switch to turn it off.

  3. Click Next. Enter the recipient's email address and send.

The detailed tracking information is available for files shared using a personalized link to individuals.

  1. Click the Share This File With Others icon ().

    Invite people for viewing or commenting

  2. The Name and Message fields are just like the ones you use for sending an email and appear to your recipients in the same way. Enter desired information, and then click Send.

    Your recipients get an email notifying them that the file is shared with them.

Recipients experience

Recipients get an email notifying them that the file is shared with them. The email contains the Open button and a link to the shared document. Clicking the link or the button opens the document in a browser. Recipients can also download the document if necessary.

 See the example screenshot below showing the email notification received by a recipient.  

Received link in email
The email notification with a link to the shared document

Track shared files

The files that you have recently shared are listed in Home > Recent. When the recipient views the file, you get a notification in Acrobat and an email. To view and track all the files shared for viewing, do the following:

  1. Click Home, and do one of the following:

    • To view the files shared by you for view or review, click Shared By You.
    • To view the files received for view or review, click Shared By Others.

    All the files shared for viewing are displayed along with the following information:

    • Name: Name of the file shared for view.
    • Sharing: Shows if the file is shared or unshared.
    • Date Modified: The last time when the file was modified.
    Operations on shared files

  2. To view the details of a file, select the file. A thumbnail of the file is displayed in the right pane. The action board in the right pane displays the actions you can perform on the file. The displayed actions vary based on whether you have shared the file, or received the file for viewing as shown below:

    Note:

    Effective December 1st 2020, the tracking and notification feature will no longer apply to the download of shared files.

    Actions on files shared By You

    • Add People to the shared file.
    • Unshare File if you would like to prevent anyone else from viewing or downloading the file.
    • Copy Shared Link and share with other recipients for viewing.
    • Delete the shared file permanently from the Adobe Document Cloud.
    Actions on files shared for viewing
    Actions on files shared by you

    Actions on files Shared By Others

    • View the timestamp of the file received.
    • Copy Shared Link to either share it with other recipients or open the file on browser.
    • Remove Me to remove yourself as a reviewer of the shared file.
    • Report Abuse for any inappropriate content received.
       
    Actions for files received for viewing
    Actions for files shared by others

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Adobe MAX 2024

Adobe MAX
The Creativity Conference

Oct 14–16 Miami Beach and online

Adobe MAX

The Creativity Conference

Oct 14–16 Miami Beach and online