How to Convert PDF to URL Link Online Free
2024-04-18 11:56:27 • Filed to: Convert PDF Online • Proven solutions
To share a PDF document easily, you can convert the PDF to a URL link and then send that link or embed it on a website for downloading. The simplest method for converting PDF to URL is to upload the PDF to a hosting service, making the file accessible online. Another option is to convert the PDF to HTML and create a web page for online viewing. A properly converted URL link from a PDF to HTML or HTML5 format will be user-friendly and responsive when viewed on the web. This post will show you these 2 ways to convert PDF to URL for free online.
Tip: Most online PDF-to-link converters only convert PDF to HTML files, to generate a URL link for a PDF file, you can use PDFelement, which can generate a link for PDF for free.
Convert PDF to Link Online via File Sharing Sites
The fastest method for converting a PDF into a URL link is to use a file-sharing service like Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive. These services enable you to upload your PDF files online and then generate links for easy sharing with your clients, customers, or colleagues. The added advantage is that you can make use of all these file-sharing services for free.
The following steps will show you how to convert a PDF file to a shareable URL link by using Google Drive.
Step 1. Open Google Drive and log into the service with your Google account.
Step 2. Click the New button and select "File upload" to upload a PDF file from your local storage.
Step 3. When the PDF file is uploaded to the cloud storage, select the PDF and right-click the "Share" or "Get link" option.
Step 4. On the Get Link window, a URL will be generated for the PDF file. You can click "Copy Link" to get the URL of the PDF file.
Now you can send the URL to share the PDF file with others. Recipients can view the PDF in a browser on a computer or mobile phone.
Convert PDF to Link Online via a PDF Converter
HiPDF offers a powerful conversion engine that will accurately convert PDF to clean HTML code. This output file can then be uploaded to a web server or file-sharing service, following which a URL can be generated for sharing purposes.
- Step 1. Head to the HiPDF PDF to HTML conversion page and drop your PDF document into the browser tab. Alternatively, you can get to that page by going to the HiPDF home page, clicking on "All tools," and selecting the "PDF to HTML" module.
- Step 2. Once your document is imported, you'll see the "Upload completed" message next to your filename.
- Step 3. Click the blue "Convert" button and wait for the conversion to be done. You can now click on "Download" to get the converted HTML file.
- Step 4. After converting the PDF into an HTML file, you can upload it to a website builder to generate a web page, allowing you to get an HTML link for the PDF file.
This URL can be pasted into an email or a browser address bar. It will render responsive content based on what device it is being viewed on.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Converting PDF to URL Link Online Free
Pros:
- Fast and free.
- No downloading or installing any software.
- Reliable conversion speed and accuracy.
Cons:
- Not as secure as using a desktop utility - information is shared over the Internet.
- An unstable connection might lead to aborted conversions.
- Requires high-speed Internet for fast conversion speed.
Although the convert PDF to URL link online method is certainly enticing, it comes with risks, such as the data being intercepted and hacked while en route to the cloud server where the conversion happens. To avoid that problem, you can consider using a desktop utility like PDFelement.
Convert PDF to URL Link on Desktop
Wondershare PDFelement - PDF Editor is an excellent option to convert PDF to URL, which keeps your data secure during the conversion. PDFelement can help you convert PDF to URL in two ways: generating a shareable link for the PDF file or converting the PDF to an HTML file.
Let's walk through each of the two methods step by step.
Convert PDF to Link
With PDFelement, you can easily turn a PDF file into a URL link in the following steps.
- Step 1. Open a PDF file in PDFelement.
- Step 2. Click the "Share" button on the top right corner and create a URL link for the PDF.
- Step 3. PDFelement will generate a URL link for the PDF file. Click the "Copy link" button and you can share the PDF URL with anyone.
After receiving the link, recipients can open and download the PDF file in browsers.
Convert PDF to HTML
- Step 1. Import the PDF file using the "+" option. You can also drag and drop the PDF file from Explorer or Finder into the software interface.
- Step 2. Below the "Convert" tab at the very top, click the "More" option and then select the "To HTML" option.
- Step 3. You'll see the "Save As" window pop up, where you can hit "Save" or tweak additional settings and parameters before confirming the conversion. Set your target folder for the output HTML file here as well.
To take it a step further, we recommend uploading the resulting HTML output file to your own web server using the site's FTP tool. If needed, you can get someone from your IT department to help with the upload. This is especially crucial if the document contains confidential or sensitive information that only authorized users must view.
More Features of Wondershare PDF to Link Converter
Now you know the process, let's look at some of the other PDF features:
- Editing - All texts, images, and other objects in a PDF file can be edited, changed, removed, etc.
- Annotations - Several markup and review tools are available for you to provide feedback to collaborators on the document.
- Protection - PDF security features like digital signatures, password encryption, and watermarking can be used to protect precious data from falling into the wrong hands.
- Conversion - convert PDF files to many other formats like Office files or images. You can also convert other file formats to PDF.
- Forms - Comprehensive tools are available to create and fill forms, digitize scanned forms, sign forms, etc.
- OCR - This Pro feature lets you edit a non-editable PDF (scanned or photographed) by converting the file into its digital equivalent.
- Comparison - Compare two PDF files to quickly find out the differences between the files.
- Batch Jobs - Batch processes like conversion and OCR can be performed on multiple files in one session.
Create A Downloadable PDF Link
If you need to convert a PDF file to a downloadable link, you can easily do it with a built-in text editor in Windows.
Open the HTML file
Create an HTML file with lines like the screenshot below by using any suitable editor you want, such as Windows' Notepad Text Editor.
Create a Hyperlink
Type "Click here to download the PDF" to make a hyperlink that allows users to download it directly. If it is located in the HTML file's folder, you must replace "PDF_Name.pdf" with the PDF file's name. Is your document located somewhere other than on your desktop? Then, you need to enter its route to be able to locate it.
Indicate a title for your document. The navigator will store it with the name you chose.
Test the Hyperlink
Once you create the site, keep the alterations to the main code of it. When you access the webpage, tap on the link, and it will automatically be saved into your workstation.
FAQs About PDF To Link
1. How to convert a URL to a PDF?
You should open the URL in a browser(Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, etc.), then click Print > Save to PDF. This will save the web page of the link to PDF. If you have an HTML file of the link, you can use an online PDF editor to convert HTML to PDF.
2. How do I convert a PDF to a URL?
Converting PDF to URL is not that difficult as long as you find the right way. If you don't want to download any third-party software and are looking for a fast and free method, then a high-quality online tool like HiPDF will satisfy your needs. If you lay much emphasis on data security, then a professional desktop tool like Wondershare PDFelement will be the best choice.
3. How to share a PDF as a Link?
A fantastic way of sharing a PDF as a link is by simply uploading it to Google Drive. If you don't have an account, visit the Google Drive website and create one. Once you complete that step, click on "New" on the left side and select the "Upload files" option from the drop-down menu. Upload the PDF, and once finished, right-click on it and select "Get Shareable Link" to get it.
4. How to host a PDF URL?
Website owners can easily host a PDF on their websites by uploading the file directly to their sites. Many website builders provide the option to upload PDF files to the File Manager on your website. Once uploaded, you can get the link to the PDF file and embed it on a page, making the PDF accessible for online viewing and downloading.
5. How to open a PDF to a specific page in URL?
Once you get an HTML link of a PDF file, you can add #page=[page number] at the end of the link to open a specific page in a PDF file.
For example, using the following URL, you can navigate to page 4 of a PDF file named examplefile.pdf.
https://www.example.com/examplefile.pdf#page=4
Please note that this method can only be applied to HTML URLs. If your PDF file is saved offline on the local hard drive with a link such as c:\folder\samplefile.pdf, you can't open it to a specific page using the link.
One Final Point to Consider: As we briefly touched on at the beginning of this article, a PDF file is intended to maintain the original's static layout no matter what device it is viewed on. That makes it easy for distribution, but it doesn't address the need for dynamic content that most web users are now accustomed to. For example, just uploading a PDF file to a file-sharing service and generating a URL that way will only give you a shareable link to the original document. On the other hand, converting it to HTML5 will make it highly responsive so the layout can be adapted to the available screen space, the required resolution, and so on. So, whether you're using something like HiPDF to convert PDF to URL link online for free or choose to go with a desktop alternative like Wondershare PDFelement - PDF Editor, the idea is to always convert the file to HTML before distributing it for web use.
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Elise Williams
chief Editor