How to Share a PDF as a Link (Google Drive)

A PDF saved on your computer does not have a shareable link yet. To share it as a link, upload the PDF to Google Drive first.

After the upload, Google Drive creates a link for the PDF. You can send that link by email, chat, form, or spreadsheet instead of attaching the PDF file. Before you send it, check the file access so others can open it.

In this guide, you will learn three ways to share a PDF as a link and when to use each method.

Note: If your PDF is already in Google Drive web, skip to Getting the Shareable Link.

Table of Contents

Prerequisites

• A Google account
• A PDF file on your computer or already stored in Google Drive
• Permission to install Google Workspace add-ons

Sharing a Single PDF as a Link from Google Drive Web App

Use this method when you need to share a single PDF link from your computer. You will upload the PDF to Google Drive, update the file access, and copy the shareable link.

This section has two parts:

• Uploading Your PDF to Google Drive - use this if the PDF is still saved on your computer, then follow the next part to get the shareable link
• Getting the Shareable Link - use this to set the correct access and copy the PDF link

Uploading Your PDF to Google Drive

A PDF must be online before it can have a shareable web address. Upload it to Google Drive first.

Google Drive then creates a link you can send by email, chat, form, or spreadsheet. Anyone with access can open the PDF from Google Drive.

1. Open Google Drive in your browser.

2. Click + New in the top-left corner.

3. Select File upload.

   

4. In the file picker that opens, navigate to the folder where your PDF is saved. Select the PDF file.

5. Click Open.

6. Wait for the upload to finish.

   Check the upload status box at the bottom-right. When it says the upload is complete, your PDF is ready to share as a link.

For more details on uploading files, see Upload files & folders to Google Drive.

Getting the Shareable Link

You can copy a PDF link from Google Drive, but others can open it only if the file access is set correctly.

Uploaded files are usually Restricted by default. If you send a restricted link, the other person may see Request access instead of the PDF.

1. Find your PDF in the Google Drive file list.

2. Right-click the PDF and select Share.

   

3. In the sharing dialog, under General access.

4. Click the Restricted dropdown and choose the access setting you need.

   Access setting	Who can open the PDF	Best for
   Restricted	Only people you add by email	Private files or controlled sharing
   Anyone with the link	Anyone who has the link	Sharing with clients, customers, students, or external contacts
   My organization (only visible on work or school Google accounts)	People in your Google Workspace organization	Internal team or school sharing

5. Set the permission role using the dropdown next to the access setting.

   Permission role	What people can do	When to use
   Viewer	Open and read the PDF	Best for most PDF sharing
   Commenter	View the PDF and add comments	Use when you want feedback
   Editor	Change the file and its sharing settings	Avoid for normal PDF sharing

6. Click Copy link.

7. Click Done.

The PDF link is now copied to your clipboard. Paste it into any text field. A Google Drive PDF link usually starts with https://drive.google.com/file/d/.

Once confirmed, you have a shareable PDF link that you can paste into an email, message, form, spreadsheet, or document.

For a full overview of access settings and permission roles, see Share files from Google Drive.

Need a direct download link instead? Google Drive's sharing dialog gives a view link, which opens the PDF in the browser. If you want the PDF to download directly when clicked, see How to Create a Direct Download Link in Google Drive.

If you are sharing from your phone, the same access rule applies, use the mobile method below.

Sharing a Single PDF as a Link from the Google Drive Mobile App

Use this method when you want to upload and share single PDF from your phone. The same access rule applies on mobile: change the PDF from Restricted before sharing the link.

Uploading Your PDF to Google Drive on Mobile

1. Open the Google Drive app on your phone.
2. Tap + New.

3. Tap Upload.
4. Select the PDF from your phone.
5. Tap Upload
6. Wait for the upload to finish.

The PDF is now stored in Google Drive and ready to share as a link.

Getting the Shareable Link on Mobile

1. Tap the three-dot menu next to the PDF.

2. Tap Share.

3. Tap Manage access.

4. Under General access, tap Restricted.

5. Select Anyone with the link.

6. Set the permission role.

   Permission role	What people can do	When to use
   Viewer	Open and read the PDF	Best for most PDF sharing
   Commenter	View the PDF and add comments	Use when you want feedback
   Editor	Change the file and its sharing settings	Avoid for normal PDF sharing

7. Tap the Copy link icon at the top of the screen.

The PDF link is now copied to your phone clipboard. Before sharing it, paste it into any text field and check that it starts with https://drive.google.com/file/d/.

Once confirmed, you have a shareable PDF link that you can paste into an email, message, form, spreadsheet, or document.

For step-by-step mobile sharing instructions, see Google’s guide to sharing files from Google Drive on Android or iPhone and iPad.

The desktop and mobile methods work well for one PDF link. For multiple PDFs, repeating the upload, access, copy, and paste steps becomes slow. If you need links for multiple PDFs, use Drive Explorer Pro in the next section to create and log PDF links in Google Sheets.

Sharing Multiple PDF Links Using Drive Explorer Pro

Drive Explorer Pro is a Google Workspace add-on that works inside Google Sheets.

Use it when you need to create links for multiple PDFs instead of copying each link one by one. Drive Explorer Pro can add each PDF's shareable link, direct download link, file name, and other file details to your sheet.

This gives you one place to copy, review, and manage all your PDF links.

Why use Drive Explorer Pro

• Add links for multiple PDFs to Google Sheets.
• Get a shareable link and direct download link for each PDF.
• Save file names and other details in the same sheet.
• Manage PDF links in one place instead of copying and pasting each link manually.

Install Drive Explorer Pro from the Google Workspace Marketplace:

Launching Drive Explorer Pro

Open Drive Explorer Pro from inside Google Sheets. You can use a new sheet or an existing one.

1. Open Google Sheets.

2. Click Extensions > Drive Explorer Pro > Open Drive Explorer Pro.

   

The Drive Explorer Pro sidebar opens on the right side of your sheet.

Before creating PDF links, set the access and column settings.

Configuring Access and Column Settings (One-time setup)

Set the file access level and choose which PDF details Drive Explorer Pro should write into your sheet. Do this once so the same settings apply the next time you use the add-on.

Setting the File Access

Use the access setting to control who can open the PDF links after they are created.

1. In the Drive Explorer Pro sidebar, go to the Settings tab.

   

2. Under File Access Settings, choose the access level you need.

   File access setting	What it means	When to use
   Only me	Only you can open the PDFs	Use for private files or drafts
   My organization	People in your Google Workspace organization can open the PDFs	Use for internal team sharing
   Anyone with the link	Anyone with the link can open the PDFs	Use when sharing PDFs with clients, customers, students, or external contacts

3. Select Anyone with the link if you want people to open the PDFs without requesting access.

4. Click Save Selected Settings as Default.

Note: This setting applies to newly uploaded PDFs only. It does not change the permissions of PDFs already in your Google Drive.

Choosing Where PDF Links and File Details Appear

Choose where Drive Explorer Pro should add the PDF details and which columns it should write into your sheet.

1. Go to the List files tab.

   

2. Under Start listing file from, choose where the PDF details should appear.

   Option	What it does	When to use
   Currently selected cell	Starts adding PDF details from the cell you selected	Use when your sheet is empty or you want to choose the starting point
   Append below existing data	Adds new PDF rows below existing rows	Use when you are adding more PDFs to an existing sheet

3. Under Select File Attributes to list, select the PDF details you want to add.

   Attribute	What it adds to Google Sheets	Why it helps
   File Name Linked to URL	A clickable PDF file name	Opens the PDF from the file name itself
   File URL	The regular Google Drive view link	Use this when people need to open the PDF in their browser
   Direct Download Link	A link that downloads the PDF directly	Use this when people need to download the PDF instead of previewing it
   File Size (MB)	The PDF file size	Helps you identify large files
   Mime Type	The file type, such as application/pdf	Helps confirm the listed files are PDFs
   File ID	The unique Google Drive file ID	Useful for advanced tracking or automation

   For most PDF sharing workflows, select File Name Linked to URL, File URL, Direct Download Link, File Size (MB), and Mime Type.

   Drag the handles on the left to arrange the selected attributes in the order you want them to appear in Google Sheets.

4. Click Save Selected Settings as Default.

Drive Explorer Pro will use these settings when it adds PDF details to your sheet.

Listing Your PDFs and Getting the Links

Select the PDFs already stored in Google Drive, then let Drive Explorer Pro write their links and file details into your sheet.

This works for one PDF or multiple PDFs, but it is most useful when you need to create and manage multiple PDF links.

1. Click the List Files tab.

2. Click Select existing files from Drive and List in Sheets.

   

3. A Google Drive file picker opens. Navigate to the folder where your PDFs are stored.

   

4. Select one or more PDF files. Hold Ctrl on Windows or Cmd on Mac to select multiple PDFs.

5. Click Select.

Drive Explorer Pro writes the selected details for each PDF into your sheet. It starts from your chosen cell, follows your saved column order, and adds one row per PDF.

The Direct Download Link column creates a link that downloads the PDF directly. If you set File Access Settings to Anyone with the link, people can open or download the PDF without requesting access.

You now have a log of every PDF link. Copy links from the sheet, paste them into emails, or share the sheet with your team.

Uploading PDFs from Your Device and Sharing the Link

Use this method if your PDFs are on your computer and you want to upload them to Google Drive and log their links in one workflow.

Before uploading, choose where Drive Explorer Pro should store the PDFs in Google Drive. Then select the PDF files and upload them into that folder.

Choosing the Upload Destination Folder

1. In the Drive Explorer Pro sidebar, go to the folder selection area.
2. Click Change under Default Google Drive Folder.
3. Select the Google Drive folder where you want to store the PDFs.
4. Click Select.

Drive Explorer Pro will upload the selected PDFs to this folder.

Uploading and Listing the PDFs in Google Sheets

1. Click the Upload Files tab.

2. Click the upload area to open a file picker, or drag and drop your PDF files directly into the upload area.

   

3. If you clicked the upload area, navigate to the folder where your PDFs are saved on your computer.

4. Select one or more PDF files. Hold Ctrl on Windows or Cmd on Mac to select multiple PDFs.

5. Click Open.

6. When the selected PDFs appear in the preview list, drag them into the order you want them to appear in Google Sheets.

7. Click Upload files to Drive and list in Sheets.

Important: Do not close the sidebar until Drive Explorer Pro finishes uploading all files. Closing it early can stop the upload and leave rows incomplete.

Drive Explorer Pro uploads each PDF to the selected Google Drive folder and adds a new row in Google Sheets. Each row shows the PDF name, shareable link, and direct download link based on the attributes you selected.

You can now copy PDF links from the sheet, paste them into emails, or share the sheet with your team.

Sharing All File Links at Once

If you need to share multiple file links, share the entire spreadsheet instead of sending each link separately.

Important: The Google Sheets link and the file links have separate access settings. You must share both for recipients to open everything. Because you already set the uploaded files to Anyone with the link in the Settings tab, the file links are ready. The steps below share the Google Sheets file.

1. Click Share in the top-right corner of Google Sheets.
2. Under General access, change Restricted to Anyone with the link.
3. Set the permission to Viewer.
4. Click Copy link, then Done.

Send this one link to your team or clients. They open the sheet, see every file, and click whichever link they need, without you sending anything separately.

If you want to format these links inside cells, see How to Add a PDF Link in Google Sheets.

Conclusion

A PDF link works only when the access setting is correct. If the PDF is Restricted, people see Request access instead of the file.

• Use Google Drive when you need to share one PDF from desktop or mobile.
• Use Drive Explorer Pro when you need links for multiple PDFs, direct download links, or a saved PDF link log in Google Sheets.

Before you send the link or share the sheet, check access once so recipients can open the PDF without requesting permission.