Let people read it,not keep it
Share a PDF or image as a view-only link that people can read in the browser but can't download in one click.
Drag & drop your photos or files
Multiple files become one album link automatically
or
PDF · Images · Video · ZIP · HTML
up to 100 MB on the free plan
Free: 20 links, up to 100 MB, never expire · Pro: unlimited, permanent links
Turn a file into a view-only link
- 1
Upload the PDF or image
Drop the file on the upload card. View-only works with documents you want people to read on screen — a contract draft, a design comp, a sample chapter, a priced quote. It renders in the browser, so viewers never touch your original file.
- 2
Switch the link to view-only
On the link's settings, turn off downloads. This hides the download button and the direct file URL from the public page, so the file is shown but not offered as a saveable copy. It's a Pro control, alongside password and expiry.
- 3
Add a password or expiry if it's sensitive
View-only alone deters casual saving. For anything confidential, also set a password so only people you give the code to can open it, and an expiry date so the link stops working after your window closes.
- 4
Share the link and watch the views
Send the clean linkinseconds.com link or its QR code. Every open is counted, and on Pro you see which devices and countries opened it — useful for knowing a proposal was actually read, not just delivered.
What view-only actually does
When you turn off downloads, the public page changes in two concrete ways: the download button disappears, and the direct file link — the URL that would let someone save the raw PDF or image — is no longer exposed. The file is streamed into an inline viewer instead of handed over as a file. So the reader can scroll through your document on any device, but there is no one-click way to pull down a copy and forward it, re-upload it, or archive it. That single toggle covers the most common leak: a helpful recipient who downloads your draft and emails it onward without thinking.
Drafts, samples and priced quotes
The best fits are files you want read but not circulated. A contract or proposal draft you're still negotiating — you want the other side to review the current version, not save an old one that resurfaces later. A sample: a chapter, a lesson, a stock photo, a template preview you're showing before someone pays for the full file. A priced quote where the number is for one client's eyes and shouldn't be forwarded to a competitor for price-matching. In all of these, the value is in reading, not in owning the file — and view-only quietly keeps it that way without you emailing back and forth.
The honest truth: it can't stop screenshots
This is the part most tools bury, so here it is plainly. Anyone who can see your file on screen can screenshot it, photograph it with a phone, or retype it. View-only removes the easy download button; it does not — and cannot — stop a determined person from capturing what's in front of them. There's no DRM, no watermark, no lock on the pixels. If a leaked screenshot would genuinely hurt you, view-only is not enough on its own. Treat it as a speed bump that stops accidental and casual copying, not a vault. We'd rather tell you that up front than let you over-trust it.
Frequently
asked
questions
It hides the download button and the direct file link, and renders your PDF or image inline instead of offering it as a saveable file. A reader can view the document but has no one-click way to download a copy.
No. Anyone who can see the file can screenshot it, photograph it, or retype it. View-only removes the easy download; it isn't DRM. For anything a leaked screenshot would harm, pair it with a password — but it's a deterrent, not a guarantee.
PDFs and images work best, since they render cleanly in the inline viewer. Turn off downloads in the link settings and the file is shown but not offered for saving.
Files you want read but not circulated: contract or proposal drafts still in negotiation, samples you show before someone pays, and priced quotes meant for one client's eyes.
On Pro, set both on the same link: the password controls who can open it, and view-only controls what they can do once inside. Share the password over a separate channel, so a leaked link goes nowhere.
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