How to make a QR code for a PDF, and where to host the file

31 October, 2026 • Short links and QR codes • 10 views • 7 Minutes read

A printed leaflet with a QR code on a café counter next to a phone showing a PDF page

Where to host a PDF for a QR code, the Google Drive sharing steps on a computer, Android and iPhone, how to update the file without reprinting and how to fix common problems.

A PDF QR code holds the web address of your file, so the first job is putting the PDF somewhere public that keeps the same address when you update it. Once the file has a link that opens without a sign-in, any QR code generator can turn that link into a code you can print.

Digily Link is our product. Its plan details below were checked in Digily's settings on 29 October 2026, and the Google Drive steps come from Google Drive Help, read the same day.

A worked example, term dates for a primary school

Say a school office in Leeds wants a QR code on its printed welcome pack that opens the term dates PDF. The names are made up, but the steps are the same for a café price list or a club's fixtures.

Host the file. The office saves term-dates.pdf in Google Drive and sets it so anyone with the link can view it (steps in the next section).
Check it as a parent would. They open the link in a private browser window, where nobody is signed in. If a 'request access' page appears, the sharing setting isn't right yet.
Make a dynamic QR code. In Digily Link they create a URL QR code, paste the Drive link and tick 'Dynamic QR code'. The code then holds a short digily.link address that redirects to the PDF.
Print and scan. They download an SVG for the printer, then scan one printed pack with an iPhone and an Android phone on mobile data.
Next year. The office uploads the new dates as a new version of the same Drive file. If it makes a separate file instead, it changes where the short link points. Either way, as long as the short link stays in place, last year's welcome packs open the new dates.

The dynamic code matters here for a second reason. A Drive link is long, and a QR code gets denser as the address gets longer. A short link usually gives a less dense pattern, which copes better when printed small on a leaflet. The Digily free plan includes 20 QR codes and 50 short links as of 29 October 2026, and each dynamic code uses one short link.

How to share a PDF from Google Drive with a public link

In Google Drive, change the file's 'General access' from 'Restricted' to 'Anyone with the link', then copy the link. Google Drive Help says anyone on the internet who has the link can then open the file without signing in to a Google Account (Share and manage access to files and folders).

On a computer

Select the PDF in drive.google.com and click Share.
Under 'General access', click the down arrow and choose 'Anyone with the link'.
Leave the role as Viewer, click 'Copy link', then Done.

On Android

In the Google Drive app, tap More next to the file, then 'Manage access'.
Under 'General access', tap Change and choose 'Anyone with the link'.

On iPhone or iPad

In the Google Drive app, tap More next to the file, then 'Manage access'.
Under 'General access', tap the right arrow and choose 'Anyone with the link'.

Google also says that if you use a work or school account, your administrator may restrict external link sharing. A school's own Google account is one place this can happen. If 'Anyone with the link' is missing, ask your administrator, or host public documents on your website instead.

Which host keeps the QR code working?

Any host works if the answer to three questions is yes. Can someone who isn't signed in open the link? Can you replace the file without the address changing? Will you still control the account in a year's time?

Your own website, such as yourschool.sch.uk/term-dates.pdf, passes all three if each new version ends up at exactly the same address, folder and file name included. Whether replacing a file keeps the address depends on your website platform, so check after the first update, or set up a redirect if the address has to change.
Google Drive passes the first and third. On the second, see the next section.
OneDrive or Dropbox each have their own sharing settings, so repeat the private window check with the link you copy.
A File Link on Digily Link keeps the file and the QR code in one account, on Starter and Pro (details further down).

Be careful about hosting the PDF inside a QR generator's free trial. Before you print, check the generator's terms for what happens to the file and the redirect if the trial or plan ends. We cover that in do QR codes expire.

What happens to the QR code when you update the PDF?

The code keeps working as long as the address inside it still leads to the right file. You have three ways to make sure of that.

Upload a new version in Google Drive. On a computer, select the file and go to More, File information, Manage versions, then Upload new version (Google Drive Help, file versions). The new version replaces the file's content without creating a new file, so the link normally stays the same, but Google's help page doesn't say so outright. Scan your printed code after uploading. The 30-day limit on that page applies to older versions, not the current one. An older version can be deleted after 30 days, or once 100 newer versions exist, unless you choose Keep forever.
Repoint the dynamic QR code. If the new PDF has a new link, edit the short link's Destination URL in Digily Link, and every printed copy keeps working. Don't change the short link's alias, because that's what the printed code contains.
Reprint. With a static code that holds the Drive link directly, a new link means a new code.

Phones and browsers sometimes show a cached copy for a while after an update, so check on a second phone too.

Why won't my PDF QR code open properly?

When a PDF QR code fails, check the link before the printed squares. Match what people see to the fix.

'You need access' or a Google sign-in page. The file is still on 'Restricted'. Change 'General access' as above.
The PDF downloads instead of opening. Some hosts force a download. On a Digily File Link, leave 'Force download' switched off, as with it on, files a browser could show (such as PDFs) are downloaded automatically.
A blank screen or a long wait. Full-size photos make a heavy file on mobile data. Export a lighter version for the QR code.
Text too small to read. An A4 page in two columns shrinks badly on a phone. A single column with larger body text, and the most-wanted information on page one, reads better. If the document changes every week, a web page may suit you better than a PDF, as in our guides to QR code menus and a simple online catalogue.
The code doesn't scan at all. Print it larger with stronger contrast and a plain margin. DENSO WAVE, which created the QR code, says the margin should be four modules wide on all sides. Then test the paper copy with two phones at the distance people will hold them.

Can Digily Link host the PDF?

Yes, on paid plans. As of 29 October 2026, Starter allows 5 File Links and Pro allows 10, with a 32 MB limit per file. File Links aren't part of the free plan. On a free account, host the PDF on Google Drive or your website and point a dynamic QR code at it. The PDF document block, which shows a file on a bio link page, is on Pro and higher plans, not on Starter or the free plan.

Who can see a PDF behind a QR code?

Anyone with the link or the code can open the file, and a code on a poster can be photographed and passed on. Treat a public link as public. As a practical rule, keep anything with pupils' names off a public school link, and the same goes for a business's staff rotas with phone numbers or customer details. If only certain people should see a document, share it with them directly instead.

PDF QR code questions

Can I change the PDF after creating the QR code?

Yes. Either replace the file at an address that stays the same, or use a dynamic QR code and change where its short link goes.

Can you see who opened a PDF QR code?

You can count opens, not people. A dynamic Digily code shows how many times its short link was opened, by day, country and device. It doesn't show who scanned or whether they read the file.