How to put a PDF behind a QR code

You have a menu, a price list or a flyer as a PDF, and no website. You can still give it a QR code. With an editable code, you can swap in a new PDF later without reprinting anything.

Host it on ovbq (Pro and Business)

Make an editable code and choose PDF or image. Upload your file, up to 10 MB, and the code opens it. To change it, replace the file: the code stays the same. For a menu, a menu page may read better on a phone: see how to make a QR code menu. A picture of text can't be read by a screen reader, so use a PDF with real text. For a picture, see image to QR code.

Or use a file-sharing service (any plan)

Put the PDF somewhere online with a public link, then make a code that opens that link. The steps below are for this route.

1. Put the PDF online with a public link

Upload the PDF, then set it so anyone with the link can view it, without signing in. Otherwise people who scan the code see a sign-in page instead of your menu.

Google Drive (on a computer):

1. Select the file and choose Share.
2. Under General access, choose Anyone with the link, with the role Viewer.
3. Choose Copy link.

Google shows your name and email as the file's owner to people who open the link. Share it from your business's Google account, not a personal one.

Dropbox (on dropbox.com): hover over the file, choose Share, then Copy link. People without a Dropbox account can open the link and preview the file.

OneDrive: in the link settings, choose Anyone with the link. On a work or school account, your organization may have turned this option off.

Your own website: upload the PDF and copy its address.

2. Test the link before you make the code

Open the link in a private browser window, where you're not signed in, and on a phone. If you see the PDF, it's public. If you see a sign-in page or "request access", go back and change the sharing setting.

3. Make an editable code for that link

1. Sign in to ovbq. A free account includes 2 editable codes.
2. Make an editable code and paste the PDF's link as its destination.
3. Check the size, download it and print.

You can also make a free fixed code from the free QR code maker with the same link. It works just as well, but if the link ever changes, you'd have to reprint.

4. Update the PDF without reprinting

To update the PDF link while your plan allows editing:

1. Upload the new PDF and make its link public, as in step 1.
2. Open your code on ovbq and paste the new link under Where it goes.
3. Choose Save new link.

Saving the new destination updates the PDF link behind every printed copy. Saved pauses and access restrictions still apply. Its scan history stays.

Some services also let you replace a file and keep its link. Google Drive has Manage versions, then Upload new version. If you do that, open the old link afterward to check that it shows the new file.

5. Make it easy to read on a phone

• Keep the file small. People may scan it on mobile data, and a big file is slow to open. Diners complain about menu codes that open huge files.
• Use large text, one column, and a page size that fits a phone screen.
• Test it on mobile data, not just your Wi-Fi, from where people will sit.
• Keep a few paper copies for anyone who can't or won't scan.

Related: Change a QR code's link · Static or editable QR code?

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