The link below is a working demo of S3MediaVault's new Online PDF Viewer feature.
This makes it hard to download the PDF – at least for most normal people – because it not only expires the link in 60 seconds, but also obfuscates the source of the file as much as technically possible without impeding the usability of your members. So that's 2 levels of security for your PDF's.
When your members/viewers click on this type of PDF link, an online web viewer will open up the PDF right within the browser itself. And they can read the PDF right in their web browser (like Firefox, Chrome, Safari, etc).
- It works on all devices and operating systems.
- Your members/readers no longer have to download the PDF first in order to read it – they can read it right on your website itself.
- This is an additional option for PDF files. The existing option of creating a regular download link is still available.
- Even if you prevent downloads, there will always be ways around it – like taking screenshots of every page of your PDF, for eg.
- So this is not guaranteed to 100% prevent the PDF download. But it comes pretty close.
- Use this option IF and ONLY IF you actually want to make it really, really hard for your members from downloading your PDF's.
NOTE: We recommend using the regular option of allowing your paying members to download it, but if there's a critical reason why you prefer not to let them download the PDF's, now you have the option of making it really hard for them to download it.
Demo of Online PDF Viewer
The link above is set to expire in 60 seconds. You will be able to click on the link below for up to 60 seconds and be able to open the "test.pdf" file that it links to, and download it.
If you waited for 60 seconds, and then tried to click on it, either on the page itself, or copy the link and open it separately in a completely different type of browser (like Firefox or Chrome), a different brand, or email it to yourself and then tried to open it after that time has past, you will get an "Expired" error message.
