How to share a Word document as a link

The question behind "how do I share a Word document as a link" is usually one of two: how do I stop sending attachments, or how do I let people read this without letting them change it. The right method depends on which one you mean.

Option 1: A OneDrive or SharePoint link

Save the document to OneDrive, click Share in Word, and choose Copy link. In the link settings you can pick Can edit or Can view, and on business accounts you can block downloads.

Use it when you want the recipient to edit or comment, or when everyone is inside the same Microsoft 365 tenant.

The catch: external recipients often hit a sign-in screen, depending on your organisation's sharing policy. "Can view" still lets people copy text and, unless you block it, download the original .docx. There is no view tracking.

Option 2: Google Docs

Upload the .docx to Google Drive, open it in Google Docs, and share a view-only link, or use File > Share > Publish to web for a clean read-only page.

Use it when you already live in Google Workspace and the document is simple.

The catch: Word features that Google Docs handles badly: tracked changes in some cases, custom fonts, complex tables, text boxes, and multi-column layouts. Check the converted document page by page. Publish-to-web pages are not private; anyone who finds the URL can read them.

Option 3: A read-only rendered link

Upload the .docx to the Word to link page. PDF Deck renders it to fixed pages and gives you a link that opens in any browser. Readers see the document exactly as it prints, and they cannot edit it.

Use it when the document is finished and you want people to read it: proposals, contracts for review, policies, reports, CVs.

What you get: a link that works without an account, view tracking so you know when it was opened, an optional password, a download toggle, and the ability to replace the file later without the link changing.

The catch: it is read-only by design. If you need edits back, use option 1 or 2, or ask for comments by email.

Read-only isn't the same as protected

Word's own "Restrict Editing" and "Mark as Final" features are polite requests, not locks. Anyone can turn them off. If you don't want the text changed, share something that isn't a Word file at all: a rendered page or a PDF. And if you don't want it forwarded, put a password on the link rather than on the file, so you can change or remove it later.

Quick comparison

Before you share

• Accept or reject tracked changes and delete comments. Rendered links and PDF exports can include them if you leave them in.
• Check page breaks. A rendered document paginates like print. Use View > Print Layout to see what the reader will see.
• Remove personal metadata with File > Info > Inspect Document if the author history matters.