Guides · HTML files
How to turn an HTML file into a link
Short answer: an HTML file only becomes a link once it's on a web host. Upload it, and the host gives you a URL anyone can open on any device. With DocPin that takes about a minute: drop the file in and you get a link like acme.docpin.it/proposal, which you can keep public, put behind a password, or limit to certain people.
Try it: see the link your file would get
Choose any .html file. This is only a preview: nothing leaves your computer.
Choose a file
acme.docpin.it/proposalWhy not just email the .html file?
It's the obvious move, and it often goes wrong. The person you send it to opens a file from their downloads folder, not a web page, so:
- It can arrive broken. Images, styles and scripts that live in separate files on your computer don't come with it.
- It might not arrive at all. HTML attachments are a common phishing trick, so some company email filters hold them back or strip them.
- Every change means another attachment, and nobody's sure which version is the latest.
To: Jo Park · Your Q4 proposal
Four ways to get a link, compared
All of these turn an HTML file into a URL. They differ in how technical they are, what the link looks like, and whether you can keep the page private.
GitHub Pages
- Free, and you can use your own domain
- Needs a GitHub account and a repository; on the free plan the repository must be public
- Pages are public, even from a private repository
Netlify Drop
- Drag a folder in, no account needed to start
- Until you sign up and claim it, the link sits behind a temporary password
- A random address unless you rename it or add a domain
Tiiny Host
- Simple upload, also hosts PDFs
- Free plan: 1 project, files up to 3 MB, with a Tiiny Host banner
- Passwords and your own domain start at the Solo plan, $13 a month billed yearly
DocPin
- Drop a file, folder or .zip up to 25 MB; free for 3 pages
- Publish straight from Claude or ChatGPT too
- Passwords, people-only pages and your own domain need Pro, $8 a month
| GitHub Pages | Netlify Drop | Tiiny Host | DocPin | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No coding or Git | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Password | No | Depends on plan | From $13/mo | Pro, $8/mo |
| Only certain people | No | Team login, depends on plan | Not listed | Emails or @company.comPro |
| Your own domain | Yes | Yes | From $13/mo | Pro, $8/mo |
| Update, same link | Push a commit | Once claimed | Depends on plan | Drop a new versionOld versions kept |
| Publish from Claude or ChatGPT | No | No | No | Yes |
Plans and prices as listed on each provider's site on 6 November 2026. They change, so check before you choose. Links are at the bottom of this page.
Only need it for an hour? Quick converters like HTMLtoURL give guests a free link that lasts one hour, or three days with a free account. Fine for a test, not for something a client will open next week.
Step by step: HTML file to link with DocPin
- Sign in. Use Google or your email at docpin.app and pick a workspace name, like acme. Your pages live at acme.docpin.it.
- Upload the file. Choose Upload a file, give the page a name (or let DocPin use the file's title), and drop in the .html file. If it uses separate images or styles, drop the whole folder or a .zip so they come along.
- Copy the link. The page is live straight away. Rename it if you like: the old link keeps working.
- Choose who can open it (Pro). Leave it public, add a password, or limit it to certain emails or a whole @clientco.com. Changing this never changes the link.
To change the page later, drop the new version onto it. Same link, and every earlier version is kept so you can roll back.
Did an AI make the file? Skip the file
If Claude or ChatGPT wrote the HTML, you don't need to download it first. Connect DocPin once, then ask for the page to be published and it goes straight to your link.
This works in any chat once DocPin is connected, and it's the quickest way to keep a page up to date: say "update it" and the same link shows the new version.
Using Claude? Read what Claude's Publish button does, and why a claude.ai link can put clients off.
acme.docpin.it/proposalQuestions
Will images and CSS work?
Yes, as long as they're inside the file or uploaded with it. Upload the folder or a .zip (up to 25 MB on DocPin) and links between the files keep working. Anything that points to a path on your own computer, like C:\Users\sam\logo.png, won't.
Is it free?
DocPin is free for 3 pages, with a small DocPin badge. Pro is $8 a month for unlimited pages, passwords, people-only pages and your own domain.
Can I password protect an HTML page?
Yes, on Pro. Or skip the password and limit the page to the people you name, or everyone at a company. They confirm their email with Google or a link we send them.
Can I see if they opened it?
Yes. Each page shows how many times it was opened, and the names of people who signed in to see it.
Sources for the comparison, checked 6 November 2026:
- GitHub Docs: Creating a GitHub Pages site
- Netlify Docs: Netlify Drop quickstart
- Tiiny Host: Pricing
- HTMLtoURL: htmltourl.com