Document tracking
Document tracking: see who opened what you sent
By Ramy Khuffash · Last updated
What is document tracking?
Document tracking means sending a file as a link instead of an attachment, so every open is recorded. With Linkjar you see who opened it, when, on which device, how long they spent on each page, how far they read and what they clicked, and you get an alert the moment it happens.
Try it now. No sign up required.
How to track a document in 3 steps
- 1Upload the PDF, PowerPoint, Word file, video or web page above. Office files are converted for you.
- 2Make a personal link for each person you send it to, or ask visitors for their email before it opens.
- 3Paste the link into your email or message. Each open shows up on the document's analytics page, and you get an email, Slack or push alert.
Ways to send a document, compared
| Linkjar | Email attachment | Google Drive or Dropbox link | DocSend or Papermark | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Know when it's opened | ✓ | – | Owner's org only | ✓ |
| Know who opened it (outside your company) | ✓ | – | – | ✓ |
| Time on each page | Pro | – | – | ✓ |
| Alert when it's opened | ✓ | – | – | ✓ |
| Update it without resending | ✓ | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| Password, email gate or expiry | ✓ | – | Limited | ✓ |
| Your logo and your own domain | ✓ | – | – | Paid plans |
| Free to start | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
What document tracking shows you
For every view: when it was opened, the rough location and device, the total time, the time on each page or slide, how far they got, and any link or button they clicked (including your "Book a call" button). If someone forwards the link, the new reader shows up as another view on it, so you see the deal spreading inside their company.
Who opened it, not just that it was opened
Make a personal link for each recipient and their views appear under their name. For a link that will be passed around, turn on the email gate: visitors enter a work email before it opens, and you can accept only one company's domain. There are no tracking cookies on the viewer. Identity comes from the link itself.
What you can track
PDFs, PowerPoint decks and Word documents (converted to a viewer that works on any phone), sales decks and one-pagers, web pages made with Claude or ChatGPT, videos, and rooms with several documents behind one link (a data room for a raise). Fillable PDFs can collect answers and signatures on paid plans.
Document tracking for sales teams
Send the deck, pricing sheet and case study as links, one per buyer. When the prospect opens it at 9:14 and spends four minutes on pricing, you hear about it right away, and you can follow up while you are top of mind. View alerts can also post to Slack and add a note in HubSpot.
Document tracking for founders
Send your pitch deck with a personal link per investor. You see who opened it, who read to the end, and which partner it was forwarded to, then decide who to follow up with first. More on PDF tracking.
How to make a trackable link
Upload the file and copy its link: that link is already trackable. For names next to each view, create a personal link per person from the document page, or with
linkjar send deck.pdf --for "Sam <[email protected]>" from the command line. Teams can do the same through the API.Can I see who viewed my Google Drive file?
Only partly. On a Google Workspace business plan, Drive's activity dashboard lists viewers inside your own organisation. It doesn't name people outside it, and personal Google accounts don't get it at all. There's also no per-page time or open alert. To see when a client or investor opens something, send it as a tracked link instead.
How it compares with DocSend and Papermark
Both track documents well. DocSend is the long-standing choice for fundraising, with paid plans priced per user. Papermark is open source and can be self-hosted. Linkjar covers the same core (per-person links, page-by-page time, email gate, rooms) and adds page-turn flipbooks, tracking for web pages made with AI, and a Claude connector. See Linkjar vs DocSend and Linkjar vs Papermark.
Questions
- Is document tracking free?
- Yes. Sharing, view counts, personal links and open alerts are free. Time on each page, the email gate, your own domain, and form submissions with e-signatures are on paid plans.
- Will the recipient know the document is tracked?
- They open a normal web page, with no download and no sign-up. If you turn on the email gate they type their email once. Tracking never needs cookies on their device.
- Does tracking work if they download the file?
- Views of the link are tracked. A downloaded copy is just a file, so downloads are off by default, and you can leave them off for anything sensitive.
- Can I track documents made in Canva?
- Yes. Export or publish the design as a PDF (the PDF Deck app for Canva does it in one click) and it's tracked like any other document.
- Can I stop someone opening it later?
- Yes. Set an expiry date, change the password, or switch the link (or one person's link) off at any time.
- Can I share several documents as a data room?
- Yes. Put them in a room behind one link and ask for an email first. You see which documents each person in the buying group or investor fund opened. There is no NDA signing step before viewing yet.
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Last updated 21 October 2026