Guide
How to share an HTML file as a link
You have a finished HTML file, usually because an AI tool made it for you, and you want to send a link rather than a file. There are three honest ways to do that. They differ in what the recipient can do with it afterwards, and in what you can take back.
The three options at a glance
- A cloud drive link (Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive): easy, but drives download the file instead of rendering it, and once it is downloaded you have no control.
- A static host (GitHub Pages, Netlify Drop, a plain HTML host): renders the page for anyone with the URL, which is exactly right for a public page and exactly wrong for a proposal.
- A share link with access control (scrolly and similar tools): renders the page in the recipient's browser, lets you set a password, an expiry or an email gate, shows you who opened it, and lets you revoke the link later.
Pick by asking one question: if this link ends up in the wrong inbox, what happens? If the answer is "nothing I mind", a static host is fine. If the answer is "I would want it dead", you want a share link you can revoke.
What an attachment actually does
Emailing the file is the option most people start with, and it is the one with the least control. Every recipient gets a copy. Every forward creates another. You never learn whether it was opened, and there is no way to expire or withdraw it. For a one-off internal note that is fine. For anything with a deal, a price or a private number in it, it is the wrong default.
The one thing that has to be true first
Whichever route you pick, the file must be self-contained: its styles, scripts and images have to live inside the single HTML file. A file that references images by a local path will render as broken boxes for everyone but you. Most AI tools already produce self-contained files. If yours does not, fix that before sharing anything; the companion guide on making an HTML file self-contained walks through it.
Doing it with scrolly
scrolly takes a self-contained HTML file (25 MB on the free plan, 100 MB on Pro) and gives you a link. The document is served from a separate sandbox origin inside a sandboxed iframe under a strict content security policy, so the shared page cannot read your cookies or your recipient's. Each link has its own access mode (public, password, email verification or an allowlist), an optional expiry, and a revoke button. Recipients of public and password links never need an account. You see opens, time spent and how far people scrolled.
What to do next
- Check the file opens correctly from a folder that has nothing else in it. If it does, it is self-contained.
- Decide what should happen if the link leaks. That decides the access mode.
- Send one link per recipient when it matters who opened it.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
- Can I share an HTML file without hosting anything myself?
- Yes. Upload the file to a service that renders it and hands you a link. scrolly does this on the free plan with no credit card; recipients open the link in any browser.
- Will the file still work if it references images or scripts?
- Only if those are inlined. A self-contained file carries its CSS, JavaScript and images inside the HTML. Files that point at local paths break the moment they leave your machine.
- Can I take a link back after I send it?
- With a plain host or a drive link, only by deleting the file. With a share link that has access controls, you revoke the link and every copy of it stops working while the document stays yours.