PDF Sharing Settings: Practical Configuration Guide

Good PDF security comes from consistent defaults, not complex one-off setups.

Four settings groups that matter

• Access: who can open
• Lifecycle: how long link stays valid
• Protection: download/print/watermark options
• Monitoring: open statistics and open logs

Baseline template (recommended)

• Download: off for sensitive PDFs
• Expiry: always set for temporary docs
• Open limit: set by audience size
• Watermark: Visitor ID for high-risk materials

Scenario presets

External proposal

• Download: off
• Expiry: 7-14 days
• Open limit: medium

Internal handbook

• Download: optional
• Expiry: 30+ days
• Open limit: high

Confidential review

• Download: off
• Expiry: 3-7 days
• Open limit: low
• Watermark: on

Common misconfiguration risks

• No expiry for temporary files
• Same link reused across all audiences
• Attachment and controlled link sent together

Final takeaway

Use a small, repeatable config policy. Teams adopt simple defaults faster and make fewer security mistakes.