A practical PDF link-checking guide

Check broken links in a PDF—and find the page to update

A PDF can stay in your resource library for years while the websites it links to change. To check it, list the clickable links and written web addresses, keep their PDF page numbers, and test the destinations. A blocked automated request needs review; it is not automatically a broken link.

We run Pagekeep for people maintaining workbooks, teacher printables, ebooks and course resources. Our free pilot accepts check requests by email and returns a page-specific report within 24 hours of acceptance. It is an operated check, not an instant browser scan.

The free pilot covers one PDF you own or have permission to share: up to 10 pages, 50 public URLs and 10 MB. It is limited to one check per creator and five free checks total. No card or subscription is needed.

Ongoing monitoring is planned at $19/month and is currently waitlist-only. No payments are being collected. See the sample report and request instructions before sending a file.

Start with three kinds of links

Clickable annotations hold a destination behind text or an image. The visible words may say “download the activity” while the actual target is a different address. Written HTTP(S) URLs appear in the page text and may need copying into a browser. Internal page jumps move around the same PDF rather than visiting a website.

Pagekeep’s current pilot checks extractable public HTTP(S) URLs from annotations and text. It does not validate internal navigation. Scanned pages without extractable text are outside the pilot. Line-wrapped addresses or damaged text can also cause extraction gaps; a check should report coverage warnings rather than imply every link was tested.

Read a finding beside its source page

A useful PDF link report preserves the file version, viewer page, URL, outcome and check time. Page numbers mean the PDF viewer’s one-based pages; printed page labels may differ. Keep the checked export so you can find the same activity later.

This is a demonstration, not customer evidence or a statement of current availability. The 10-page sample workbook contains six deliberately invented stale-looking URLs, not known former resources. The micro:bit URL above was not one of those seeds. Read the provenance and limitations before interpreting the historical results.

Separate failures from uncertain checks

Pagekeep requires a second delayed attempt before calling a 404, 410 or missing destination domain a confirmed failure. That is evidence from our checker, not proof that the site has disappeared permanently everywhere. Keep timestamps and response evidence with your repair list.

A 401, 403 or 429, timeout, server error, login wall or incomplete check stays unverified. For example, the sample’s NOAA education link on page 1 returned 403; the checker was blocked, so it was not marked broken. We pause checks when a host restricts access and do not bypass restrictions.

A redirect needs a different decision: inspect the final destination and decide whether it still supports the activity. Even HTTP 200 only shows a successful HTTP response. It does not establish that a video plays, the promised worksheet exists or the content remains appropriate.

Do a one-off audit yourself

You can check hyperlinks in a PDF without subscribing. Open the exported PDF and keep a spreadsheet with these columns:

List each occurrence before deduplicating URLs for testing. One destination may appear on several pages, and every occurrence may need editing. Open each link in a browser, record the outcome and retry apparent missing-page failures later.

For a larger list, Dr. Link Check is a do-it-yourself checking option also linked from our homepage. Review its current input options and free-plan limits. Retaining PDF page mappings, interpreting uncertain outcomes and repeating the audit remain separate tasks.

Fix the source, then test the export

1. Open the original document and locate the activity using the viewer page and surrounding text.
2. Verify a replacement in a browser. Check that its instructions, access requirements and content suit the resource.
3. Update both the visible address and clickable target when necessary; changing only the label can leave the old destination embedded.
4. Export a new PDF, open it and test the actual exported links. Record the new version and check date.
5. Republish the updated file wherever you distribute it. Previously downloaded copies do not update automatically.

Send a supported file safely

Email your PDF or a download link you control. Include “I have permission to share this file.” Remove student data, private or signed URLs, credentials and access tokens first. Password-protected PDFs, scans and login-only resources are outside this pilot. If a file exceeds the limits, we ask for a smaller version rather than silently checking part of it.

Read our file handling, deletion and contact explanation. Free-check working files are deleted within seven days of delivery; email providers may retain their own records.

Questions before you check

Join the $19/month monitoring waitlist—no payment, or review the full Pagekeep offer.