How do I send an HTML file so it opens on a phone?
Send a live link instead of the file itself by dropping your .html file, folder or .zip into ship.page for free with no signup. You can upload a single HTML file up to 10 MB or a ZIP up to 25 MB (100 MB unpacked) with up to 100 files per upload, and get an HTTPS link plus a QR code in seconds that opens in Safari or Chrome on any phone.
A file. A folder. A fresh start.
Your static site, one link away.
Uploading publishes your file. The link is public but unlisted, not password-protected, so leave out secrets and confidential content.
- Max size for a single .html file on every plan
- 10 MB
- Max ZIP size on the free plan (100 MB unpacked)
- 25 MB
- Included per upload on the free forever plan
- 100 files
- No account, no credit card, unlimited uploads
- $0
How to turn your HTML file into a phone-friendly link
Prepare your HTML file or project folder
If your page is a single self-contained file, keep it as a .html file up to 10 MB. If your page uses separate CSS, JavaScript, images or fonts, name the main file index.html and put the whole project into one folder or a .zip file up to 25 MB.
Drop it into ship.page in your browser
Drag your .html file, folder or .zip onto the uploader, pick it from your computer, or paste your HTML code directly. You do not need to create an account or enter a credit card.
Copy the HTTPS link or scan the QR code
Your page goes live in seconds on its own subdomain over HTTPS. Copy the link to text or email it, or scan the QR code on the success screen (also available as a PNG download) to open the page straight on a phone.
Ways to send an HTML file to a phone
| Way to send | Opens as a page on a phone | Keeps CSS and images |
|---|---|---|
| ship.page link | Yes, opens in Safari, Chrome or any mobile browser | Yes, when uploaded in a folder or ZIP with index.html |
| email attachment | Often no, may show raw code or a viewer without scripts | Only if everything is inline inside one .html file |
| Google Drive | No, website hosting shut down on August 31, 2016 | No, shared HTML files do not open as working pages |
| Dropbox | No, shared .html links download instead of rendering | No, Public folder links stopped for all users by Sep 1, 2017 |
Why does an HTML file fail to open on a phone?
When you text or email a raw .html attachment, a phone often treats it as a document rather than a website. Instead of launching a full browser like Safari or Chrome, the phone may display raw code, open a restricted file preview that blocks JavaScript, or ask the recipient to pick an app they do not have.
Even when a phone previews the attachment, only the single .html file travels with the message. Any linked stylesheets, images or scripts sitting in folders on your computer are left behind, so the page looks broken. Converting your HTML to a link fixes both problems because mobile browsers know how to open HTTPS URLs.
Why Google Drive and Dropbox links do not render HTML
Putting your file in cloud storage and sharing the link used to work, but both major services turned off HTML rendering. Google Drive stopped hosting websites after googledrive.com/host was deprecated on August 31, 2015 and shut down on August 31, 2016, so a shared HTML file no longer opens as a working page.
Dropbox made a similar change. Dropbox stopped rendering HTML in shared links for free accounts on October 3, 2016, meaning shared .html files download instead of opening. Dropbox Public folder links also stopped working for Basic users on March 15, 2017 and for all users on September 1, 2017. To share an HTML file that actually runs as a webpage, you need a static host that serves the files over HTTPS.
Single HTML file vs folder or ZIP: which should you upload?
If all of your styles and scripts are written inside one file, upload that .html file directly. It becomes the homepage automatically, up to the 10 MB single-file limit.
If your page loads local images, fonts, audio, video, CSS or JavaScript files, keep the exact folder structure and make sure the entry page is named index.html. Check that your file paths match the exact uppercase and lowercase letters of your file names, because file paths on ship.page are case-sensitive.
- Single .html file: up to 10 MB on every plan.
- Folder upload: sent as one request up to 10 MB encoded (roughly 7 MB of files); zip bigger folders first.
- ZIP upload on Free: up to 25 MB compressed (100 MB unpacked) and 100 files per upload.
- ZIP upload on Pro ($4/month): up to 100 MB compressed (400 MB unpacked) and 10,000 files per upload.
- Single-folder ZIPs: if your ZIP has one top folder, ship.page unwraps it automatically so index.html sits at the root.
Tip: You cannot upload a lone PDF, image or video file by itself; put it inside a folder or ZIP with an index.html file that displays or links to it.
Ways to send the link to your phone or someone else's
As soon as your upload finishes, ship.page shows your live URL and a website QR code. If the phone is in your hand, point the camera at the screen to open the HTML file right away, or download the QR code as a PNG to drop into a slide or printout.
Every uploaded page is sent with a noindex header so search engines leave it out, and ship.page does not list uploads anywhere public. Anyone who has the link can open it, and you can publish without an account or claim the page with a free account (sign in with Google or an email link, no card) to manage it from a dashboard.
- Free forever plan: no trial, no credit card, no ads, unlimited uploads, no bandwidth limits, and 10 deploys a minute.
- Updating a page: a free page cannot be updated in place (a new upload gets a new link).
- Pro ($4/month, cancel anytime): pages don't expire while you're on Pro (or pick any expiry from 60 seconds), re-upload or edit a page and keep the same link, and remove the closable Hosted on ship.page badge.
- Password protection and custom names: Pro adds password protection and up to 5 custom subdomains like yourname.ship.place (3 to 40 characters of a-z, 0-9 and single hyphens).
Questions
Why won't my HTML file open as a webpage on my iPhone or Android phone?
Mail and messaging apps usually open .html attachments inside a built-in file viewer instead of Safari or Chrome. That viewer often shows raw HTML tags or blocks JavaScript, and any external CSS or images on your computer are not included in the attachment. Uploading the file to ship.page gives you a normal HTTPS link that opens in any mobile browser.
Is it free to send an HTML file as a link with ship.page?
Yes, the free plan is free forever with no signup, no credit card, no ads, unlimited uploads and no bandwidth limits. You can upload a single HTML file up to 10 MB or a ZIP up to 25 MB (100 MB unpacked) containing up to 100 files.
How do I include images and CSS so they show up on the phone?
Put your main HTML file (named index.html) and all of its images, CSS and JavaScript files into one folder or a .zip archive, then drag that folder or ZIP into ship.page. Make sure the file paths in your HTML use relative paths and match the exact letter casing of your file names.
Can I use Google Drive or Dropbox to open an HTML file on a phone?
No. Google Drive shut down its website hosting feature on August 31, 2016, so shared HTML files no longer open as working pages. Dropbox stopped rendering HTML in shared links for free accounts on October 3, 2016, and shut down Public folder links for all users by September 1, 2017.
Can anyone find my uploaded HTML page on Google?
No. Every page uploaded to ship.page is served with a noindex header so search engines leave it out, and ship.page never lists uploads publicly. Anyone with the link can view the page, or you can upgrade to Pro for $4 a month to add password protection.
What if I fix a typo and want to keep the same link I already sent?
On the free plan, pages cannot be updated in place, so uploading a fixed file creates a new link. With Pro for $4 a month (billed monthly, cancel anytime), your pages don't expire while you're on Pro, you can re-upload or edit a page while keeping the exact same link, and you get up to 5 custom subdomains like yourname.ship.place.
Keep reading
Send your HTML page as a live link
Drop your .html file, folder or ZIP to get an HTTPS link and QR code in seconds with no signup.