Share an HTML file with someone who isn't technical

Comparing ways to send an HTML page to a non-technical person

Why sending an HTML file as an attachment fails

When you email or message a raw .html file to someone who is not technical, their device usually saves it to a downloads folder instead of displaying it like a website. On many phones, tapping a downloaded HTML file opens a plain text viewer showing raw code, or prompts the person to pick an app they do not recognize. If they ask how to view it, point them to our guide on how to open an HTML file or just send a live link instead.

Even on a computer, a lone HTML file loses any external stylesheets, scripts, or images that were sitting next to it on your hard drive. Asking a friend or client to download a ZIP archive, extract all the files into a new folder, and double-click index.html creates friction before they ever see your work.

When you convert your HTML to a link first, the recipient does not have to download, unzip, or open any local files. They tap the URL and the page loads in their default browser just like any other website.

Why Google Drive and Dropbox links show raw code

Cloud storage folders used to double as quick web hosts, which is why old tutorials still recommend them, but that feature was shut down years ago. 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 the same change shortly after. Dropbox stopped rendering HTML in shared links for free accounts on October 3, 2016, meaning shared .html files download instead of opening, and Public folder links stopped working for Basic users on March 15, 2017 and for all users on September 1, 2017.

How ship.page compares to other drag-and-drop tools

If you want to share an HTML file without forcing your viewer through extra steps, ship.page gives you a working public URL immediately. You can publish without an account, and every upload is served with a noindex header so search engines leave it out while anyone with the link can open it. The success screen also gives you a website QR code you can download as a PNG.

Another option is Netlify Drop (app.netlify.com/drop), which takes a folder, ZIP, or single HTML file with no account needed to start. However, a site dropped on Netlify without signing in stays behind a temporary password until you claim it with a Netlify account, and Netlify's blog notes that an unclaimed drop expires on its own. According to Netlify's Drop docs, deploys under 50 MB work best, single files over 10 MB may get stuck, and without signing in, files are published as-is with no build step.

Choose Netlify if you want to create an account right away and connect a full build pipeline or custom domain later. Choose ship.page when you want a link that opens right away with no password gate and no signup required.

What to include so your page works on the first click

• Name your entry file index.html when uploading a folder or a ZIP archive.
• Remember that file paths are case-sensitive, so images/Photo.jpg will not load if the file is named photo.jpg.
• Keep folder uploads under roughly 7 MB of files (sent as one 10 MB encoded request), or zip larger projects up to 25 MB on the free plan.
• Stick to static files: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, images, fonts, audio, video, WebAssembly, and JSON all work, while PHP, Node.js, Python, databases, and WordPress do not.
• Use hash routes like #/about for single-page apps, or save subpages as about/index.html to use /about, since there is no single-page-app fallback.

Tip: You cannot upload a lone PDF, image, or video file by itself; put it inside a folder or ZIP alongside an index.html file.

Managing or updating your link later

You can publish without an account, and later claim the page with a free account (sign in with Google or an email link, no card) and it stays online as long as you keep it. On the free plan, a page cannot be updated in place, so uploading a new version creates a new link, and free pages show a small "Hosted on ship.page" badge that visitors can close.

If your client asks for edits and you want the link you already sent to show the new version, Pro is $4 a month (billed monthly, cancel anytime, no yearly plan). Pro pages never expire (or you can pick any expiry from 60 seconds), and you can re-upload or edit a page and keep the same link.

Pro also removes the badge, adds password protection, raises limits to ZIPs up to 100 MB (400 MB unpacked), 10,000 files per upload, and 120 deploys a minute, and includes up to 5 custom subdomains like yourname.ship.place that you can point at any of your pages.