Share an HTML website with a client
To share an HTML website with a client or friend, send a live link instead of the file, free with no signup on ship.page. Drag in an .html file up to 10 MB, a folder, or a .zip up to 25 MB (100 MB unpacked, up to 100 files per upload) and get an HTTPS link and QR code in seconds, with no credit card.
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 single HTML file on every plan
- 10 MB
- Free ZIP limit, up to 100 MB unpacked
- 25 MB ZIP
- Files per upload on the free plan
- 100 files
- Free forever, no signup or credit card
- $0
How to turn your HTML website into a link
Check your homepage file name
If you have one file, any .html name works. If your site has CSS, images or JavaScript in a folder, name the main file index.html so it loads as the homepage.
Drag your HTML file, folder or ZIP onto ship.page
Drop a single .html file up to 10 MB, a folder of roughly 7 MB of files, or a .zip up to 25 MB on the free plan. You can also paste raw HTML straight into the browser.
Copy the HTTPS link or download the QR code
Your page is live in seconds on its own subdomain. Copy the URL for an email or text message, or download the PNG QR code from the success screen so your client can scan it on a phone.
Claim or upgrade if you need revisions
Publish without an account, or claim the page with a free account (no card) to manage it from a dashboard. For client rounds, Pro is $4 a month and lets you update the page without changing the link.
How different ways of sharing an HTML website behave for your recipient
| Way to share | Opens as a page | Keeps CSS and images | Account |
|---|---|---|---|
| ship.page link | Yes, in any browser over HTTPS | Yes, when uploaded as a folder or ZIP | No signup required |
| Email attachment | Often opens as raw code on phones | No, linked files stay on your computer | Email account |
| Google Drive or Dropbox link | No, previews raw code or downloads file | No, does not render linked assets | Google or Dropbox account |
Why you should send a link instead of the HTML file
When you attach an .html file to an email or chat message, the recipient has to download it first. On many phones, tapping a downloaded HTML file opens a plain text viewer showing raw tags instead of your layout.
Even on a desktop, sending just the .html file leaves behind every linked stylesheet, image and script on your hard drive. The page opens unstyled with broken image icons unless you turn your HTML into a link or bundle everything together.
Cloud storage links have the same problem. Google Drive shut down googledrive.com/host on August 31, 2016, and Dropbox stopped rendering shared HTML files for free accounts on October 3, 2016 (Public folder links ended for Basic users on March 15, 2017 and for all users on September 1, 2017).
How to include CSS, images and multiple pages
If your project is a single self-contained file (like a Valentine page for a girlfriend or a one-page mockup with inline styles), drag that .html file straight in. If it uses separate CSS, JavaScript, fonts or images, keep them in your project folder with index.html at the top and host a ZIP file or drag the folder in.
A ZIP with a single top folder is unwrapped automatically, and file paths are case-sensitive. A subpage saved as about.html opens at /about.html, while the shorter /about path works when you save the file as about/index.html.
- Supported static files: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, images, fonts, audio, video, WebAssembly and JSON.
- Not supported: PHP, Node.js, Python, databases or WordPress (use a third-party service for forms).
- Client-side routing: there is no single-page-app fallback, so React or Vue apps should use hash routes like #/about.
- Uncompressed builds only: files are served without Content-Encoding, so turn off .br or .gz pre-compression.
Tip: Folder uploads travel as one request of at most 10 MB (roughly 7 MB of files) on every plan, so zip larger folders before uploading.
Which tool should you use to share your HTML site
For a fast website preview link with zero setup, ship.page is the quickest path: you drop the files and send the URL right away with no login wall for you or your visitor. Every upload gets a noindex header so search engines leave it out, and ship.page does not list uploads anywhere public.
Netlify Drop (app.netlify.com/drop) also accepts a folder, ZIP or single HTML file without signing in first, and its docs note that deploys under 50 MB work best while single files over 10 MB may get stuck. However, an unclaimed Netlify Drop stays behind a temporary password until you claim it with a Netlify account, and unclaimed drops expire on their own.
Pick Netlify, Vercel or GitHub Pages when you want a full Git workflow, a build step, or your own custom domain name, since no ship.page plan offers custom domains.
How to handle client revisions and passwords
On the free plan, pages cannot be edited in place: uploading a new version gives you a new URL, and visitors see a small Hosted on ship.page badge they can close. That is plenty when you just want to show a friend a project.
When you are billing a client, Pro costs $4 a month (monthly billing, cancel anytime) and removes the badge. Pro lets you re-upload or edit a page and keep the same link, so the URL in your client's inbox always shows the latest revision.
Pro pages don't expire while you're on Pro, or you can set any expiry from 60 seconds. You can also password-protect an HTML page, upload ZIPs up to 100 MB (400 MB unpacked) with up to 10,000 files, and claim up to 5 custom subdomains like yourname.ship.place to point at any of your pages.
Questions
How do I share an HTML file with a friend so it opens as a webpage?
Drop your .html file onto ship.page to get a live HTTPS link in seconds with no signup. Send that link over text, WhatsApp or email, and it opens as a working webpage in any phone or desktop browser instead of downloading as a file.
Why do my images and CSS disappear when I email an HTML file?
An HTML file only contains text and links to where your images and CSS live on your computer. When you email the .html file alone, the recipient's browser cannot reach your hard drive. Put the HTML, CSS and images in one folder with index.html and upload the folder or a ZIP to ship.page so everything stays together.
Can I share an HTML website using Google Drive or Dropbox?
No. Google Drive shut down its website hosting feature on August 31, 2016, and Dropbox stopped rendering HTML files in shared links on October 3, 2016. Both services now show raw code or force a file download instead of displaying the webpage.
Can I update the website after my client asks for changes?
On the free plan, each upload creates a new link. On the $4 a month Pro plan, you can re-upload or edit your page and keep the exact same link, and you can also point up to 5 custom subdomains like yourname.ship.place at any of your pages.
Will my client's unreleased website show up on Google?
No. Every page uploaded to ship.page is served with a noindex header so search engines leave it out of results, and ship.page does not list uploads anywhere public. For extra privacy, the $4 a month Pro plan adds password protection.
Keep reading
Send your client a live link now
Drop your HTML file, folder or ZIP to get an HTTPS link and QR code in seconds, free with no signup.