Simple Guide: Delete, Replace, or Change a PDF

If you use guest mode, the easiest method is to upload a new PDF and use the Replacement Portal.

Replacement Portal: maipdf.com/pdf/replace-file.html Learn how replacement works

1) Want to delete a file?

Logged-in users

Guest mode

Open maipdf.com/pdf/replace-file.html → enter the reading code and its modification code → press Delete this link and confirm. No blank PDF, no second upload.

Deleting sets the open count to 0. The link stops letting anyone in, but the record is still there — so if you delete by mistake, a replacement with a fresh PDF brings the same link back to life. Files that go unread for around three months are cleared from the server during routine cleanup.

2. How do I replace a file?

Upload a new PDF and configure its new file settings

Save the new file's Reading Code and Paired Control Code

Open the replacement page and enter the codes for both the old and new files

Click Update File. The original link stays the same, but the content is replaced with the new file

Replace Document Behind the Same Link

Keep your public link, QR code, and Reading Code. Update the file and settings.

Original Document (Public Link)

Reading Code i

Reading code

Paired Control Code (required) i

Paired control code

Replacement Document

Replacement Reading Code i

Replacement reading code

Paired Control Code (required) i

Paired control code

The link stays the same; the file and its settings are replaced together.

Settings that can be updated with replacement View limit Expiration Download Print Watermark Alerts Session length Email allowlist

3. How do I modify file settings?

View Limits

Expiration Date

Disable Download

Disable Print

Watermark

Visit Alerts

The easiest way to modify file settings is to upload a newly configured PDF first, then replace the old file with it. This keeps the original sharing link unchanged, while the view limits, expiration date, download/print permissions, watermark, and other settings are updated to the new file's configuration.

Key idea: the old link stays the same, while the new content and new settings take effect.

Exactly which page does what

Guest mode is not a reduced version of MaiPDF. Everything an account holder can change, you can change too — the difference is only how you prove the share is yours. Signed in, you prove it by owning the account. As a guest, you prove it with the modification code handed to you at upload. These are the three pages that matter.

Replace or delete a share

maipdf.com/pdf/replace-file.html

Replacing asks for four values: the current reading link or code and its modification code, then the new PDF’s reading link or code and its modification code. Either box accepts the full link (https://maipdf.com/file/ABC123@pdf) or just the code on its own.

The same page carries the Delete this link button, which needs only the first pair.

Note: after a replacement there is a short cooldown — about 30 seconds — before the same link can be changed again.

Read the access records

maipdf.com/getresult.html

Enter the reading code and the modification code to see who opened the file and when. No account needed here either — the modification code is what proves the share is yours.

If you did sign in

maipdf.com/6/control-center.html

Same replace operation, fewer things to type: both PDFs are already in your list, so you pick them instead of entering codes. One difference worth knowing — the signed-in replace leaves the original expiry date in place, while the guest route brings the new file’s expiry date across with it.

The modification code is the one thing you cannot lose. A reading code that has lost its modification code cannot be replaced, deleted, or inspected — by you or by anyone else. Save it the moment you upload, before you send the link anywhere.

What a replacement actually carries across

This is the part worth reading twice. Replacing does not swap a single field — it lifts a whole set of settings off the new PDF and applies them to the old link. If the new PDF was uploaded with defaults you did not think about, those defaults are what the link now enforces.

Moves to the old link

The PDF file itself
The watermark setting — it rides along with the file
The open limit
The session length
The expiry date (guest route only)
The view mode and read alerts
The email allowlist

Stays exactly as it was

The reading link — everyone who already has it keeps working
The reading code
Any QR code already printed from that link
The modification code for that link
The access records — every open logged before the replacement is still there, and new opens keep landing in the same history
An ad-free share stays ad-free — replacing does not undo it

Because the open limit travels with the replacement, this is also how you top up a share that has run out of opens — and how you bring back a link you deleted. There is no separate “add more opens” button anywhere; replacing is the mechanism.

Records are keyed to the reading code, not to the file. Since the reading code never changes, the open history simply continues across a replacement — you can replace a file ten times and still read one unbroken list of every open.

Configure the new PDF before you replace, not after. Set its open limit, expiry, view mode, watermark and allowlist the way you want the live link to behave — because the moment you replace, those become the live link’s settings.

Key Takeaways

✓Want to delete a file? In guest mode, replace the old file with a blank PDF.

✓Want to update the content? Upload a new PDF and replace the old file.

✓Want to change file settings? Configure the new PDF first, then replace the old file.

Important: Please keep your Reading Code and Paired Control Code safe, otherwise replacement will not be possible.

Guest mode questions

Can I really do everything without an account?

Yes. Guest mode is not a limited tier. Replacing the file, changing any setting, deleting the share and reading the access records are all available without signing in. The only difference is how ownership is proved: an account holder proves it by owning the account, a guest proves it with the modification code issued at upload.

Which page do I use to replace or delete a file as a guest?

maipdf.com/pdf/replace-file.html. Replacing needs four values: the current reading link or code plus its modification code, and the new PDF's reading link or code plus its modification code. Either box accepts the whole link, such as https://maipdf.com/file/ABC123@pdf, or just the code by itself. The same page holds the Delete this link button, which needs only the first pair.

Where do guests see the access records?

maipdf.com/getresult.html. Enter the reading code and the modification code. No account is required.

What does deleting actually do?

It sets the open count to 0, so the link stops letting anyone in. The record itself remains, which is why a delete is recoverable: replace the link with a fresh PDF and the same link works again. Files left unread for around three months are cleared from the server during routine cleanup.

How do I change the open limit, expiry or email allowlist after sharing?

By replacing the share. There is no screen for editing those fields in place. Upload a second PDF configured the way you now want the link to behave, then point the original reading link at it. The link people already have keeps working and stays the same.

What exactly gets carried over when I replace?

The PDF file, the watermark setting that travels with it, the open limit, the session length, the view mode, the read alerts and the email allowlist. The guest route also carries the new file's expiry date across; the signed-in route leaves the original expiry in place. What never changes is the reading link, the reading code, any printed QR code, and the modification code.

I lost the modification code. What can I do?

That is the one dead end. Without it a share cannot be replaced, deleted or inspected, by you or by anyone else. Save the modification code the moment you upload, before you send the link out.

Can I replace the same link twice in a row?

Yes, but not instantly. There is a short cooldown of about 30 seconds on a given link after each replacement. Wait it out and run the replacement again.

Does guest mode work in the MaiPDF app as well?

Yes. You can package, send and trace a protected file in the app without an account. Tracing uses a License ID plus its modification code, the same way the web replace page uses a reading code plus its modification code. One warning specific to the app: its list of recent files and its cached copies of the packages live in local app storage, so uninstalling clears them and a reinstall starts empty. The licences on the server are unaffected, so nothing is lost if you kept the codes — but without them there is no way back to a licence the app has forgotten. Signing in avoids this, because an account can look up all of its own licences after any reinstall.

Is there a limit to how many times I can replace a file?

No. You can replace a share as often as you need; each replacement simply requires the current file’s reading code and modification code plus the new file’s reading code and modification code. The only pacing is a short cooldown of about 30 seconds on a given link after each replacement.

Does replacing the file wipe the access records?

No. The records are keyed to the reading code, not to the file, and a replacement never changes the reading code — so every open logged before the swap is still there, and new opens keep landing in the same history. You can replace a file repeatedly and still read one unbroken list of every open. Replacing writes only to the share’s own settings row; it does not touch the records at all. The same goes for an ad-free share — replacing does not undo it.

How Document Replacement Works

Before (Old File)

File Name

Annual_Report_2023.pdf

Reading Code (Public)

ABC123

Public link: https://maipdf.com/file/ABC123@pdf

QR code: Same QR code

After (New File)