Last updated: 2026-08-27 · 2 min read

Identify readers with email verification

A normal share link tells you that a document was read, but not who read it. When one URL is passed around a team, the views cannot be told apart.

Email verification adds an address check before the document opens, so each reader is recorded individually.

Turning it on

In the share link settings, enable Require email verification. This setting becomes available after you sign up for a free account.

Here is what the recipient experiences:

  1. Opening the link shows an email address field instead of the document
  2. A confirmation email arrives at that address
  3. Opening the link in that email unlocks the document

Forwarded readers are captured too

Sales documents are frequently forwarded from a contact to a decision maker.

With email verification on, someone who opens a forwarded link is recorded as a separate reader. You can see patterns like "the contact skimmed it, then a director read it end to end the next day".

A key person reading the document means the deal has moved up the chain. Add "Fully read" to your notification timings so you do not miss that moment.

Verified readers become leads

When verification succeeds, that person is recorded automatically as a lead, with the source shown as email verification.

Leads keep contact details and reading activity together, so they are ready to follow up on. See Managing your leads.

MethodRestricts openingIdentifies the readerCaptures contact details
PINYesNoNo
Email verificationYesYesYes
Form linkNoYesYes

Email verification adds a step, and some readers will drop off. A practical split: named plain links for deals already in progress, email verification for distribution where you do not know who will open it.

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Identify readers with email verification | Help center