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Overview

When submitting documents from cloud storage services such as Google Drive, Dropbox, AWS S3, or others, you must provide a direct download link.
Preview links, share pages, and redirect-based URLs will fail validation. This guide explains how to generate valid, secure, and properly formatted direct URLs for each supported provider.

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General Rules for Cloud Storage

Regardless of provider, all URLs must:
  • Use HTTPS
  • Be publicly accessible
  • Be a direct file URL
  • Resolve to a supported file type (PDF, JPEG, PNG, DOCX, etc.)

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Google Drive

Google Drive shares files using a viewer URL, which is not accepted.
You must convert it into a direct download URL.

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Step-by-Step

  1. Right-click file → Get link
  2. Change permissions to “Anyone with the link”
  3. Extract the file ID from the sharing link
    Example viewer URL:

[https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ABC123def456/view](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ABC123def456/view)
  1. Convert to a direct download URL:

[https://drive.google.com/uc?export=download&id=1ABC123def456](https://drive.google.com/uc?export=download&id=1ABC123def456)

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Valid Google Drive URL


[https://drive.google.com/uc?export=download&id=1ABC123def456](https://drive.google.com/uc?export=download&id=1ABC123def456)

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Dropbox

Dropbox share links are preview links and must be transformed.

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Step-by-Step

  1. Create a shared link
  2. Replace dl=0 with dl=1

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Example

Original link (invalid): 

[https://www.dropbox.com/s/abc12345xyz/document.pdf?dl=0](https://www.dropbox.com/s/abc12345xyz/document.pdf?dl=0)
Direct download link (valid): 

[https://www.dropbox.com/s/abc12345xyz/document.pdf?dl=1](https://www.dropbox.com/s/abc12345xyz/document.pdf?dl=1)

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AWS S3

AWS S3 supports direct file URLs when the object is public.

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Step-by-Step

  1. Upload file to your S3 bucket
  2. Make sure the object is set to public read
  3. Use the S3 file link:

[https://bucket-name.s3.region.amazonaws.com/path/to/file.pdf](https://bucket-name.s3.region.amazonaws.com/path/to/file.pdf)

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Example


[https://my-docs.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/licensing/certificate.pdf](https://my-docs.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/licensing/certificate.pdf)
Note:
If using pre-signed URLs, ensure they remain valid until Paywint processes the file.
URLs that expire immediately may fail.

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Google Cloud Storage (GCS)

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Step-by-Step

  1. Upload file to a bucket
  2. Ensure public access for the object
  3. Use the public URL format:

[https://storage.googleapis.com/BUCKET_NAME/FILE_NAME](https://storage.googleapis.com/BUCKET_NAME/FILE_NAME)

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Example


[https://storage.googleapis.com/company-docs/proof-of-address.png](https://storage.googleapis.com/company-docs/proof-of-address.png)

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OneDrive / SharePoint

These services often generate redirected or preview links, which fail validation.
To use them:
  • Must generate a direct download link
  • Ensure anonymous access is allowed

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Example Conversion

Viewer URL: 

[https://onedrive.live.com/?cid=123&id=ABC12345ABC12345%21123](https://onedrive.live.com/?cid=123&id=ABC12345ABC12345%21123)
Direct download format: 

[https://onedrive.live.com/download?cid=123&id=ABC12345ABC12345%21123](https://onedrive.live.com/download?cid=123&id=ABC12345ABC12345%21123)
iCloud links commonly:
  • Expire quickly
  • Require additional authentication
  • Use redirect-based links
Because of these limitations, avoid using iCloud for document submission.

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Summary

ProviderSupportedDirect Link RequiredNotes
Google Drive✔✔Must use uc?export=download format
Dropbox✔✔Convert dl=0 → dl=1
AWS S3✔✔Public or stable pre-signed required
Google Cloud Storage✔✔Public file required
OneDrive / SharePoint✔✔Preview links rejected
iCloud✖N/ANot reliable for validation

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Best Practices

  • Always test the URL in an incognito browser session
  • Avoid URLs that expire in less than 10 minutes
  • Prefer reliable cloud providers such as AWS S3 or Google Cloud Storage
  • Keep file names clean and simple: certificate.pdf, id-front.jpg, etc.