Open a shared document
Use this journey when someone at a company that uses Cogneris sent you a link to a document. You do not need an account.
Before you start
- You have the link. It opens a page called Shared document on the Document Center's address.
- If the sender protected the link with a password, you need that password from the sender. Links created with the Share button in the Document Center have no password.
Steps
- Open the link in your browser. The Shared document page shows three steps: Validate link, Unlock access and Preview document. The first is already done.
- If you received a password, type it in Enter password. Otherwise leave the field empty.
- Select Open.
- The document is shown on the page. PDF files can be read page by page; PNG and JPG images are shown directly.
- (If offered) Select Download to save the file.
Expected result
- The status changes to Document ready, the step Preview document becomes active, and the page shows the File name and Type.
- Each time the link is opened, the access is recorded in the document's timeline as Downloaded, which the sender's company can see.
How to confirm it worked
The document preview is on the page and Document ready is shown.
If something goes wrong
| What you see | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Could not open the link. | The link was revoked or has expired, reached its access limit, the password is wrong, or the page could not verify the link — the page shows the same message for all of these | Check the password and open the original link again. If it still fails, ask the sender for a new link. |
| Preview not supported for this file type. | The file is not a PDF, PNG or JPG | Use Download, if offered. |
| No Download button | The sender did not allow downloads | Ask the sender if you need a copy. |
Observed on 2026-10-18 in DEV: a link without password opened without an account, through Open to Document ready, the preview and the file name and type.
Not observed: the error cases above. Links created from the Document Center today are copied by the sender and delivered by them: the Share button copies the link and does not send it to anyone.
Last reviewed 2026-10-18 · Version 1.0.0 · Owner: product-documentation