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Getting started with DocBeam

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DocBeam lets you host files — PDFs, docs, images, anything downloadable — on your Webflow site without burning Webflow’s asset limits or bandwidth. Files live on a fast CDN and get a permanent link that never breaks, even when you replace the file later. This guide walks the whole path: install → connect → upload → link.

1. Install DocBeam in the Designer

DocBeam runs as an app inside the Webflow Designer, right alongside your canvas.

  1. Open your site in the Webflow Designer.
  2. Open the Apps panel in the left toolbar.
  3. Find DocBeam and install it, then click to launch. The panel opens on the right, docked next to your design canvas.

The first time you open DocBeam for a site, a short Get started checklist appears to walk you through these same steps. You can dismiss it any time.

2. Connect your Webflow account

On first launch, DocBeam asks to connect to your Webflow account so it can manage files for the site you’re in.

  1. Click Connect and authorize DocBeam when Webflow prompts you.
  2. DocBeam automatically detects which site you have open — there’s nothing to pick or paste. Your library is scoped to that site.

You only do this once per account. After that, DocBeam opens straight to your file library whenever you launch it.

3. Upload your first file

The library is where every file for the site lives.

  1. Drag a file onto the upload zone, or click it to browse and choose one.
  2. DocBeam uploads the file and adds it to the list with its name, size, and version.

Each plan has limits on storage, file count, and maximum file size — DocBeam shows your usage at the top of the panel and will let you know if an upload would exceed your plan. (See the pricing page for what each plan includes.)

4. Add the link to your page

Every uploaded file gets a permanent CDN link. There are two ways to put it on your site — pick whichever fits where you’re working.

Copy the link — click Copy link on a file to copy its permanent URL to the clipboard. Paste it anywhere you’d normally set a link in Webflow: a button’s link settings, a text link, a rich-text element, or an embed.

Insert it onto the canvas — to drop a link in directly:

  1. On the canvas, select the container (a div, section, or any element that can hold a link) where the link should go.
  2. Back in DocBeam, click Insert here on the file. DocBeam inserts a text link to the file inside the selected element, and you’ll see a Link inserted ✓ confirmation.

If Insert here is disabled, you haven’t selected a valid container yet — select an element on the canvas and it’ll enable. You can always fall back to Copy link and place the URL by hand.

That’s it — your file is live on the CDN and linked from your page. Publish your Webflow site as usual and visitors can download it.

What’s next

  • Replace a file without breaking the link — the permanent URL stays the same, and DocBeam keeps the previous versions (how many depends on your plan).
  • Organize with folders to keep larger libraries tidy.
  • Check usage and settings any time from your DocBeam dashboard.