Update Hyperlinks - Link Manager for Zapier

PDF4me Update Hyperlinks Annotation is a Zapier action that searches existing PDF hyperlinks by text or URL and replaces them in bulk, without touching the rest of the document. Use it to fix broken links, migrate URLs after a website restructure, or update branding across a batch of PDFs.

How Do I Authenticate My Zap?

To access the PDF4me Web API, every request must include proper authentication credentials. Every PDF4me action in Zapier requires a valid connection that holds your PDF4me API key, so the Zap can authenticate hyperlink update requests securely.

Get your API Key

Important Facts You Should Not Miss

Search On chooses text or URL

Each hyperlink update searches either the visible link text or the underlying URL value, never both at once. Add a separate step for each dimension you need to update.

Blank current value replaces the whole match

Leave the current value field empty to replace the entire matched text or URL with the new value, instead of substituting only part of it.

Is Expression enables regex matching

Set Is Expression to Yes to treat Search Value as a regular expression, useful for matching a family of URLs (e.g. an old domain with varying paths) in one step instead of listing each one.

Parameters

Required: File, Search On, and Search Value must be provided. File Name, the current/new value fields, and Is Expression are optional.

Parameter	Required	What it does	Example
File	Required	The PDF file containing hyperlinks to update. Map a file, base64 string, or public file URL from a previous step.	`[PDF File]`
File Name	Optional	Output filename for the updated PDF. If not provided, the name is picked from the File field.	`updated_links.pdf`
Search On	Required	Whether this step searches the hyperlink text or the URL value.	`Text`
Search Value	Required	The hyperlink text or URL value to search for in the document.	`http://oldsite.com`
Text/URL Current Value	Optional	The current substring to replace. Leave blank to replace the entire matched value.	`oldsite.com`
Text/URL New Value	Optional	The new text or URL value to set in place of the match.	`newsite.com`
Is Expression	Optional	Yes evaluates Search Value as a regular expression instead of a literal match. Defaults to No.	`No`

Output Fields

Field	Type	What it contains
`File`	URL	Direct URL to access the PDF with updated hyperlinks.
`File Name`	String	The filename without extension.
`Full File Name`	String	Complete filename with the .pdf extension.
`File Extension`	String	File extension (.pdf).
`Links Updated`	Number	Count of hyperlinks successfully updated.

JSON
Schema

JSON Response Format

The raw JSON response from the action:

{
"File": "https://...",
"File Name": "updated_document",
"Full File Name": "updated_document.pdf",
"File Extension": ".pdf",
"Links Updated": 15
}

Schema View

The data structure and types of the response:

5 items
File: URL - PDF with updated links
File Name: String - Filename without extension
Full File Name: String - Complete filename
File Extension: String - File extension
Links Updated: Number - Count of updated hyperlinks

How Do I Set Up Update Hyperlinks Annotation in Zapier?

Add the PDF4me app and choose Update Hyperlinks Annotation as the action event in your Zap.
Select a connection (or click to create one with your PDF4me API key).
Map File from a previous step in your Zap, as a file, base64 string, or public URL.
Set Search On to Text or URL, then fill Search Value with what to find.
Set the current value (or leave blank to replace the whole match) and new value with the replacement.
Set Is Expression to Yes if Search Value is a regular expression, then test the step. The updated PDF returns as a file with a Links Updated count.

Typical Setups

Workflow ExamplesCommon Zap patterns using Update Hyperlinks Annotation.

Scheduled broken-link cleanup

A Schedule by Zapier trigger fires monthly to review published PDFs.
A storage step retrieves each PDF from Google Drive or Dropbox.
Update Hyperlinks Annotation replaces known broken or redirected URLs, one step per known-bad link.
The corrected PDF is uploaded back to storage, replacing the previous version.

Domain migration after a website restructure

A Zap triggers after the marketing team confirms the new site structure is live.
A loop or Formatter step processes every PDF that references the old domain.
Update Hyperlinks Annotation sets Search On to URL, Is Expression to Yes, and matches the old domain pattern to the new one in a single step.
Updated PDFs are saved to the document library and the search index is refreshed.

Rebranding marketing materials

A rebranding project triggers a batch pass over all marketing PDFs.
Multiple Update Hyperlinks Annotation steps run in sequence: one for the domain change, one for the social handle, one for the contact email link text.
Each PDF is processed through the same chain of steps.
Rebranded PDFs are uploaded to the updated materials folder ready for distribution.

Practical Tips

Search On decides text vs URL, not both

One step cannot search text and URL simultaneously. Add a separate step for each dimension if you need to update both.

Blank current value replaces everything

If the current value field is left empty, the entire matched hyperlink text or URL is replaced with the new value, not just a substring.

Regex needs Is Expression set to Yes

Search Value is treated as a literal string unless Is Expression is Yes. Forgetting this toggle is the most common reason a regex-style Search Value fails to match.

One step per link pattern, not per link instance

A single Update Hyperlinks Annotation step updates every matching link in the document, you do not need one step per occurrence, only per distinct search pattern.

This action edits links, it does not add them

Update Hyperlinks Annotation only modifies hyperlinks that already exist in the PDF. To insert brand-new links, use the PDF4me Create Hyperlinks in PDF action.

Test with one step before batching many PDFs

Run the Zap against a single sample PDF first to confirm Search On and Search Value match as expected before applying it to a large batch.

Cheat Sheet

Field	Value
Action	`Update Hyperlinks Annotation`
App connection	`PDF4me API key`
Search On options	`Text or URL`
Blank current value	`Replaces the entire matched value`
Is Expression	`Yes = regex match, No = literal match (default)`
Multiple updates	`Chain one step per link pattern`
Output	`File + File Name + Links Updated count`

Common Questions

Can I search by link text or by URL?+

Yes. Set Search On to target either the visible hyperlink text or the underlying URL value. Each step searches on one dimension at a time, add a separate step if you need to match both.

How do I replace only part of a link’s text?+

Set the current value field to the substring you want to find and the new value field to its replacement. Leave the current value blank to replace the entire matched value instead of a partial substitution.

What does the Is Expression option do?+

When Is Expression is set to Yes, Search Value is evaluated as a regular expression instead of a literal string match. This is useful for matching a whole family of similar URLs (for example an old domain with varying paths) in a single step. See <a href="https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript/Guide/Regular_expressions" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">MDN's regular expressions guide</a> for pattern syntax.

Can I update multiple different links in one Zap run?+

Yes. Chain one Update Hyperlinks Annotation step per distinct link pattern you want to update. Each step runs independently against the same document, so a single Zap run can fix several unrelated links at once.

Does it insert new hyperlinks or only modify existing ones?+

Update Hyperlinks Annotation only modifies links that already exist in the PDF. To add brand-new hyperlinks to a document, use the PDF4me Create Hyperlinks in PDF action instead, which is documented under the <a href="https://www.iso.org/standard/75839.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">PDF 32000-2:2020 link annotation specification</a>.