How to hyperlink a digital planner
A plain guide for sellers: plan the link map, add the links in the tool you already use, then test every one before a buyer does.
On this page
A hyperlinked planner is a PDF where tapping a tab, a month or a day jumps to that page. Buyers open it in apps like GoodNotes or Notability and expect every tab to work. Doing it by hand is slow, because every tab on every page is its own link.
1. Plan the link map first
Write down every kind of link before you touch the design tool. A typical dated planner has:
- Side tabs for each month, repeated on every page.
- Year page: each month block goes to that month.
- Month pages: each day goes to its daily page, and each week row to its weekly page.
- Daily and weekly pages: a link back to their month.
- Section tabs like Notes, Goals or Habits.
- A Home button back to the index.
Count them. A 12-month planner with 13 side tabs on 400 pages already has over 5,000 links, which is why sellers link master pages or templates first and duplicate them.
2. Add the links in your tool
- Keynote (Mac and iPad): select a shape or text box, choose Add Link, then Slide. Link the tab shapes on a master-style slide and duplicate it.
- Canva: select an element, choose Link, and pick a page from the "Pages in this document" list (Canva Help). See why Canva planner links stop working.
- Google Slides and PowerPoint: insert a link to a slide, then export to PDF and check the links survived.
- A PDF editor: draw link boxes over the finished PDF. This works for any design tool but is the slowest by hand.
3. Test every link
This is the step most sellers skip and buyers notice. Before you list it:
Drop your planner PDF to check it
Or choose a file. PDFs up to 250 MB and 2,000 pages.
Checked on this device. Your PDF is never uploaded.
The checker lists dead links, links to the wrong month or section, overlapping hotspots, tap areas too small for a finger, and the file size against Etsy's 20 MB limit. Then open the file on a real tablet in the apps your buyers use. On GoodNotes for Android, Windows and Web, links open in Read Only Mode (GoodNotes Support).
4. Package it for Etsy
Etsy allows up to five files of 20 MB each per digital listing (Etsy Help). If your planner is bigger, compress the images or split it; the Etsy size checker shows how many parts you need.
Coming to PlannerHop
A linking tool that finds your tabs, months and days automatically, lets you review each proposed link, and re-checks the result. Until then, you can request a planner linked by hand.
Check your planner before buyers do
Free, no sign-up, and your PDF stays on your device.