---
title: "How to keep a QR code's PDF up to date every week"
description: "Print the QR code once and replace the PDF behind it every week. Replace file keeps every Open media step pointing at the same media, so signs, flyers and menu buttons never change."
canonical: "https://linkbreakers.com/help/article/how-to-keep-a-qr-codes-pdf-up-to-date-every-week"
last-updated: 2026-10-18
---

# How to keep a QR code's PDF up to date every week

> Print the QR code once and replace the PDF behind it every week. Replace file keeps every Open media step pointing at the same media, so signs, flyers and menu buttons never change.

:::try-ai-prompt {"prompt":"Replace our weekly spec flyer with the PDF I'm attaching. Tell me which QR codes will show the new version before you do it.","target":"assistant","description":"Attach this week's PDF and let the Assistant replace last week's, after you confirm."}:::

## Short answer

Put the PDF in your media library once and hand it out with an [Open media step](/help/article/how-to-share-media-from-a-qr-code). Each week, open **Media** in the dashboard, choose **Replace file** on that media and pick the new PDF. The media keeps its place everywhere it is used, so every QR code, every sign and every menu button that opens it hands out the new version from the next scan. Nothing in the workflow changes, and nothing needs reprinting.

## Quick summary

- One media, replaced every week: the QR code, the link and the buttons that lead to it never change
- **Replace file** is on the Media page; it lists every Open media step that will hand out the new file before you confirm
- The media takes the new file's name, and the old file is deleted once the new one is in place
- Only the difference in size between the old and new PDF counts toward storage
- The Assistant can do the same: attach the new PDF in the chat and confirm
- To keep past versions, upload each week's PDF as its own media and point the step at it instead

## How it works

An Open media step does not hold a PDF. It points at a media in your workspace's [media library](/help/article/your-media-library-kinds-where-its-used-and-storage), and each scan opens whatever file that media holds at that moment. **Replace file** swaps the file inside the media while the media itself stays put. Every step pointing at it follows without being edited.

That is what makes a weekly routine safe:

| What stays the same | What changes |
|---|---|
| The printed QR code and its short link | The PDF visitors receive |
| The workflow: menus, buttons, Open media steps | The media's name, which becomes the new file's name |
| The analytics history of the link | Nothing else |

The replace window checks every place the media is used before anything changes. Open media steps take any PDF, image or MP4 video, so a PDF used only by Open media steps can always be replaced with another PDF within the 25 MB limit. If the same media is also a page theme image, the new file must be an image of at most 3 MB, and the replacement is refused with the reason otherwise.

## Step-by-step

### Set it up once

1. Upload the first PDF: create a link with the **Open media** link type and upload it there, or attach it in a chat with the [Assistant](/help/article/give-the-assistant-your-files)
2. Name the file the way visitors should see it, for example "spec-homes.pdf". Visitors who save the PDF get it under that name, and the media takes the name of each new file you replace it with, so keep naming the weekly file the same way
3. Download the QR code and print it on your signs, flyers or brochures
4. Scan it once to check that the PDF opens

### Replace the PDF each week

1. Open **Media** in the dashboard
2. Find the media. **Filter by usage** set to **Open media** narrows the list to the media your QR codes hand out
3. Open its actions menu and choose **Replace file**
4. Choose this week's PDF from your computer
5. Read the list of uses that will show the new file, then click **Replace**
6. Scan the QR code. It opens the new PDF

### Or ask the Assistant

Attach this week's PDF in the Assistant and say "Replace the weekly specs with this". The Assistant finds the media, tells you every use that will change and asks you to confirm before replacing it. If the PDF you attached is already in your library as another media, it offers to point the uses at that media instead of storing a copy.

## Worked example: a home builder's weekly spec flyers and site maps

A home builder has a QR code on every lot sign in a new community. Scanning it opens a menu with two buttons: "This week's spec homes" and "Site map". Each button leads to an Open media step: one opens the spec flyer PDF, the other the site map PDF.

The spec homes change every week as homes sell and new ones are released, and the site map changes whenever a phase opens. The sales team does not touch the signs or the workflow:

- **Every Monday**, someone opens **Media**, chooses **Replace file** on "Spec homes" and picks the new flyer. Every lot sign hands out the new flyer from the next scan
- **When a phase opens**, they replace "Site map" the same way
- **The menu, its buttons and the printed signs** stay exactly as they were

Because the flyer is one media, the same PDF can also sit behind a brochure QR code and a window decal. One replacement updates all of them. See [how to put several PDFs behind one QR code](/help/article/how-to-put-several-pdfs-behind-one-qr-code) to build the menu.

:::try-ai-prompt {"prompt":"Make a QR code for our lot signs that opens a menu with two buttons, 'This week's spec homes' and 'Site map'. I'm attaching both PDFs.","target":"assistant","description":"Build the menu once, then replace the PDFs behind it each week."}:::

## Replace the file, or point to a new media?

| You want | Do this |
|---|---|
| Every QR code that opens this PDF to get the new version, with nothing else to edit | **Replace file** on the media |
| To keep last week's PDF in the library, to switch back later | Upload the new PDF as its own media and choose it in the Open media step |
| One QR code to change, while others keep the old PDF | Upload the new PDF as its own media and choose it in that step only |

## Frequently asked questions

### Do I need to reprint the QR code when the PDF changes?

No. The QR code holds a short link, not the PDF. Replace the media's file and the next scan opens the new version.

### Do I need to edit the workflow or the menu buttons?

No. The Open media steps keep pointing at the same media, so menus, buttons and steps stay as they are.

### Can I get last week's PDF back after replacing it?

No. The old file is deleted once the new one is in place. If you need past versions, upload each week's PDF as its own media and point the Open media step at the new one instead.

### Why was my replacement refused?

A place that uses the media cannot take the new file, for example when the media is also a page theme's cover, which must be an image of at most 3 MB. The refusal lists each use and why. A PDF over 25 MB is refused too.

### Does replacing a PDF use more storage?

Only the difference in size counts. A new flyer that is 1 MB larger than last week's uses 1 MB more of your plan's storage.

### Can I replace the file from my phone?

The Media page works on a phone: open the media and tap **Replace file**. You can also attach the PDF in a chat with the Assistant.

## Limits and caveats

- **Replace file** is on the Media page of the dashboard, or through the Assistant, the API and the MCP server
- PDFs can be up to 25 MB, images up to 10 MB and MP4 videos up to 50 MB
- The replaced file is deleted and cannot be restored
- QR code logos keep their own copy of their image; replacing the media never changes a QR code's look
- Storage is a total across the workspace and does not reset each month

## Last reviewed

2026-10-18