# Signed-out readers on a public page see "Sign in to view this PDF" or "PDF unavailable" instead of t

**What you are seeing**

Signed-out readers on a public page see "Sign in to view this PDF" or "PDF unavailable" instead of the document.

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## Why it happens

Signed-out visitors are never issued a Capable access token, so the app cannot fetch the file for them, whether it comes from a link or an attachment. The macro itself still renders.

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## What to do

Expect this on externally shared or anonymous-access spaces. There is no configuration that changes it. If the document must be visible to the public, publish the page to a Capable Site instead, where the PDF is baked into the published output.

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## Settings involved

| **Setting**                     | **Where**                         | **What it does** |
| ------------------------------- | --------------------------------- | ---------------- |
| Unlicensed and anonymous access | Built into the macro registration | \-               |

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## Limits that apply here

| **Limit**               | **Value** | **What happens**                                                                                                                                                                                         |
| ----------------------- | --------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Linked PDF size ceiling | 2.5 MB    | A PDF fetched from a public web address is refused above 2.5 MB and the macro shows "This PDF is too large". Attachments do not go through the proxy and are not subject to this cap. The limit is not s |

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## A few things that catch people out

* Signed-out readers never see the document, on any source, even on a public page.
* A PDF behind a login, a signed URL, a firewall or a bot manager may fail even though the reader's own browser can open it.

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## Related

["This PDF is too large"A PDF loaded from a web address is fetched through Capable's proxy, which refuses anything](https://help.gocapable.com/pdf-embed/this-pdf-is-too-large.html)

["The website hosting this PDF blocked the request."The file sits behind a login, a signed or expiring URL, a firewall or a bot manager. The p](https://help.gocapable.com/pdf-embed/the-website-hosting-this-pdf-blocked-the-request.html)

[Export and published sitesThe rest of this family.](https://help.gocapable.com/pdf-embed/export-and-published-sites.html)

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