Share a file by link

Create an encrypted link to one of your files, with an expiry, a download limit or a password, then follow its downloads and revoke it.

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A share link lets anyone download one of your files, even if they don't use Filarr. Filarr encrypts the file on your device before sending it. The key that opens it sits in the link itself, after the # sign, and never reaches Filarr's servers.

A link is a snapshot: if you change the file later, the link keeps the version you shared. To work on files with someone over time, use a shared vault instead.

What you need

  • A cloud account. On a local profile, the Shares page says Sharing goes through sync and offers Turn on sync.
  • The desktop app or the web app: both create links.

Your plan sets the limits:

FreeSoloProTeamsEnterprise
Active links10100UnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited
Longest expiry14 days90 days1 year1 year1 year
Largest file1 GB10 GB50 GB50 GB100 GB
PasswordNoYesYesYesYes
Downloads per link501,000UnlimitedUnlimitedUnlimited

A link counts toward your active links until it expires or you revoke it, even once its downloads are used up. An organization can add its own rules, for example a mandatory password, or no links at all.

  1. Right-click the file and choose Share…. The Manage access window opens.

  2. Under Public link, click Create a public link…. The Share file window opens.

  3. Under Link expires after, choose how long the link lasts: 1 hour, 24 hours, 7 days, 14 days, 90 days or 1 year. Filarr selects the longest your plan allows, and greys out the ones above it.

  4. Tick the options you need:

    • Limit number of downloads: type the number of downloads allowed. On Free and Solo, a link stops after its plan's number of downloads even when this box is not ticked;
    • Allow only one download per IP: Filarr counts downloads by large blocks of network addresses, not by person. Many people can fall into the same block, and all visitors connecting over IPv6 share a single download. Tick it only for a link meant for one person;
    • Require a password: the recipient has to type it before downloading. Available from the Solo plan.

  5. Click Create link. Filarr encrypts the file and uploads it. Keep the window open until it finishes.

The Share link ready window shows the link.

  • Copy link copies it, so you can paste it in a message.
  • Send by email opens your own email app with a message ready to send. Filarr doesn't send anything itself.

What the recipient sees

The recipient opens the link in any browser. They don't need an account.

  • If the link has a password, they type it and click Unlock and download.
  • They click Download (decrypt in browser). The file is decrypted on their device.
  • The page shows the time left before the link disappears, and the downloads left.

When a link has expired, has been revoked or has reached its download limit, the page says so, and the file can no longer be downloaded.

Click Shares in the sidebar. The Encrypted shares page lists your links under My shares.

Each active link shows its size, its visits, its downloads and its expiry date, with these buttons:

  • Rename gives the link a name, for example the client it's for. The name is encrypted before it leaves your computer;
  • History lists the latest downloads, with their date, their country and a rough network range. Filarr never records the full IP address;
  • Copy link copies the link again. It works on the device where you created the link. For a link created on another device, revoke it and create a new one here if you need the link;
  • Revoke stops the link at once and deletes the encrypted file from the server. There is no confirmation.

Under Recently inactive, you find the links created in the last 7 days that no longer work, with the reason: Revoked, Expired or View limit reached. Click Refresh to update the page.

Share a file from a shared vault

In a shared vault, right-click a file and choose Share via link, or select it and click Public link…. A window opens to share that file by link:

  1. Choose the Expiry: 24 h, 7 days or 30 days.
  2. If you like, type a Password (optional).
  3. Click Create link, then Copy.

The link gives access to a copy of the file as it is now. Later changes in the vault don't reach it. Your plan's limits apply, as for your own files: the window offers every choice, but Filarr refuses the ones your plan doesn't allow when you create the link. To revoke the link, go to the Shares page, as above.