What is Download link?

A download link is a web address that lets someone fetch a file from a server instead of receiving it as an attachment. The file is uploaded once and the recipient downloads it when they are ready. This gets around email attachment limits and the compression chat apps apply.

Good download links are hard to guess, can expire, and can be protected with a password. Anyone who has an unprotected link can usually open it, so share it only with the right people.

On this site, each transfer (up to 20 GB) gets its own link, which you can copy, share as a QR code or have emailed. Files are deleted when the link expires.

Links also suit groups: one upload and one link, and everyone downloads their own copy, instead of the same large file being attached to many emails.

1. Upload the files and open More options before sending.
2. Add a password for anything private, and send it by a different channel than the link.
3. Set a download limit, or choose delete after first download for a single recipient.
4. Pick an expiry that matches how long the recipient needs.
5. Tick Email me when it's downloaded if you want to know when the files arrive.

• The link says it has expired: the files have been deleted. Ask the sender to upload them again.
• The download stops halfway on a phone: keep the screen on and the browser open, and use Wi-Fi for very large files.
• The link opens inside an email or chat app and nothing happens: open it in the phone's main browser instead.
• A work network blocks it: some company networks block file-sharing sites. Try from home or ask IT.