> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.exavault.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.exavault.com/share-links.md). # Share Links Links are web-accessible URLs that let external contacts who do not have a user account access or upload files and folders. Anyone who has the URL can attempt to use the Link, so treat the URL as a bearer credential and add the restrictions appropriate for the data. They are ideal for one-time sharing, ad hoc file delivery, or collecting files from outside parties, especially when email attachments are not viable due to size limits. ## Common Use Cases * Sending large files without worrying about email attachment restrictions * Allowing clients or vendors to upload files into a designated folder * Creating a simple, branded upload portal by placing your link in your email signature * Sharing project folders with external stakeholders ## Creating and Updating Share Links Users who have permission to create public links can generate a link for any item they have access to. Each link is owned by the user who created it. If that user is later disabled, the link becomes inactive. Administrators can see, edit, and remove links created by other users. A user cannot grant a Link more access than the user has on the target. Moving or renaming the target preserves the Link. Deleting the linked file or folder deletes the Link because its target no longer exists. ## Linking to Folders When linking to a folder: * By default, the link allows the folder to be downloaded. * You can configure the link to allow uploads only, with no download access. * You can enable both uploads and downloads, provided the link creator has upload permissions to the folder. By default, folder links do not expose subfolder contents. This is helpful when you want to contain public uploads in a top-level folder while internal teams sort and organize files into subfolders that remain private. For a two-way data room experience, you can configure the Link to allow access to subfolders. In that case, the visitor receives the same access level to the subfolders as to the Link's root folder. ## Security and Expiration Options Links are flexible but secure. You can control access in several ways: * Password protection. Add a unique password and deliver it separately from the URL. Administrators can enforce site-wide policies requiring passwords for all Links. * Download limits. Set a maximum number of allowed downloads. Opening or listing a Link does not consume the limit; downloading a file does. Once the limit is reached, the Link becomes inactive. * Expiration date. Configure Links to expire at the beginning of the selected date. An expired Link can be reactivated by assigning a new future expiration date. Grant only the operations the external contact needs. Avoid exposing subfolders unless the recipient requires them. Remove the Link when the exchange is complete instead of relying indefinitely on an old URL remaining private. ## Link Lifecycle Review the Link owner, target, permissions, password, expiration, and download limit before distributing the URL. Use *Links* to monitor and edit active Links. Disabling the owner makes the Link unavailable without deleting it. Re-enabling the owner restores it if the other Link conditions remain valid. Deleting the owner permanently deletes the owner's Links, so recreate or transfer an external exchange before deleting its owner account. Deleting the target file or folder also deletes its Link. Moving or renaming the target keeps the Link attached to that item. ## Direct Download URLs To bypass the user interface presented in a Share Link and instead directly download a file from a URL, you can append the exact file name to the end of the link URL. When this method is used, the file download begins immediately, without first displaying a user interface in the browser.