You've just compressed your CV, merged the scanned pages of a contract, or turned a Word file into a PDF. Now someone else needs it: a recruiter, your accountant, a colleague waiting on WhatsApp. So the usual routine starts. Download the file, find it in Downloads, open email, attach it, wait for the upload, hope it isn't too big.
Short answer: on FileConvy you can skip all of that. When your file is ready, click "Create share link" on the Done screen, copy the link, and send it anywhere. The person opens it, taps Download, and gets the file, with no account and no app. After 1 hour the file is deleted for good, and you can delete it sooner with one click.
How to Create a Share Link
- Open a tool and convert your file as usual: for example Compress PDF, Merge PDF or PDF to Word.
- When the green Done! box appears, look under the Download button for Send this file to someone.
- Click 🔗 Create share link.
- Click 📋 Copy and paste the link into WhatsApp, email, Slack, Teams or a text message.
- The box shows the exact time the link stops working, for example "until 4:35 PM".
That's it. You don't have to download the file first, and you don't need an account.
What the Person You Send It To Sees
They open the link and see a simple page with:
- the file name and size,
- a big Download button,
- a live countdown, such as "This link expires in 42 min 10 sec".
They don't need a FileConvy account, an app or a sign-in. The file downloads straight to their phone or computer and never opens in a strange viewer. If they open the link after the hour is up, they get a clear "This link has expired" message instead of a broken page.
Why the Link Deletes Itself
Most file-sharing services keep your file for days, weeks, or until you remember to delete it. That's handy for big projects and a risk for everyday documents. A payslip, an ID scan or a signed contract usually only needs to reach one person, once.
So FileConvy share links are built to forget:
- Opt-in only. Nothing is stored unless you click Create share link. Normal conversions still go straight back to your browser, as before.
- 1 hour, then gone. The file is deleted automatically after an hour. Expired links stop working even before the cleanup job runs.
- Delete now. Changed your mind, or sent it to the wrong chat? Click Delete now and the link dies immediately.
- Hard-to-guess links. Each link contains a long random code, not a number someone could count up to.
- Always a download. Shared files are served as downloads, so nobody can use a share link to show a fake web page.
Share Link vs Email vs WhatsApp vs Cloud Drive
| FileConvy share link | Email attachment | WhatsApp document | Cloud drive link | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Account needed | No | Yes (yours) | Yes (both) | Yes (yours) |
| Download it first | No | Yes | Yes | Yes, then upload |
| Size limit | 50 MB | About 20–25 MB in practice | Large | Large |
| How long it stays | 1 hour, then deleted | Forever, in both inboxes | Forever, in the chat | Until you delete it |
| Best for | Quick, one-off sends | Formal sending with a paper trail | Friends and family | Ongoing projects |
None of these is "best" every time. If you need a permanent record, email is still right. If you're sending a file once and don't want copies piling up in inboxes and chats, a link that disappears is the tidier choice.
Email has a sneaky problem too: attachments grow by about a third when they're sent, so a 20 MB file can bounce even on a "25 MB" limit. Our guide to email attachment size limits explains why. A link doesn't care: the file never goes through the email system at all.
Which Tools Have the Share Button?
The share button appears on the Done screen of the tools that build a new file on our servers, including:
- PDF: Compress PDF, Merge PDF, Rotate PDF, JPG to PDF
- Office: PDF to Word, Word to PDF, PDF to Excel, Excel to PDF, PDF to PowerPoint
- Images: Remove Background, Compress Image, Resize Image, Crop Image, WebP Converter, and PDF to PNG (as a ZIP)
Tools that work entirely in your browser, such as HEIC to JPG or Image Upscaler, never upload your file at all. They don't show the button, which is the privacy-friendly side of the same idea.
4 Smart Ways to Use It
- Job applications. Compress your CV with Compress PDF and send the recruiter a link on WhatsApp or LinkedIn. It arrives as a clean PDF, not a blurry phone photo. Before you send it, check why CV PDFs get ignored.
- Paperwork to your accountant or agent. Scan the pages, combine them with JPG to PDF (our phone scanning guide shows how), and send a link that expires before the end of the meeting.
- Office to office. Turn a spreadsheet into a PDF with Excel to PDF and drop the link into Slack or Teams without filling a shared drive with one-off exports.
- Phone to computer. Converted something on your phone but need it on a laptop? Create a link, message it to yourself, and open it on the other device. It's quicker than emailing yourself.
A Few Sensible Precautions
A share link works like a key: anyone who has the link can download the file until it expires. So:
- Send it directly to the person, not to a big group chat or a public post.
- For very sensitive files such as bank statements or ID scans, add a password with Protect PDF first and send the password through a different app.
- Once they've downloaded it, click Delete now. There's no reason to wait the full hour.
- Remember that the person you send it to keeps their downloaded copy. Deleting the link stops new downloads, but it can't take back a file that's already been saved.
Limits to Know
- File size: up to 50 MB per file.
- How many: up to 10 share links per hour from the same connection, to keep the service fast and free.
- File types: the kinds of files our tools produce, such as PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, images, ZIP and MP3.
- Duration: fixed at 1 hour. If the person misses it, convert the file again and create a fresh link.
Quick FAQ
How do I send a file with a link for free? Convert or process the file on FileConvy, then click "Create share link" on the Done screen and copy the link. Anyone you send it to can download the file for the next hour without signing up.
Does the person I send the link to need an account? No. They open the link, see the file name, size and a countdown, and tap Download. No account, sign-in or app is needed.
How long does a FileConvy share link last? One hour. After that the file is deleted automatically and the link shows "This link has expired". You can also delete it earlier with the "Delete now" button.
Can I delete a shared file before the hour is up? Yes. Click "Delete now" next to the link. The file is removed straight away and the link stops working for everyone.
Is it safe to share files this way? Each link contains a long random code that can't realistically be guessed, the file is only kept for an hour, and it is always delivered as a download. Anyone who has the link can download the file until it expires, so send it directly to the right person. For very sensitive documents, password-protect the PDF first.
What is the maximum file size for a share link? 50 MB per file. That covers most PDFs, Word and Excel files, and compressed scans. If a file is larger, compress it first with Compress PDF or Compress Image.