SHARING · 5 MIN READ
How to share photos privately with a password-protected link
· CloudWink team
A group chat is the easiest place to share photos, and the worst place to control them. A private album link gives the right people access and lets you decide when it ends.
Why chat apps are a poor fit.
Messaging apps often reduce photo quality, spread copies across every member’s device, and never expire. Anyone added to the group later may still scroll back to them. A link to an album keeps the files in one place you control.
Four controls worth using.
Each control closes a different gap.
- A password, sent through a different channel from the link.
- An expiry date, so the link stops working after the event is over.
- A download limit, to cap how many files can be fetched.
- Revocation, to end access early if the link goes somewhere it should not.
Know the limits of any share link.
A share link is like a key. Anyone who has it, and the password if you set one, can open the album. Revoking a link stops new downloads, but nothing can recall a file someone already saved. Share sensitive albums only with people you trust.
Sharing with CloudWink.
In CloudWink you create a link for an album and choose an expiry date, an optional password and a file-download limit. The Shared screen lists your active links, and you can revoke any of them. CloudWink stores only a hash of each link’s secret, never the secret itself.
How CloudWink sharing worksQuestions about this guide.
Does the person I share with need a CloudWink account?
No. Anyone with the link, and the password if one is set, can open the album until the link expires, is revoked or reaches its download limit.
What does a CloudWink download limit count?
It counts file-download URLs issued, not album views or unique visitors. Opening several files can use several downloads.