Links vs Shares
Documents and folders are stored within SureDrop so that they can be safely and securely passed between those people who require access to the information they contain.
Shares
A share is the detailed and flexible way to share a file or folder with anyone. Shares have a lot of options such as expiry dates and passwords and the recipients of shares do not need a SureDrop login to access them.
Shares always give the recipient access to the latest version of a file.
Recipients of shares must be entered into SureDrop at the time the share is created and each recipient gets a unique link to access the share so it can be tracked.
Links
A link is a simple and fast way to allow anyone to access a file or folder stored within SureDrop.
Links do not have any options and recipients of links must create a SureDrop login to access them.
Links have the special property (for files not folders) that you are sharing a link to a particular version of a file, so the recipient won't see any later changes unless you share a new link to that file or share the folder that contains the file.
(Links to Folders always have the latest versions of the files they contain)
All recipients of links get the same link, however all recipients must log into SureDrop (or create a SureDrop account if they do not have one) to access a link.
Summary of the difference between Links and Shares
Feature | Links | Shares |
|---|---|---|
Password protected | No | Yes |
Expiry date | Yes | Yes |
Allows recipients to upload files | Yes | Yes |
Can add a note to the share | No | Yes |
Can set notifications to show when it is accessed | No | Yes |
The link can be cut & pasted into an email | Yes | No |
Recipients must be known at creation time | No | Yes |
Recipients must log into SureDrop to access the files | Yes | No |
File versions can be shared | Yes | No |