Share a file with a public link
Give someone a time-limited download link for one file without requiring a portal sign-in.
A public link lets someone download one file without signing in to your client portal. Only team members can create and manage these links.
Choose the right link
Use a public link only when the recipient should be able to download one file without signing in. Use a Client Link when the recipient should sign in and follow their folder access. Anyone who receives a public-link URL may be able to download the file until the link expires or a team member deactivates it.
How do you create a public link?
- Open the file in Sydnee.
- Open its share action.
- Choose Public Download Links.
- Choose when the link should expire.
- Create the link and copy it.
- Send it only to the people who should download the file.
The expiry choices are 1 day, 3 days, 7 days, 2 weeks, or 30 days.
What does the recipient get?
The recipient opens a public file page and can download that file. They do not need a portal account.
The link shares only that file. It does not share the folder, other versions, or the rest of the client account. It also does not give the recipient portal access.
How is a public link different from a Client Link?
A Client Link sends a person into the portal. They must sign in, and their account and folder access still apply.
A public link does not require sign-in. Treat it like a temporary key to the one file. Anyone who receives the link may be able to use it until it expires or a team member turns it off.
How do you stop a public link?
Open the file's Public Download Links area and deactivate the link. An expired link also becomes inactive.
After a link is deactivated, its public page cannot request another download URL. A download URL requested before deactivation may remain usable for up to one hour.
Existing links show their download count. This count can help with sharing, but it does not prove who downloaded the file or whether they opened it afterward.
How do you manage public links across accounts?
Use the team-wide Public links view when you need to review more than one file or account:
- Open Files in the main navigation.
- Choose All Files.
- Choose the Public links tab.
- Search by file or account. On desktop, you can also choose an account from the toolbar.
- Choose All links, Active links, or Historical links.
Historical links includes expired and revoked links. You can sort the list by Active links first, Newest first, Most downloads, or Expiring soon.
The table shows the file, public URL, account, status, creator, created date, Downloads, and Last requested. Each successful public download request increases the download count and updates the last-requested time. These fields do not identify the recipient or confirm that the download finished.
Active links have actions to copy the URL, open the public page, open the source file, or revoke the link. Expired and revoked links stay in the history but no longer offer copy or open actions.
Why did a public link stop working?
The link may have expired, been deactivated, or point to a file that was deleted. The link also stops if its Sydnee workspace is no longer active.
An expired link cannot be extended. Create a new link with a new expiry and send the new URL.
What does your client see?
This feature is managed by the team. A client who receives the public link sees the same public download page as any other recipient. Their normal portal access does not expand.