Guest Links: Share Files and Folders with People Outside Your Workspace

Overview

Guest links let you share a folder or a single file with people outside your organisation, such as clients, freelancers, and vendors, without giving them a paid seat. You add the specific email addresses allowed to open each link, and those people verify their identity with a code emailed to them. Guest links are managed per filespace, so each filespace has its own Guest links page with a list of guest links showing what is shared, when the link expires, and who created it.

Plan availability: Sharing folders and files by guest link, email verification, and the guest links dashboard are available on all plans. Link expiration is available on Business and Enterprise plans.

Creating a Guest Link

You can create and manage guest links in both the web client and the desktop app.

Open the guest links screen: Go to your filespace settings and select Guest links, then select Create guest link.
Choose what to share: A file picker opens where you can browse and select the folder or file you want to share. The picker covers the filespace you are in, so each filespace has its own set of guest links.
The link is created: Your guest link exists as soon as you select the folder or file, and you can copy it right away. Nobody can use it until you add their email address.
⚠️ The path is fixed once the link is created. To share a different folder or file, create a new link.
Name the link: Give the link a name you will recognise later. You can rename it at any time.
Add your guests: On the Guests tab, add the email address of each person who should have access. You can do this now or come back to it later, and you can remove an address if you add the wrong one.
Set an expiration date: Under Link settings, choose when the link should stop working and select Apply. Times use your local time zone.
Send the link: Copy the link and send it to your guests yourself.

Tip: The link is created before you add anyone, so you can prepare links in advance or hand one to another admin to fill in the guests' email addresses.

In the web client, you can also create a guest link straight from the Browse files view by navigating to the folder or file and creating the link from the contextual menu.

Managing Your Guest Links

Your guest links are listed in a sortable table showing each link's name, path, who created it, and its expiration.

Edit a link: Select any row to open its drawer, where you can change the name, manage guests, and adjust the expiration.
Search: Search by link name or by path.
Go to folder: In the desktop app, this opens the folder in your file system. In the web client, it opens the web file browser.
Delete a link: Removes the link and revokes access for everyone using it.

Note: Expired links stay listed and are shown as expired; you can remove them or update their expiration date. You can create more than one guest link pointing at the same folder or file.

What Guests Experience

Opening the link: Your guest opens the link and is asked for their email address.
Verifying by code: They enter their email address, receive a code at that address, and enter the code to continue.
Browsing the content: They see only the folder or file you shared, and can preview and download from it.
Staying signed in: A guest session lasts 36 hours. During that time they can open other links you have shared with them without requesting a new code.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can anyone who has the link open it? No. A guest link only works for the email addresses you add to it. If someone opens the link with an email you have not added, they will not be able to access the shared file or folder.

Do guests need a LucidLink account or a paid seat?
No. Guests do not install anything or create an account. They open the link, enter their email address, and enter the code emailed to them.

Can guests upload, edit, or delete files?
No. Guest access is read-only. Guests can browse, preview, and download the content you shared, and nothing else.

Does the expiration apply to the link or to each person I added?
Expiration applies to the link. When a link expires, everyone using it loses access at the same time. If you need different end dates for different people, create a separate link for each person or a group of people.

What happens if I delete, rename, or move the shared file or folder?
If you delete the shared item, the guest links that point to it become invalidated and show that status on the guest links page. An invalidated link cannot be reactivated, you'll need to create a new one. If you rename or move the item, existing guest links keep working and automatically point to the new location (this can take a few minutes to update).

Will a guest link still work if I edit the file after sharing it?
For single-file links, this depends on how the app saves changes. Apps that save changes to the same file keep the link working, and guests see the latest version. Some apps save changes as a new file instead, which breaks the link. If you're sharing a single file that guests need ongoing access to, keep this in mind or re-create the link if guests report it no longer working.

Manage permissions for specific folders or the whole filespace

Manage member permissions

Direct link to Filespace resources

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