Upload links: a file request link anyone can send to

It's 4pm on a Thursday and a new client has sent you six emails.

Two have attachments that bounced for being too big, one links to a Google Drive folder you can't open, and one just says "did you get them?"

You did not get them. Not all of them, anyway.

What is a file request link?

A file request link is a page you send to someone so they can send files to you.

They open it, drop files in, and the files land in your account. Nobody has to share a folder, and nobody's inbox becomes the filing system.

Dropbox and Google Drive both have versions of this.

In TinyX it's called an upload link, and it's built for the case where the sender is a client, a candidate or a venue manager who will never make an account anywhere.

Why email is the wrong way to collect files

Personal Gmail accounts cap attachments at 25 MB, and anything bigger turns into a Drive link instead (Google's help page). A phone video or a scanned bundle hits that quickly.

The bigger problem is where the files end up. A passport scan sent by email sits in the client's sent folder and your inbox for years, and gets forwarded every time someone adds a colleague to the thread.

How a TinyX upload link works

You create an upload link in your dashboard and send it to the person who has the files. They open it in a browser, choose their files and upload. They can pick several files at once, of any type, including phone videos and HEIC photos. They don't create an account or install anything.

You can add a short instructions message above the upload area, such as which documents you need, and edit it later. If you want to know when files arrive, add a webhook to the link. We don't send email notifications.

The files arrive in your TinyX account, grouped under that upload link, so you know which client sent what.

Upload links are on Pro and Max only. The Free plan doesn't include them, and the full comparison is on the pricing page. Each upload link counts as a link toward your monthly allowance (1,000 on Pro, unlimited on Max).

Password and expiry on the way in

On our features page we describe upload links as password-protected and self-destructing.

In practice that means you can put a password on the link and give it an end point, so it doesn't sit open for anyone who finds it later.

Send the link by email and the password by text. If the email gets forwarded, the forwarded copy is no use without the password.

When an upload link has expired, it's finished. It shows a dead page with no redirect.

Turning on end-to-end encryption for uploads

Each upload link has a "require encryption" setting. Turn it on and the sender's files are encrypted in their browser with AES-256-GCM before they upload, so we hold only ciphertext we can't read.

It only works with a password set on the link.

Leave it off and uploads are still encrypted on the way to us and on our storage provider's disks, just not end to end. For ID documents, contracts and anything you'd hate to see leaked, turn it on. We explain the mechanics in how TinyX encrypts your files.

How big can uploads be?

Upload links take up to 50 MB per file on Pro and 500 MB on Max.

If a client needs to send video or a large scan bundle, try a file of that size first, or ask them to split it.

Who uses upload links

A solicitor sends a new client one link for ID, bank statements and a signed form, instead of asking for three emails.

There's a fuller version of that in the law firm client intake form, which pairs a questionnaire with an upload link.

A photographer asks a couple for their shot list, reference images and the venue's floor plan before the wedding. A security team asks a venue for its CCTV layout before an event, and closes the link once it arrives.

A firm weighing up portal software can read our ShareFile comparison for where an upload link is enough and where it isn't.

What upload links don't do

They aren't a shared workspace. The sender can't see what's already been uploaded or edit anything afterwards. If you need back-and-forth on documents, version history or e-signatures, you need a document platform.

They also aren't storage forever. Download what you need into your own system, the way you would with any inbox.

If you're tired of chasing attachments, look at upload links on the pricing page and try one with your next new client.