Shared Links
Introduction
With Hippius you can share a file as a link that anyone can open in a browser, with no Hippius account needed. Depending on the file, they can preview it right on the page or download it to their device. Your links can be public (anyone with the link) or password-protected.
To share a file, right click it in the desktop app and choose Share via link. We create a secure encrypted copy and generate a shareable URL, then copy it to your clipboard for you. On macOS you can also share straight from Finder: just right click any file or folder and choose Share with Hippius.
After sharing, all your active links are tracked on the Shared Links page. Open it with the Shared Links button in the top right of the
Screenshots and recordings get a link automatically, and those links show up here too. See Share links for captures.
You can share from the Drive view inside the app, or, on macOS, right from Finder. Just right click any file or folder and choose Share with Hippius. See Share from Finder.
A share link is a read only copy for anyone, no account needed. If you want people to sign in and keep working in the same files with you, with Viewer, Editor or Manager access, that is a Hippius shared drive. See Shared Drives.
How Sharing Works
Every file on Hippius is encrypted
All your files are encrypted end to end on your device before they are uploaded to the Hippius network. Nobody else can read what's in them, because nobody else has your key. A share link does keep a few details in plain text so its page can show them: the file's name, type and size, plus a small preview picture when chat previews are on.
How the desktop creates a share
The desktop app has a key advantage over the console when it comes to sharing: your synced files are already stored as plaintext on your local device. The sync engine encrypts them on the way up to Hippius, but on disk you have the originals. This means the desktop can create a share without needing to download and decrypt anything first.
When you right click a file and choose Share via link, the desktop:
- Reads the local plaintext file from your sync folder directly. No download or decryption step needed.
- Generates a fresh share key, a random 32-byte key unique to this one share. This key is completely independent from your folder key.
- Encrypts the file with the share key using XChaCha20-Poly1305, then uploads the newly encrypted copy to Hippius as a separate object. This is independent of your regular sync copy.
- Builds the recipient URL:
https://console.hippius.com/share/<token>#k=<share_key>. The key is in the#fragment, and browsers never transmit fragments to servers, so we never see the key. - Shows the link in a modal and copies it to your clipboard automatically. The modal also shows when the link expires (for example, Expires in 1d). The link is live immediately.
The server stores the encrypted copy and returns a share token. It never learns the decryption key, so it can't read the file, though it does see the file's name, type and size.
A file that isn't on this computer, such as one in a drive you haven't synced here, can be shared too. The app downloads and decrypts it first, then follows the same steps.
The desktop reads your local file directly with no download required. For most files this means the entire share process is as fast as your upload connection allows, with no extra round trip to fetch the file first.
What this means in practice
- Your original folder key stays private. Only the share key is used for the share upload.
- Revoking a share deletes the encrypted copy, and its storage comes back within a few minutes.
- Sharing the same file twice creates two independent copies, each with its own key.
- Deleting a file does not end the links made from it. Each link is its own encrypted copy, so it keeps working until you revoke it or it expires. The delete confirmation reminds you of this.
- The server can never read the file's contents, even while serving it to recipients. Only the name, type and size are stored in plain text.
Before You Share
- The file doesn't have to be synced here. You can share any file in your drives, including one that only lives on Hippius. For files outside your drives, use Share from Finder on macOS.
- You need room in your storage. Sharing a file uploads a new encrypted copy of it, and that copy counts toward your storage. The app checks before the upload starts, and if you're at your plan's limit it tells you instead of creating the link. Free up some space or upgrade, then try again.
Creating a Share
- In the Driveview, find the file you want to share.
- Right click the file (or click the ⋮ menu on its row) and choose Share via link.
- Choose who can open it (Anyone with the link or Password protected) and when the link should expire. Both are described below.
- The share dialog runs the encrypt and upload steps automatically, showing Encrypting and uploading… while it works. You can press Cancel to stop before it finishes.
- When complete, the share URL is shown in the modal and copied to your clipboard automatically, along with when the link expires.
- Use the copy icon next to the URL to copy it again, Open in browser to preview the recipient page, or Revoke share to cancel the link right away. Click Done to close the dialog.
The link is live immediately. Anyone you send it to can download the file right away.
Choosing an expiry
A link you create yourself gets an expiry, chosen before you create it:
| Option | The link stops working |
|---|---|
| 24 hours | One day after you create it. |
| 7 days | One week after you create it. |
| 30 days | One month after you create it. |
| Until I revoke it | Never on its own. It stays live until you revoke it. |
A screenshot or screen recording gets its share link automatically, the moment it is saved. That link is public and keeps working until you turn it off, so it is ready to paste straight away. It is listed in Shared Links with your other links, and you revoke it the same way. You can stop these links being made by turning off Copy a share link after capture in Settings. See Share links for captures.
Requiring a password
Pick Password protected instead of Anyone with the link to lock the link. The app fills in a strong password for you, which you can change. Recipients are asked for it before they see anything, and it must be at least 8 characters. A password link never gets a chat preview, since the preview would show what the password protects.
Send it through a different channel to the link itself. It cannot be recovered or changed later. If you lose it, revoke the share and create a new one.
The same choices appear when you share from Finder on macOS.
Sharing a folder
Right click a folder instead of a file and choose Share via link to share the whole thing. Expiry and password work the same way.
Recipients always see the folder's current contents, so anything you add later becomes visible to everyone holding the link. Share files individually if you want a fixed set.
Folder links made now open only the folder you shared. Older ones carry your drive's key, and anyone who has the link holds that key, even after it stops working. On the Shared Links page they have an Old link badge. Choose Reshare with a safer link from the row's menu: the app makes a new link to the same folder and turns the old one off. Send the new link instead.
Recipients can browse subfolders, search by name, preview files, download any single file, or download the whole folder as a zip. They do not need a Hippius account.
To share a file that isn't in a synced folder, use Share from Finder on macOS.
Active Shares
The Active Shares table shows every share currently live on your account, refreshed from the server every few seconds. It includes shares created from any device or the console, not just this desktop install.
Every row shows the file's real name, wherever the link was made. A folder link shows the folder's name, with the part of the drive it opens underneath.
Copy link
Click Copy link from the row's action menu to copy the full recipient URL to your clipboard.
The share URL includes the encryption key. The app keeps the keys of links made on this computer, and fetches the keys of file links you made elsewhere (another computer or the console) from your account, so you can usually copy any file link from here. A link it can't rebuild, such as some older links, or a folder link made on another device, has Copy link greyed out with a note saying so. For a password link, the copied link still needs the password you set when you made it.
Change the expiry
A live link's menu offers Expire in 24 hours, Expire in 7 days, Expire in 30 days and Never expire. Pick one and the new expiry applies straight away. The link itself stays the same, so there's nothing to send again. A password can't be changed: to use a different one, revoke the link and create a new one.
Revoke
Click Revoke from the row's action menu to permanently invalidate a share. Revoke works from any device, even if the share was created elsewhere.
A confirmation dialog appears first. When you confirm:
- The link stops working immediately for anyone who has it.
- The encrypted copy on Hippius is deleted, and the space comes back within a few minutes.
- The row moves to History as "Revoked."
- This cannot be undone.
There is no grace period. Anyone with the link loses access the moment you confirm the revoke.
Shares from other devices
Links you made on another computer or in the console are listed here too, by name. You can revoke them and change their expiry from this computer, and copy most file links (see Copy link).
Share History
The History section records shares that have ended, whether expired or revoked.
How history is captured
Every time the active shares list is fetched, the app compares it against the previous snapshot. Any share token that was present before but is now gone is classified and saved to history:
| What happened | Recorded as |
|---|---|
| Its expiry time had passed | Expired |
| It disappeared while still in date | Revoked elsewhere (another device or the console revoked it) |
| You clicked Revoke on this device | Revoked, recorded immediately at the moment you confirm |
Status badges
| Badge | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Revoked | You pressed Revoke on this device. |
| Revoked elsewhere | The share was revoked from another device or the console. |
| Expired | The server's TTL elapsed. |
Removing entries
Click the three dot menu on any history row and choose Remove from history to delete that entry from local history. No confirmation is shown, the share is already ended and this only affects what you see here.
Clear all history
Click Clear all history at the top of the History section to remove all local history entries at once. A confirmation dialog appears first. This does not affect any active shares.
What Recipients See
When someone opens your share link, they land on a simple page in their browser. No Hippius account is needed. What they see depends on the link type and the file.
Password-protected links ask for the password first. The recipient types in the password you sent them and the page unlocks. Without it, the file can't be opened, and we can't recover it for them either.
Preview. For common file types, the file is shown right on the page so the recipient can view it without downloading:
- Images, videos, and PDFs up to 100 MB preview inline, full-page.
- Documents preview inline too: Word documents (DOCX), presentations (PPTX), spreadsheets (XLSX, CSV), HTML, plain text, JSON, and Markdown.
- Everything else, and any file too large to preview, shows a download card with the filename, size, and a Download button. Shared folders arrive as a
.zip, so they always download rather than preview.
A Download option is always available. The file is decrypted directly in the recipient's browser: on modern browsers (Chrome, Edge, Firefox) the download streams straight to disk with no size limit; on older browsers it's buffered in memory up to 500 MB. The decryption key never reaches our servers.
If the link has expired or been revoked, recipients see: "This link has expired or been revoked." We don't say which, so no one can guess whether a token was ever valid.
Views, Comments and Reactions
You can see how many people opened a link, and let people comment and react under it. The Share via link dialog has Insights, Comments and Reactions switches for each file you share, next to Show a preview in chats for pictures and videos. On a paid Drive plan they start on for screenshots and recordings and off for other files; on the Free plan they start off and turning one on shows an upgrade prompt.
Open a link's Insights from its row in Shared Links, or from Captures, to see how many people watched and read what they said. They open in a panel on the right, with Comments, Viewers and Reactions tabs, and the link's switches behind the gear at the top. In Captures every screenshot and recording offers Insights, and one without a link yet can get one there with Create link. A comment that tags you with @ says Mentioned you, and the Mentions you filter shows only those. See Insights, comments and reactions.
Storage Usage
Every file link stores a separate encrypted copy of your file on Hippius. That copy:
- Counts toward your storage, on top of the file in your Drive. It's new data, encrypted with its own key, so it's never treated as a duplicate of the original. Sharing a 1 GB file uses another 1 GB while the link is live.
- Is independent of your sync copy, using a different key and living in a different location on the network. Deleting or replacing the original leaves the link showing the file as it was when you shared it.
- Is deleted when you revoke the link or it expires, and the space comes back within a few minutes. A link set to never expire keeps using space until you revoke it.
The chat preview picture doesn't count toward your storage. Before a link's copy is uploaded, the app checks that you have room. If you're at your plan's limit (10 GB on the Free plan), it tells you instead of creating the link: free up some space or upgrade, then try again.
Sharing the same file several times creates several separate copies, and each one counts.
Folder links are different. A link to a folder in your Drive doesn't upload anything: the people you send it to open the folder's own encrypted files, so it uses no extra storage. A folder shared from outside your drives (from Finder in the desktop app) is uploaded as a copy, and that copy counts like a file link's.
Every live file link uses storage. Revoke temporary links when you're done with them.
Desktop vs Console
| Feature | Desktop App | Console |
|---|---|---|
| Create a share | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Share a folder | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Share from Finder | ✅ macOS only | ❌ Not available |
| Choose an expiry | ✅ 24h, 7d, 30d, or until revoked | ✅ Same options |
| Password-protected link | ✅ In the app and from Finder | ✅ Yes |
| How it reads the file | The file on this computer, or downloads it if needed | Downloads and decrypts the Drive copy |
| Copy link (same session) | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Copy link later | ✅ Yes, the app keeps or fetches the key | ✅ Yes, after you unlock (some older links: no) |
| Change expiry | ✅ File and folder links, link stays the same | ✅ Folder links only |
| Revoke | ✅ Any device | ✅ Any device |
| History | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
Where to next
- Drive: manage your sync folders and uploads.
- Shared Drives: invite people with a Hippius account into a drive or a folder, with a role.
- Console Shared Links: the console version, where you can create shares from the web interface.
- Billing: manage credits before sharing large files.