Practical guide

Choose delivery-link settings before sending the package

Last materially reviewed 2026-09-29

Quick answerCheck the selected content, required controls and recipient task before distributing a link; settings cannot repair an over-broad release folder.
What to know

Review the selected content first

Confirm the exact release folder and any nested material it exposes. Remove unrelated drafts from the delivery selection through your controlled working process, not by guessing after the link has been sent. A password or expiry date does not make an inappropriate selection suitable. The narrowest useful release is usually easier for the client to understand and for you to verify.

What to know

Check available controls

pCloud documents password protection and custom expiry as Premium shared-link features. Confirm inclusion and behavior for the actual account and route before promising them to a client. Do not confuse these controls with named-recipient identity verification or a guarantee against onward copying. A shared secret can be forwarded, and a downloaded file becomes a separate copy.

What to know

Write instructions that match the configuration

Tell the recipient whether to preview or download, where to find the release note and when the route is expected to close. If a link password is used, handle it through an appropriate agreed channel and keep it distinct from account credentials. Avoid embedding secrets into a publicly reusable instruction sheet or unrelated support conversation.

What to know

A fictional pre-send check

The sender confirms release 04, a bounded download period and the intended client action. An authorized helper checks the harmless representative route without the owner’s privileges. The sender then records the configuration and sends the actual package through the agreed channel. This reduces avoidable confusion but remains a limited operational check, not a security audit or proof that every possible device will behave identically.

What to know

Put the decision into practice

Record the selected folder, intended action and closing rule before distribution. Review the recipient-facing wording against those choices. If a control is unavailable on the actual plan, revise the promise or the route before sending; do not rely on a setting you saw in an unrelated demonstration.

Continue when useful

Next: Expiry and revocation

Closing a link restricts that route; it does not retrieve files someone already downloaded or prove that every copy has been removed.

Open Expiry and revocation →

Sources used for this page

These records support the facts and comparisons above. Merchant-controlled records are labelled so you can separate product claims from independent evidence.

  1. pCloud shared links — Merchant documentation · help.pcloud.com · Merchant-controlled · checked 2026-09-29
  2. NCSC: using SaaS securely — Research study · ncsc.gov.uk · Publisher independence not verified · checked 2026-09-29