How to share a single file inside Koofr
Not every file needs the same level of protection. Discover Koofr’s two ways to share a single file and how to manage both from your mobile device.
Written by human for humans
Koofr gives you two ways to share individual files: Add people and Send link. Which one you should use depends on who you’re sharing with and how much control you need over the file.
Koofr. Easy to use, secure, and reliable.
In this guide, we’ll look at how both options work, when to use each one, and how to share files from the Koofr web app and the mobile apps.
Add People: The Most Secure Way to Share
If you want to share a read-only file with a specific person and keep access limited to their Koofr account, use the Add people option. It keeps a file strictly tied to a Koofr account: to view it, the recipient has to be logged in, and you decide exactly who has access.
Best use cases
- Personal: Sharing confidential documents, tax forms, lease agreements, or medical records with family members or close friends who also use Koofr.
- Work: Contracts and projects, where the file needs to sit safely in their own account dashboard rather than in a one-off download.
How to do it
- In the Koofr web app: find the file, click Share, select Add people, then type in the recipient’s email address (or pick them from the list) and click Add. You can add as many people as you like and remove them again later. Once shared, the file appears in the other person’s account under Shared.
- In Koofr's mobile apps: find the file, tap Share, choose Add people, and enter the email address. The process mirrors the web app almost exactly, so mobile file sharing feels just as quick.
Koofr Tip: Make sure the email address is typed correctly, without stray spaces, line breaks, or other characters that can sneak in from copy-pasting. A single typo means the invitation goes nowhere.
A word on editing
Files shared this way are read-only by default. If you want a colleague to actually work on an MS Office file alongside you rather than just view it, you’ll need to put that file in a folder and share the folder instead, with modify permissions switched on.
Read more in How can I share a file in the Koofr web app?
Send Link: Fast, Flexible Sharing for Anyone
If the person you’re sharing with doesn’t have a Koofr account, Send Link is usually the easier option. It generates a direct URL that grants quick access to anyone who holds it, with no sign-up or sign-in required to view the file.
You can also control how the link can be used. You can protect it with a password, change its expiration date, hide the download button, use QR code, see how many times it has been opened and add a custom message. Free accounts get an automatically generated 6-character password by default, while paid accounts can set their own.
Best use cases
- Personal: Sending vacation photos to a group chat, sharing a recipe with a friend, or getting a large video file to someone without making them create an account.
- Work: Sending a quick PDF proposal or a design draft to an external client who just needs to download it instantly.
How it works
Find the file, click Share, choose Send link, and configure the options in the pop-up window — password protection and an expiration date among them — before copying and sending the link on. You can also create and manage Send links in the Koofr mobile apps for iOS and Android.
Koofr Tip: A recipient doesn’t need a Koofr account to open the link, but it’s worth suggesting they create one anyway — it lets them save the file directly into their own Koofr storage instead of downloading it locally.
Read more in our blog post: Share your files securely with public links
Add People or Send Link: Which One Should You Use?
Not sure which one fits your situation? Here’s the quick breakdown:
| Criteria | Add people | Send link |
|---|---|---|
| Security level | Strong. The recipient must have a Koofr account | Very secure, with optional password protection |
| Best for | Contracts, documents, tax forms and other sensitive files | Client proposals, vacation photos, large videos, one-off sends |
| Koofr account requirement | Yes, both sides | No, though recipients can save the file shared with them straight to their Koofr account if they create one |
| Where the file appears | In the recipient’s Shared folder | Opens directly in the browser |
| Available in Koofr mobile app | Yes, iOS and Android | Yes, iOS and Android |
Curious about other sharing option Koofr offers? Read our Overview of sharing options in Koofr
Conclusion
Both sharing options have their place. Use Add people when you want to share a file with specific Koofr users and keep access tied to their accounts. Use Send link when you want to share a file quickly with someone who may not have a Koofr account.
Share your files securely with Koofr.
Editor's Note: This post was first published in 2018. We've updated and enhanced the content to improve clarity and detail. Whether you're revisiting or reading it for the first time, we hope this improved version offers an even better experience.
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