When it comes to using online devices to communicate and interact with colleagues, friends, and family, there are a few features many people aren’t even aware of that can make this experience far easier and allow you to send over documents and information that you may have not been able to previously.
This is where link sharing comes in, an incredibly useful tool that many people will need to use at some point or another in order to safely and securely send specific information, images, or documents to another person over the internet.
But how does link sharing actually work? And what are the benefits of using it? Keep reading to find out more.
How Does Link Sharing Work?
If you have ever been sent a URL link by a friend or colleague that directs you to a digital file or an image, this is link sharing and it essentially refers to sharing a file with someone via a link rather than as an attachment.
Link sharing is mostly used by business colleagues who are required to send a lot of files to each other securely.
Sending a file as a URL is not only much quicker than as an email attachment since the recipient won’t have to go through the trouble of downloading the file to view it, but it is also limitless which means you won’t have to worry about the size of the file that you are linking.
When sending a file as an attachment, these will often be restricted to being between 10 and 25MB in size which can end up being a problem if you have a multiple-page document or a lengthy presentation that you need to send someone.
In contrast, because link sharing is directing the recipient to the file’s location in the cloud, it means there is no cap on the size of the file which avoids this issue altogether.
Major Benefits Of Link Sharing
Alongside being much faster than using regular email attachments and avoiding size restraints, there are also many other major benefits that come from learning and using link sharing, here are some of the major ones:
Bandwidth Savings – Some bandwidths will have data caps which can make it impossible to send and download certain attachments especially since some can be a few GB large, however, link sharing avoids this issue completely.
Preview Files Without Downloading – Rather than having to download first which can sometimes seem a bit daunting to a client, being able to preview the file is much easier and saves up space on the recipient’s device.
Better Security – As opposed to attachments which can easily be forwarded to other users and accessed by anyone, by using a link-sharing app you are given more control over who you want to see the document and if you want to be notified when they open it.
You Can Continue Editing – Unlike an attachment which is set in stone once it’s set off because link sharing is always directing a person to the most recent version of the document, it means you can continue editing any final changes even after it has been sent, and these changes will still be seen by the recipient.
How To Link Share Securely
Once you know how to send files as a URL through link sharing, it will quickly become a common tool that you can use not only in the workplace but also to send yourself any documents or files you might want for safekeeping.
Here is how you can link your documents using a URL through link sharing:
Step 1) Download A Link Sharing App
You will first need a link-sharing app that can convert the files into a link that you can then send to others.
Luckily, there are many of these apps and most are very easy to use with some of the most popular examples being Google Drive, Covideo, and Dropbox.
Once downloaded, create an account and follow the steps until you reach a screen prompting you to attach a file.
Step 2) Upload The File
Upload the file onto the app which will allow it to start converting it into a URL.
While this is usually instant, for some link-sharing apps it can take a few minutes, however, if it ever goes over 5 minutes then it’s advised to restart the app as it may have run into an issue.
Step 3) Check The Files Settings
Before you share the file, double-check that all of the security and privacy settings are adjusted accordingly so the recipient will be able to access the link.
A lot of the time files can automatically be set to ‘Private’ which means another user will be restricted access from seeing the file, so it’s always worth making sure this is turned off.
Step 4) Acquire The Link
Once the file has been uploaded and the privacy settings are set just the way you would like them, the majority of apps will have a ‘Get link’ option once the conversion is complete.
Copy this link and save it to your clipboard in case you ever need it in the future.
Step 5) Share The Link
Paste the link over email or on your preferred messenger platform and the recipient will be able to see the document or image immediately without needing to download it.
Can You Share Link Images?
Not only are you able to send images using link share, but you also won’t need to re-size or make any adjustments to the photo for it to be eligible to send as you would normally through email.
Additionally, you can also link audio files which is especially useful when you have multiple files to send all at once that can be sent with just one link.
Summary
Once you know how to use it, link sharing is one of the easiest and most secure ways to send any documents, files, and images to another person, no matter the size, which is why it has become such a popular way of sharing resources in and outside of the workplace.
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