# Transient Files

> Transient Files is a free, no-signup way to share photos, videos, and documents with links that delete themselves after a set time or after one download. Upload up to 1 GB, get a shareable link or QR code in seconds, and the file is automatically deleted when the link expires — no account, no app, no ads.

Transient Files is a privacy-friendly alternative to email attachments and cloud drives for quick sharing. Files are stored encrypted (SSE-C) and are never public: only people with the link can see them. Recipients need no account and no app — the link opens in any browser and videos/photos preview inline in WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, and most messaging apps.

## Key facts

- **Free** — no account, no sign-up, no ads, no watermark, no speed limits.
- **Up to 1 GB per file**, including videos, photos, archives, and documents.
- **Self-destructing links** — choose an expiry of 1 hour, 12 hours, 24 hours, or a one-time download (the file is deleted after the first download).
- **Private by default** — nothing is listed, searchable, or public; files are encrypted at rest and deleted automatically when they expire.
- **Works everywhere** — take a photo, drag & drop, or paste a file on the home page; share the link or scan the QR code on any device.

## Privacy & trust

- **No account, no sign-up** — uploads are not linked to an identity; no email or phone number is collected.
- **Private by default** — files are never listed, searched, or suggested; search engines are blocked from file and folder URLs (robots.txt). Only people with the link can open a file.
- **Encrypted at rest** — files are stored encrypted (SSE-C) on Cloudflare R2 and are never scanned, altered, or compressed. Files are sent byte-for-byte as uploaded.
- **Auto-delete** — links expire by time (1 h / 12 h / 24 h) or after one download. Files are permanently deleted within a maximum of 36 hours, even if never downloaded.
- **No recipient tracking** — only anonymous download counts are kept to enforce download limits; no personal data is collected from people who download files.
- **Uploader IP** — the uploader's IP address is stored briefly (while the file is live) for abuse prevention, then deleted together with the file.
- **Report abuse** — misuse can be reported at [https://transientfiles.com/terms#report-abuse](https://transientfiles.com/terms#report-abuse).

## Main pages

- [Home / Uploader](https://transientfiles.com/): Upload a file, photo, or video and get a self-destructing share link in seconds.
- [Terms of Use & Privacy Policy](https://transientfiles.com/terms): How the service works and what data is stored.

## Use cases

- [Share Photos Without Losing Quality](https://transientfiles.com/en/photo-sharing): Send photos in original quality — no compression, no account, links that self-destruct.
- [Share a Video Link Without YouTube](https://transientfiles.com/en/video-sharing): Upload a video and share a link that plays inline in chat apps — no account, no public profile.
- [One-Time Download Link](https://transientfiles.com/en/one-time-link): Create a link that works once and is deleted after the first download.
- [Send Large Files Free](https://transientfiles.com/en/send-large-files): Send files up to 1 GB without an account — bigger than email allows.
- [Transfer Photos Phone to Computer](https://transientfiles.com/en/phone-to-computer): Get photos from your phone to your computer without a cable or app — open the link or scan the QR code.
- [Self-Destructing Link](https://transientfiles.com/en/self-destructing-link): Create a link that expires automatically after 1 hour, 12 hours, 24 hours, or one download.
- [Snapchat Alternative for Private Sharing](https://transientfiles.com/en/snapchat-alternative): Share photos and videos with Snapchat-style privacy — no app, no account, no social graph, links that self-destruct.
- [Private Photo Sharing](https://transientfiles.com/en/private-photo-sharing): Share photos privately without posting them online — no feed, no followers, no compression.
- [Send Photos iPhone to Android](https://transientfiles.com/en/send-photos-cross-platform): Send photos between any phones in original quality — no AirDrop, no app, no compression.
- [AirDrop Alternative for Android](https://transientfiles.com/en/airdrop-alternative): Share files between iPhone, Android and any device with a private link — no app, original quality, links that self-destruct.
- [Photo Dump to Your Group Chat](https://transientfiles.com/en/photo-dump): Send the whole photo dump to your group chat — private, no post, no followers.
- [Share Photos Without Social Media](https://transientfiles.com/en/share-photos-without-social-media): Share trip and family photos without Facebook or Instagram — one private link, no accounts.
- [Self-Destructing Photos](https://transientfiles.com/en/self-destructing-photo): Send a photo that deletes itself after one view or one download.
- [No-Account File Sharing](https://transientfiles.com/en/no-account-file-sharing): Share files with no account, no email, no sign-up — encrypted at rest, auto-delete within 36 hours.

These use-case pages are also available in French ([fr](https://transientfiles.com/fr/photo-sharing)), Spanish ([es](https://transientfiles.com/es/photo-sharing)), Portuguese ([pt](https://transientfiles.com/pt/photo-sharing)), and German ([de](https://transientfiles.com/de/photo-sharing)).

## Guides

In-depth articles (available in English, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese):

- [What Is Ephemeral File Sharing?](https://transientfiles.com/en/guides/what-is-ephemeral-file-sharing): How self-destructing links work, when to use them, and how to evaluate a service. ([en español](https://transientfiles.com/es/guides/what-is-ephemeral-file-sharing)) ([em português](https://transientfiles.com/pt/guides/what-is-ephemeral-file-sharing))
- [Are Free File-Sharing Sites Safe?](https://transientfiles.com/en/guides/are-file-sharing-sites-safe): A 7-point checklist covering encryption, retention, access model and data collection. ([en español](https://transientfiles.com/es/guides/are-file-sharing-sites-safe)) ([em português](https://transientfiles.com/pt/guides/are-file-sharing-sites-safe))
- [How to Share a Photo Dump Without Posting It](https://transientfiles.com/en/guides/photo-dump-guide): Curate, bundle and share photo dumps in original quality with an expiring link. ([en español](https://transientfiles.com/es/guides/photo-dump-guide)) ([em português](https://transientfiles.com/pt/guides/photo-dump-guide))
- [When and How to Password-Protect a Shared File](https://transientfiles.com/en/guides/password-protected-file-sharing): What passwords protect against, hashing done right, and the second-channel rule. ([en español](https://transientfiles.com/es/guides/password-protected-file-sharing)) ([em português](https://transientfiles.com/pt/guides/password-protected-file-sharing))

## Online tools

- [Tools index](https://transientfiles.com/tools/): Free online utilities, no sign-up.
- [Hash Checker](https://transientfiles.com/tools/hash-checker): Compute and compare file hashes (MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256) directly in your browser.
- [Base64](https://transientfiles.com/tools/base64): Encode and decode text or files to and from Base64.
- [Unit Converter](https://transientfiles.com/tools/unit-converter): Convert length, temperature, weight, speed, volume, data and more — keyboard-first, entirely in your browser.
- [JSON Formatter](https://transientfiles.com/tools/json-formatter): Format, validate, and minify JSON.