Should you lock the link or the file?
Lock the link when you want to control who can view a page and be able to change your mind later: change the password, or switch the link off. Lock the file when it will be downloaded, forwarded or stored somewhere you do not control, because the password then travels with the file. For anything sensitive, such as a contract or an ID document, lock the file. For a client preview or a portfolio, locking the link is easier for everyone.
| Lock the link | Lock the file | |
|---|---|---|
| What is protected | The page where people view or download | The file itself, wherever it ends up |
| Change the password later | Yes, at any time | No, you would have to send a new file |
| After someone downloads it | Their copy is not protected | Their copy stays protected |
| The recipient needs | A browser | An app that opens encrypted ZIPs or PDFs |
| Good for | Previews, portfolios, review links | Contracts, ID documents, files that get forwarded |
How to put a password on a link
On Droply, passwords come with the Plus plan:
- Upload the file at droply.so.
- In your dashboard, open the project with Update and go to Access Settings.
- Choose Password, type the password and save.
Visitors now see a password screen before anything else, and the link itself does not change. To make it public again, switch access back to "Anyone with the link can view". More detail in Password-protect a project.
Elsewhere: some paid Dropbox plans can add a password and an expiry date to a shared link. Google Drive cannot put a password on a link at all; it limits access by Google account instead, so you share with specific email addresses.
How to put a password on the file
A ZIP on Windows
File Explorer's built-in "Compressed (zipped) folder" cannot add a password. Use the free 7-Zip instead:
- Right-click the files and choose 7-Zip, then Add to archive.
- Set Archive format to zip (or 7z), and Encryption method to AES-256.
- Type the password twice and click OK.
People on Windows and Mac can open it with 7-Zip, Keka or similar apps. Some built-in unzip tools cannot open AES-encrypted ZIPs, so tell the recipient which app to use.
A ZIP on a Mac
Finder's Compress cannot add a password either. Two options:
- Keka, free from its website, makes AES-256 encrypted ZIP and 7z files. Set a password before you drop the files on it.
- Terminal:
zip -er archive.zip folder-nameasks for a password. It uses the old ZipCrypto method, which is weak, so do not rely on it for anything that matters.
A PDF
- Adobe Acrobat Pro can encrypt a PDF with a password to open it.
- Preview on a Mac can add a password when you export the PDF; look for the Permissions or Encrypt option in the Export window, depending on your macOS version.
- LibreOffice (free, Windows, Mac and Linux) can set an open password when you export a document as PDF, under the Security tab.
Free online tools can do this too, but you would be uploading the document to a stranger's server before it is protected. For anything sensitive, use an app on your own computer.
Send the password separately
A password in the same email as the link protects nothing: anyone who sees the email has both. Send the link by email and the password by text message, or read it out on a call.
Use three or four random words rather than a short word with numbers: they are easier to type and harder to guess. Never reuse a password you use for your own accounts.
What a password will not do
- Stop someone saving a copy. Once a file is downloaded from a locked link, that copy has no password. Lock the file if that matters.
- Stop screenshots. Nothing does. Droply's Pro plan can hide the download buttons, which stops casual saving, not a determined person.
- Make a weak password strong. Short passwords and the old ZipCrypto method can be cracked.
For PDFs specifically, see How to share a PDF securely.