[All articles](https://linkinseconds.com/blog) # iCloud link expired or 'not available'? Mail Drop and iCloud Drive links explained [Sunny](https://linkinseconds.com/about#who-runs-this)·October 23, 2026· 6 min read [#send](https://linkinseconds.com/blog/topic/send-large-files)[#photos](https://linkinseconds.com/blog/topic/photos-and-albums)#troubleshooting#icloud#link iCloud link expired? Here's why photos.zip Live lisview.com/icloud-expired An iCloud link that says it has expired or isn't available is usually working as designed. Mail Drop attachments are only kept for 30 days, and iCloud links for photos and videos also expire after 30 days, according to Apple. iCloud Drive links don't have a time limit, but they stop working when the owner stops sharing, deletes the file or limits it to invited people. The fix is to ask for a new link, or send the file somewhere its link lasts. The short answer Mail Drop Up to 5 GB, recipients have 30 days to download iCloud Photos link Expires after 30 days iCloud Drive link No stated time limit; stops when sharing changes Can you extend one? No, make a new link Need it to last? Use a host whose links don't expire ## Which kind of iCloud link do you have? Apple has three different things that all look like an icloud.com link, and each behaves differently. | Link type | How it was made | How long it lasts | Who can open it | | Mail Drop | A big attachment in Apple Mail | 30 days | Anyone with the email link | | iCloud Photos link | Copy Link on selected photos or videos | 30 days | Anyone with the link | | iCloud Drive link | Share or Collaborate on a file or folder | Until sharing changes | Invited people, or anyone with the link | Apple iCloud link types, from support.apple.com, checked October 2026. ## Mail Drop: why the link expired after 30 days Try it while you are reading Upload a file and get a clean, trackable link with a QR code. Free, and no account for whoever opens it. [Create a link](https://linkinseconds.com/) When you send a large attachment from Mail on a Mac, iPhone or iPad, or from iCloud Mail on the web, Mail offers to send it with Mail Drop. The file goes to iCloud and the recipient gets a download link instead of an attachment. Apple's published limits: - **Size:** attachments up to 5 GB. - **Time:** recipients have 30 days to download the attachment. After that it is removed and the link stops working. - **Storage:** Mail Drop files don't count toward your iCloud storage, but there is a separate 1 TB Mail Drop limit. Once you reach it, you can't send more until older attachments expire. - **Recipient side:** Apple notes the recipient's email app may have a smaller message size limit that stops delivery. **Fix:** there is nothing to renew. Ask the sender to send the file again. If you're the sender and the file must stay reachable (a contract, a portfolio, a video for a client), Mail Drop is the wrong tool. Other email routes are compared in [video too big for email](https://linkinseconds.com/blog/video-too-big-for-email). ## iCloud Photos links: why they stop after 30 days Select photos or videos, choose Share, then **Copy Link** (on iPhone it may read Copy iCloud Link), and anyone with the link can view them. Apple says these links expire automatically after 30 days, and the sender can stop sharing earlier. Apple also notes iCloud Links aren't available in every country or region. **Fix:** the sender selects the same photos and makes a new link. For photos people will come back to, like a wedding or a family trip, a shared album or an album link that doesn't expire works better. See [share wedding photos as one album link](https://linkinseconds.com/blog/share-wedding-photos-as-album-link). ## iCloud Drive links: why they stop working Sharing a file or folder from iCloud Drive gives you two choices: only people you invite, or anyone with the link. Apple doesn't describe a time limit on these links. They break for other reasons: - **Invited people only.** The recipient has to be signed into the Apple Account you invited. Opened while signed into another account, or none, it won't open. - **Access was switched.** Apple says changing a link from anyone with the link to invited people stops the original link working for everyone. - **Sharing stopped.** Only the owner can stop sharing, and when they do, the link dies. Apple notes people who already saved their own copy keep that copy. - **The file was deleted or moved** out of the shared folder. **Fix:** ask the owner to open the sharing options, set access to anyone with the link, and send the link again. **Why Apple does this:** Mail Drop and iCloud Photos links are built for handing something over quickly, not for hosting it. A 30-day limit keeps Apple's storage from filling with old attachments. That's fair for a one-off send and a problem for anything you want people to open next month. ## What to do if you need the file now - **Recipient:** ask for a fresh link and download the file as soon as it arrives. An expired Mail Drop or Photos link can't be revived. - **Sender, one-off:** resend with Mail Drop or a new iCloud link, and tell the person it lasts 30 days. - **Sender, Android or Windows recipient:** see [send large files from iPhone to Android](https://linkinseconds.com/blog/send-large-files-iphone-to-android). - **Sender, it has to last:** use a link that doesn't expire, below. ## Or use a link that doesn't expire Link in Seconds links never expire on any plan, Free included, unless you set an expiry date yourself. You upload with a free account (Google sign-in or an email code, no card), and the people you send it to need no Apple Account, or any account, to view. - **Works on any phone.** Photos and videos open in the browser, on iPhone, Android or a laptop. iPhone HEIC photos are converted to JPEG before they upload. - **One link for an album.** Put a set of photos in an album, up to 500 MB each, and share one link. See [share a photo album with one link](https://linkinseconds.com/blog/share-a-photo-album-with-one-link). - **You can still close it.** Add a password, a view limit or an expiry date of your choosing, all free. - **You see it opened.** Each link shows views and unique visitors. The honest trade-off: Free allows up to 250 MB per file and 500 MB in total, far less than Mail Drop's 5 GB per attachment. For a one-time multi-GB send, Mail Drop or a transfer service is the better fit. For the files people need to reopen, see [share links that never expire](https://linkinseconds.com/blog/share-links-that-never-expire). Apple limits are from Apple's own support pages, checked October 2026. Menu names vary by device and iOS version, and Apple may change the limits. ## Quick answers ### How long does a Mail Drop link last? 30 days. Apple says recipients have 30 days to download a Mail Drop attachment, after which it is removed. There is no way to extend it; you have to send the file again. ### Do iCloud Photos links expire? Yes. An iCloud link for photos or videos expires automatically after 30 days, per Apple, and you can stop sharing it sooner. Make a new link to share the same photos again. ### Do iCloud Drive share links expire? Apple doesn't describe a time limit for iCloud Drive file and folder links. They stop working when the owner stops sharing, deletes or moves the file, or switches access from anyone with the link to invited people only, which Apple says stops the old link working for everyone. ### Why does an iCloud link say it isn't available? Usually because it is a Mail Drop or iCloud Photos link older than 30 days, the owner stopped sharing or deleted the item, or the link is set to invited people only and you are signed into a different Apple Account, or none. ### How do I share photos or a file by link without it expiring? Use a host whose links don't run out. Link in Seconds links never expire on any plan, open in any browser with no account to view, and can hold one file or a whole photo album behind one link. ## Go deeper - [Email attachment size limits](https://linkinseconds.com/blog/email-attachment-size-limits) - [Share photos with family](https://linkinseconds.com/share-photos-with-family) ## Keep reading - [iPhone → Android no AirDrop needed video.mp4 Live lisview.com/cross How to send large files between iPhone and Android (2026) 8 min read](https://linkinseconds.com/blog/send-large-files-iphone-to-android) - [Filemail links die in 7 days. Fix that project-files.zip Live lisview.com/filemail-alt Filemail alternative: a free link that doesn't expire after 7 days 6 min read](https://linkinseconds.com/blog/filemail-alternative) - [Send photos without losing quality photos.jpg Live lisview.com/photos How to send a batch of photos without losing quality 6 min read](https://linkinseconds.com/blog/send-photos-without-losing-quality) ## Turn any file into a link in seconds Upload a PDF, image, video, or ZIP and get a clean, trackable link with a QR code, free. [Try Link in Seconds →](https://linkinseconds.com/) Source: https://linkinseconds.com/blog/icloud-link-expired