[Link in Seconds](https://linkinseconds.com/) [Pricing](https://linkinseconds.com/pricing) [Log in](https://linkinseconds.com/login)[Sign up free](https://linkinseconds.com/signup) [All articles](https://linkinseconds.com/blog) # Is WeTransfer safe? Links, passwords, phishing and the 2025 AI-terms row [Sunny](https://linkinseconds.com/about#who-runs-this)·October 12, 2026· 6 min read [#send](https://linkinseconds.com/blog/topic/send-large-files)[#secure](https://linkinseconds.com/blog/topic/secure-sharing)#security#wetransfer#safe Is WeTransfer safe? contract.pdf Live /p/private **WeTransfer is safe for everyday files.** Transfers are encrypted, free ones delete themselves after 3 days, and the company is not in the business of reading your uploads. The risks that actually bite are around the _link_: anyone who has it can download, the free plan cannot add a password, and fake "you've received files" emails are a common phishing trick. Here is each risk, the 2025 AI-terms row explained, and what to do for files that need more control. ## What WeTransfer protects - **Encryption.** Files are encrypted on the way up and while stored, per WeTransfer's security pages. End-to-end encryption is listed only on its Enterprise plan. - **Malware scanning, on paid plans.** WeTransfer's pricing page lists automatic malware scanning as an Ultimate feature, so on Free, treat an unexpected file with the usual caution. - **Short lifetime.** Free transfers are removed after 3 days, so a leaked link stops working quickly. We cover the exact rules in [how long WeTransfer links last](https://linkinseconds.com/blog/how-long-do-wetransfer-links-last). - **Email verification.** Sending by email requires verifying your own address, which makes it harder to impersonate a sender through WeTransfer itself. ## The real risks, and what to do about each 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/) | Risk | What actually happens | What to do | | Someone else gets the link | Anyone with a link transfer can download until it expires | Send by email, or use a password (Ultimate) | | A fake WeTransfer email | Phishing emails copy WeTransfer's look to steal logins | Check the sender and the link's domain before clicking | | Files used for AI training | WeTransfer says it does not; the July 2025 terms were rewritten to say so | Read clause 6 of the current terms for anything sensitive | | Files stay up too long | Free transfers delete themselves after 3 days | Low risk on Free; a feature, not a bug | | Files vanish too soon | Same 3-day limit, with no recovery on Free | Use a permanent link for anything people open later | WeTransfer behaviour from its own pages, October 2026. ### A link is a key, and it can be copied A WeTransfer link is not tied to a person. Forward it, paste it in a group chat or let it land in a shared inbox, and everyone who sees it can download the files until the transfer expires. On the free plan you cannot add a password, and you cannot revoke a link early except by deleting the transfer from your account. ### Phishing that looks like WeTransfer Because people expect WeTransfer emails from strangers, attackers copy them. The tell is usually the link: a real one goes to wetransfer.com (or we.tl), and a real download never asks you to sign in to your email account. When in doubt, ask the sender through another channel. ## The July 2025 AI terms row, explained In July 2025 WeTransfer published updated terms of service. Clause 6.3 granted it a broad licence over uploaded content, including to improve machine-learning models, and creatives who rely on WeTransfer for unreleased work reacted strongly. Within days WeTransfer rewrote the clause, narrowed the licence to operating, developing and improving the service, removed the machine-learning wording, and stated publicly that it does not use customer files to train AI. The practical lesson is not that WeTransfer is unsafe; it is that terms change. For anything confidential, read the current terms of whatever service you use, and prefer a tool where you can lock, revoke and delete the link yourself. **A simple rule:** if a file would be a problem in the wrong hands, do not send it as an open link that anyone can forward. Put a password on it, gate it behind an email, or make it view-only, and keep the ability to switch it off. ## When you need more control If you want those controls without a paid transfer plan, a [Link in Seconds](https://linkinseconds.com/) link gives you, free on every plan: - **A password** on the link, which you can change later to revoke access. - **An email gate**, so each viewer gives an email before the file opens, even on a forwarded link. - **View-only** mode that hides the download button, plus an optional watermark. - **An off switch**: disable the link instantly, or set an expiry date or a view limit. - **Analytics**, so you can see if the link was opened somewhere you did not expect. Files sit in private storage and are only served through the link, which enforces every one of those settings. Only allowed file types are accepted (executables are refused), and uploads are scanned for abuse and phishing before they go live. The trade-off is size: a free file can be up to 250 MB, where WeTransfer Free allows up to 3 GB a month. More on locking down a link in [share files securely by link](https://linkinseconds.com/blog/share-files-securely-by-link). ## A quick safety checklist - Send by email rather than as a link when you know who should receive it. - Use a password for anything private, and share the password through a different channel. - Prefer view-only for documents people need to read but not keep. - Check the domain before clicking any "you have received files" email. - Turn the link off when the job is done instead of waiting for it to expire. ## Quick answers ### Is WeTransfer safe to use? For everyday files, yes. WeTransfer encrypts files in transit and at rest, deletes free transfers after 3 days, and is a long-established company. The real risks are around the link: anyone who has a link transfer can download the files until they expire, and the free plan has no password option. ### Is it safe to download a file from WeTransfer? A genuine WeTransfer download is as safe as the file inside it: WeTransfer does not vouch for what the sender uploaded. The bigger risk is fake WeTransfer emails. Check that the link goes to wetransfer.com, be wary of anything asking you to log in to see a file, and do not open unexpected executables or macro-enabled documents. ### Does WeTransfer use my files to train AI? WeTransfer says it does not. In July 2025 an update to its terms of service appeared to allow uploaded content to be used to improve machine learning, which caused a backlash. WeTransfer rewrote the clause within days, limited it to operating and improving the service, and stated publicly that it does not use customer files to train AI. ### Can I password-protect a WeTransfer for free? No. Password protection is a paid feature on WeTransfer. If you need a password on a free plan, TransferNow includes one on free transfers, and Link in Seconds includes a password on every link, free. ### Who can see my WeTransfer files? Whoever has the download link. For an email transfer that is the people you sent it to, plus anyone they forward the email to. For a link transfer it is anyone the link reaches. WeTransfer cannot stop a forwarded link from working until the transfer expires. ## Go deeper - [Password-protect a file you share](https://linkinseconds.com/blog/password-protect-a-file-you-share) - [Does WeTransfer tell you when files are downloaded?](https://linkinseconds.com/blog/does-wetransfer-tell-you-when-files-are-downloaded) - [How Link in Seconds keeps files safe](https://linkinseconds.com/security) ## Keep reading - [Does WeTransfer tell you it was downloaded? proposal.pdf Live /p/delivered Does WeTransfer tell you when someone downloads your file? (And how to see who opened it) 6 min read](https://linkinseconds.com/blog/does-wetransfer-tell-you-when-files-are-downloaded) - [How long a WeTransfer link lasts footage.zip Live /p/handover How long do WeTransfer links last? Free vs Starter vs Ultimate expiry (2026) 6 min read](https://linkinseconds.com/blog/how-long-do-wetransfer-links-last) - [A TransferNow link that doesn't expire shoot.zip Live /p/handover TransferNow alternative: a link that doesn't expire after 7 days 6 min read](https://linkinseconds.com/blog/transfernow-alternative) ## 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/) On this page - What WeTransfer protects - The real risks, and what to do about each - The July 2025 AI terms row, explained - When you need more control - A quick safety checklist - Quick answers - Go deeper [Link in Seconds](https://linkinseconds.com/) Turn photos, PDFs and files into one clean link to share, with view tracking and a QR code. Works in the browser, nothing to install. 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