[All articles](https://linkinseconds.com/blog)

# Which way should you send this file? A 30-second decision guide

[Sunny](https://linkinseconds.com/about#who-runs-this)·September 10, 2026· 4 min read

[#secure](https://linkinseconds.com/blog/topic/secure-sharing)#comparison#which#way#send

Which way to send a file?

file.pdf Live

lisview.com/send

Most “how do I send this file” questions have the same answer, turn it into a link, but a few situations call for one extra switch. The fastest way to [share files online](https://linkinseconds.com/share-files-online) is the same no matter what you are sending. Instead of a 2,000-word explainer, here's the whole decision in one chart. Read top to bottom; the **first row that matches wins**.

## The 30-second decision

Is it a whole website, a ZIP or a dist/ folder?

→ [Publish it as a live site](https://linkinseconds.com/host-static-website)

if not…

Is it several files people should get as one thing?

→ [Bundle them into one album link](https://linkinseconds.com/blog/share-a-folder-of-files-with-one-link)

if not…

Do you need to know if, and when, they open it?

→ [Send a tracked link and watch the opens](https://linkinseconds.com/blog/free-docsend-alternative)

if not…

Should they read it but not download or keep it?

→ [Turn on view-only](https://linkinseconds.com/blog/share-a-pdf-people-can-view-but-not-download)

if not…

Is it confidential, or should it stop working after a while?

→ [Add a password or an expiry date](https://linkinseconds.com/blog/password-protect-a-file-you-share)

otherwise

Just need it to open, anywhere?

→ [Turn the file into a plain link](https://linkinseconds.com/). That's the default, and it covers most sends.

Notice the common thread: every branch is still just a **link**. You never pick a different app. You turn one switch on the same shareable link. That's the whole point of sending a file as a link instead of an attachment: one thing to send, and it adapts to the job.

## Why a link is the default

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/)

An attachment is a dead end. It bounces over inbox size limits, which is why a big file is better to [send as a link in email](https://linkinseconds.com/send-large-files-via-email); an attachment also can't be updated after you send it, and it tells you nothing about whether anyone opened it. A heavy video is the classic case: instead of a file that will not attach, you [turn the video into a link](https://linkinseconds.com/video-to-link) that plays anywhere. A link fixes all three: it never bounces (you're sending a URL, not a file), you can swap the file behind it without changing the address, and, when you want it, it can report every open. The four switches above are just the moments when you want a little more than the default.

## The switches, in one line each

**Whole website**: a ZIP from a builder goes [live on its own address](https://linkinseconds.com/host-static-website), not a download. **Many files**: they [bundle into one album link](https://linkinseconds.com/blog/share-a-folder-of-files-with-one-link) instead of a zip nobody unzips. **Need to know they read it**: a [tracked link](https://linkinseconds.com/blog/free-docsend-alternative) shows every open. **View-only** hides the download button. **Confidential or time-limited**: a [password or expiry](https://linkinseconds.com/blog/password-protect-a-file-you-share) does the rest.

Whichever branch you land on, the start is the same: [drop the file and get the link](https://linkinseconds.com/), then flip the one switch you need.

## Keep reading

- [A data room without the VDR bill due-diligence.zip Live lisview.com/data-room A virtual data room alternative for startups: share due diligence files and see who read them 7 min read](https://linkinseconds.com/blog/virtual-data-room-alternative-for-startups)

- [Fix Drive 'request access' links contract.pdf Live lisview.com/shared Google Drive link says “Request access”? 6 causes and the fix for each 8 min read](https://linkinseconds.com/blog/google-drive-link-request-access)

- [Share files securely by link contract.pdf Live lisview.com/secure How to share files securely by link, and what “secure” really means 7 min read](https://linkinseconds.com/blog/share-files-securely-by-link)

## 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/which-way-to-send-a-file