[Docs](https://linkinseconds.com/docs)User guide

# Link settings and controls

Password, expiry date, view-only mode, view limit, custom link name, email gate and turning a link off.

Every link you publish has its own settings. You can turn it off, lock it with a password, give it an end date, let it be opened only a few times, ask viewers for their email, and more. This page walks through each control. Every one of them is free on every plan.

## Open Link settings

- ### Find the link Go to **My files** in your dashboard. Your links are listed under the **Links** tab.

- ### Open the menu Click the **...** button at the end of the link's row (its label is "More actions"). The menu is grouped into **Share** (QR code, Share..., Email link) and **Manage** (Analytics, Rename, Link settings), with **Delete** at the bottom.

- ### Choose Link settings Click **Link settings**. A window opens with the link's address at the top and five tabs: **Access**, **Sharing**, **Extras**, **Insights** and **Danger**.

The More actions menu on a link. Link settings is under Manage.

Link settings opens on the Access tab.

How saving works

Switches save the moment you flip them. Text fields (password, expiry date, view limit, custom link and share preview) have their own **Set** or **Save** button. If you try to close the window with an unsaved edit, you are asked first.

## Access tab

Who can open the link, and for how long.

### Link enabled

Turn the link off for everyone without deleting it. While it is off, the page and the file both stop loading. Turn it back on and the same link works again. Free on every plan.

### Tags

Private labels for organizing your own links, like "Work" or "Personal". Only you see them, never your visitors. Pick a tag and it saves right away. There is no tag limit on any plan.

### Password

Visitors must enter the password before the file opens. It needs at least 4 characters. Click **Set** to save it, or **Remove** to take it off. If you change the password, people who unlocked the link with the old one have to enter the new one.

### Expiry date

Pick a date and time, then click **Save**. From that moment the link stops working. The date must be in the future. Click **Clear** to remove it.

### Self-destruct after views

Set how many times the link can be opened. Once it reaches that number it stops working. Use the quick buttons **Once**, **5 views** or **25 views**, or type your own number. "Once" makes it a one-time link. Click **Clear** to remove the limit.

## Sharing tab

How the link looks and behaves, and where it lives.

### Allow download

On by default. Turn it off to make the link view-only: visitors can still see the file, but the download and open buttons are hidden, and a direct download request is refused. Free on every plan.

### Ask for the viewer's email

Visitors type their email before the file shows. You can see who left an email on the link's analytics page and export the list. See [Views and analytics](https://linkinseconds.com/docs/analytics).

### Social share preview

Set the title (up to 100 characters) and description (up to 200 characters) people see when your link is shared on social media, Slack or iMessage. Leave the title empty to use the link's title. Click **Save preview**. Free on every plan.

### Embed on your site

Copy a ready-made `<iframe>` snippet and paste it into any website to show the file in place. Click **Copy**. Free on every plan.

### Custom domain

**Set up custom domain** takes you to the Custom domains page with this link already picked. See [Custom domains](https://linkinseconds.com/docs/custom-domains).

### Custom link

Choose your own link name, so `lisview.com/x7k2a9` becomes something like `lisview.com/my-resume`. Names are lowercase letters, numbers and dashes, at least 3 characters and at most 60. Some names are reserved, and a name someone else already uses is refused.

Renaming changes the address

A new link name is a new URL. The old address, and any QR code made from it, stop working. Pick the name before you print or share widely. (This is different from **Rename** in the menu, which only changes the title you see in your dashboard.)

### Replace the file

**Choose new file** swaps in a new file and keeps this exact link, its QR code and its view count. Free on every plan. See [Replace a file and keep the link](https://linkinseconds.com/docs/replace-a-file).

### Version history

Each replace keeps the previous file. Restore one to make it live again. Kept versions count toward your storage.

## Extras tab

Know when the link is opened, protect the preview, and collect feedback. All three are free on every plan.

- **Email me when viewed.** You get an email when someone opens the link, at most once an hour per link.

- **Watermark the PDF preview.** Each PDF page is stamped with the viewer's email (if they gave one) or "Confidential", plus the date. It discourages sharing; it can't stop screenshots.

- **Feedback & comments.** Viewers can leave comments on the shared page, and you are emailed each one.

## Insights tab

Shows the link's total **Views** and **Downloads**, with an **Open full analytics** button for the charts and breakdowns.

## Danger tab

**Delete link** removes the file and its public link for good. You are asked to confirm first. Anyone who opens the link afterwards gets a "not found" page. This can't be undone. A link that is under review, or a video that is still being processed, can't be deleted until that finishes.

## All controls at a glance

| Control | What it does | Plan |

| Link enabled | Turns the link on or off for everyone | Every plan |

| Tags | Private labels to organize your links | Every plan |

| Password | Asks for a password before the file opens | Every plan |

| Expiry date | Stops the link at a date and time | Every plan |

| Self-destruct after views | Stops the link after a set number of opens | Every plan |

| Allow download | Off makes the link view-only | Every plan |

| Ask for the viewer's email | Collects an email before the file shows | Every plan |

| Social share preview | Custom title and description for shared links | Every plan |

| Embed on your site | An iframe snippet to show the file on another site | Every plan |

| Custom domain | Opens the link on your own domain | Every plan |

| Custom link | Your own link name instead of the generated one | Every plan |

| Replace the file | New file, same link, QR code and views | Every plan |

| Version history | Restore an earlier file | Every plan |

| Email me when viewed | An email when someone opens the link | Every plan |

| Watermark the PDF preview | Stamps the viewer and date on PDF pages | Every plan |

| Feedback & comments | Lets viewers comment on the page | Every plan |

| Delete link | Removes the file and link for good | Every plan |

Plans differ only in how many links you can keep, total storage and file size. See [Pricing](https://linkinseconds.com/pricing).

## Controls are enforced on our server

These settings are not just hidden buttons. Every time someone opens the page or loads the file, our server checks the link first: is it turned off, past its expiry date, out of views, password protected, or asking for an email? If so, the visitor gets the lock screen or a "not found" page instead of the file.

That means a change applies to everyone right away, including people who already have the URL, a bookmark, or the direct file address. You don't need to send a new link.

Private files

Files are stored privately and are only ever served through these checks. There is no raw storage URL that skips them.

## Related

[Views and analytics Who opened your link, when and from where.](https://linkinseconds.com/docs/analytics)[QR codes Download a printable QR code for any link.](https://linkinseconds.com/docs/qr-codes)[Replace a file Update the file without changing the link.](https://linkinseconds.com/docs/replace-a-file)[Custom domains Open a link on your own domain.](https://linkinseconds.com/docs/custom-domains)

[PreviousStatic websites](https://linkinseconds.com/docs/static-websites)[Next Views and analytics](https://linkinseconds.com/docs/analytics)

Last updated 4 October 2026. Something unclear or missing? [Tell us](https://linkinseconds.com/contact).

Source: https://linkinseconds.com/docs/link-settings