iCloud link expired or 'not available'? Mail Drop and iCloud Drive links explained

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.

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.

Mail Drop: why the link expired after 30 days

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.

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.

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:

1. 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.
2. Access was switched. Apple says changing a link from anyone with the link to invited people stops the original link working for everyone.
3. 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.
4. 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.

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.
• 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.
• 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.

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

Go deeper

• Email attachment size limits
• Share photos with family