Choose a file link expiry after the recipient can realistically download and check the complete delivery. Allow for weekends, leave, large downloads and a chance to resolve missing files. Use the shortest window that meets that need, communicate the actual deadline and keep your own source copy.
A three day link can be plenty for someone waiting at their computer and useless for someone away until next week. Start with the recipient’s collection date, then choose the transfer settings. The largest allowance or longest available expiry is not automatically the best fit.
Which dates should you agree before uploading?
Agree when the recipient can start collecting the files and when they can confirm that the saved copies open. Those are more useful planning dates than the moment you finish exporting.
- Ready to collect: when the recipient will have the right device, connection and enough storage.
- Collection deadline: when you want the complete delivery downloaded, leaving room before the actual link expiry.
- Receipt check: when the recipient will confirm the file count and open the important files.
A client can download a package today and review its creative content next week. If they have saved everything safely, the link does not necessarily need to remain live throughout the review. Agree whether the client expects repeated online access or only a copy to keep.
How should the collection window change for different deliveries?
Choose the window around availability and the work needed to collect the files. These are illustrative planning examples, not fixed retention rules or reports of tested transfers.
| Situation | Practical choice | Check before sending |
|---|---|---|
| A colleague is ready to collect a small finished package today | A short window may be sufficient | They can save and open the files before expiry |
| You finish on Friday but the client works next on Monday | Send when they are available, or choose a longer window | A weekend does not pause a calendar deadline |
| The client is away for a week | Agree a send date after their return, or availability beyond their return | Leave time for collection and questions after the holiday |
| A large footage delivery needs several download sessions | Allow time for the complete collection and an interrupted session | Available connection, disk space and expected download duration |
| A team needs the same approved assets repeatedly | Consider longer availability with a named owner | Who checks versions and decides when access should end |
For example, imagine a designer finishing a presentation on Friday while the client returns the following Tuesday. A three day transfer created on Friday will not cover that collection plan. The designer can wait until Tuesday or choose a suitable longer duration before uploading. Sending the message again on Tuesday would not restart the old link’s clock.
For large deliveries, use the file transfer time calculator as a planning estimate, not a guaranteed finishing time. Allow extra time for connection changes, device availability and checking the result.
What expiry options does HeftySend offer?
HeftySend Free currently provides three day expiry. Premium offers up to 365 days with included storage, while Ultra supports unlimited expiry. Premium and Ultra can also use your own S3 storage for unlimited expiry; Lifetime requires your own storage.
The current expiration settings page explains these options and says that expiry cannot currently be changed after upload. Choose the required availability before creating the transfer. Check the actual expiry displayed on the completed download page before promising a deadline.
A free HeftySend transfer can contain up to 100 GB. That larger size allowance does not extend its three day availability. If the recipient can collect promptly, the free option may fit without a subscription. Check the current HeftySend plans when the delivery needs longer access or paid custom download pages.
HeftySend has no bandwidth usage charges. If you connect your own storage, your provider’s charges remain separate. Unlimited expiry is not a promise that a file will survive deletion from your bucket or every future change to your account.
How do you communicate the deadline clearly?
Give a date, a time and a time zone when a precise time matters, and ask for confirmation before the link expires. Avoid “by tomorrow” in a message that someone might read several days later.
Your final files are ready at [transfer link]. Please download the complete collection by [collection deadline and time zone]. The link expires at [actual displayed expiry]. Reply once the files are saved and you have opened them. If that timing does not work, tell me before the collection deadline so we can arrange another delivery.
Replace the placeholders and make the requested collection deadline earlier than the actual expiry. Do not invent an expiry time if the page does not provide one. Agree a clear collection deadline within the available period instead.
Include the expected filenames or file count. Our guide to clear recipient instructions helps explain the handover without overwhelming someone with download options.
When should you send a reminder?
Set a reminder early enough to contact the recipient and resolve a problem before expiry. A reminder at the exact expiry time is too late to protect the collection window.
For a short delivery, you might check for confirmation the next working day, provided that leaves time before expiry. For a longer project, agree a check with the client rather than sending repeated messages simply because the link remains open.
Mac users can use a dated reminder for this follow up. MacMost’s tutorial below demonstrates adding a date and time to a reminder. It is an older operating system tutorial, so the interface may differ; it does not change HeftySend expiry or demonstrate a transfer.
Watch MacMost’s introduction to dated reminders.
What should happen after the recipient confirms receipt?
Keep delivery confirmation with the project record and follow your agreed storage and backup arrangements. A temporary transfer link should not be the only copy of work you still need.
Ask the recipient to confirm that the files are saved, complete and readable. A page view alone does not establish those things. Expiry stops access through the link; it does not erase copies already downloaded to someone else’s device.
If a link has already expired, use the recipient download troubleshooting guide. It covers checking retained copies and arranging a new transfer. This guide is about choosing the window before delivery.
Frequently asked questions
Does opening the link restart its expiry?
Do not treat a visit as an extension. Plan around the actual expiry shown for the transfer, even if someone opens the page near the deadline.
Should every client receive the same collection window?
No. A ready recipient collecting a few files and a team waiting for an editor to return from leave have different needs. Agree the practical window while keeping your project’s delivery arrangements consistent.
Can I extend an existing HeftySend transfer after uploading?
The current expiration settings page says expiry cannot be modified after upload. If the window will not work, arrange a fresh transfer with suitable availability rather than promising an extension.
Is transfer expiry the same as my subscription renewal date?
No. One concerns a delivery link and the other concerns your account plan. Check the plan expiry guidance before changing a subscription that supports ongoing deliveries.
Is an expiry date a substitute for a password?
No. Expiry limits when a link is available. A password adds an access check while it is available. Choose protections appropriate to the files; see our explanation of link passwords and file encryption.
Does no expiry mean I can delete my original?
No. Long availability is a delivery feature, not your whole backup plan. Keep the copies required by your project arrangements and check who controls the storage.
Choose the sending day and collection window together. A clear deadline, useful previews and a simple receipt check make the handover easier for both sides.
Product guidance checked on 30 October 2026. Examples are illustrative. No test transfer was performed.