Auto-Expiration of Shared Links

The auto-expiration of shared links provides enterprise admins and co-admins (who have Create, edit, and delete Shield configuration for your company permissions) with additional control over shared links created in their organization. They can:

• Implement shared link expiry dates for files and folders after a specified number of days
• Include default shared link expiry dates depending on classification
• Decide if you want to allow your end users to overwrite shared link expiration dates
• Notify owners a specific number of days before the shared link expires
• Apply all of the above to all shared links, or only to publicly shared links 

Shared link settings and auto-expiration policy

If, in an enterprise setting, there is a different number of days than in the shared link auto-expiration policy, the more restrictive option will be applied.

If there are contradicting expiry dates between the shared link auto-expiration policy and the enterprise setting, both will be applied. For example, if the enterprise setting is to notify the user 10 days before and the shared link auto-expiration policy is to notify the user 5 days before, these notifications will be sent 10 and 5 days prior to expiration respectively.

Create a shared link auto-expiration policy

1. Navigate to the Admin Console.
2. Select Shield.
3. Select the Access Policies tab.
4. Enter a Policy Name and, optionally, a Description.
5. Select the Content Type you want this to apply to. Learn more about Classification Labels.
6. Click the Add Security Control dropdown.
7. Select Shared Link Auto-Expiry.
8. Enable one, or both, of the following toggles:
   • Expire shared links for files after a specified number of days
   • Expire shared links for folders after a specified number of days
9. Select what type of link to apply the policy to. You can select either:
   • Public shared links only
   • All shared links
10. Allow additional options if desired: 
    1. Allow owners, co-owners, and editors to modify the default shared link expiration date
    2. Notify owners a specified number of days before a shared link expires
11. Select Next, then Start Policy.

Edit a shared link auto-expiration policy

1. Navigate to the Admin Console
2. Select Shield
3. Select the Access Policies tab
4. Click the name of an existing policy
5. Select Edit
6. Change elements to the desired outcome and click Next, then Start Policy

Remove a shared link auto-expiration policy

1. Navigate to the Admin Console
2. Select Shield
3. Select the Access Policies tab
4. Click the name of an existing policy
5. Select Delete

End user experience

Any relevant auto-expiration date will display to users when they create a shared link. For example, if a shared link auto-expiration policy has been created where links will expire after a certain number of days for public shared links only, when a user creates a shared link, a tooltip will display informing them when the link will expire and become inaccessible.

If the end user then tries to edit shared link settings, and the policy has been set so owners are not allowed to modify the shared link expiration date, they will see a message that certain settings may not be available due to permissions. The option to change the link expiration date will be inaccessible.

If the admin has selected the option to notify users, users will be notified via email about upcoming expiry dates.