In this article, you will learn:
- How (and when) to share a link that points directly to a Box file or folder
- How to add security options to your shared links
For those occasions when you need to offer only quick, view-only access to your Box files or folders, a Box shared link is an easy – and secure – alternative to an email attachment.
Shared link: A unique URL that allows the recipient to access either a specific file or folder. Shared links differ from collaborators in that they can be accessed by those who do not have Box accounts.
What are my options when I create a shared link, and what do they mean?
- People with the link: Anyone with the link can access the content it points to – no Box account is required. For extra security, you can also set a password or expiration for the link, as well as restrict download access for link viewers.
- People in your company: Users with a Box account and a validated email address matching your domain will be able to access content via the shared link. You can set an expiration date and restrict download and/or preview access for link viewers.
- When accessing the link, users will be asked to log in to Box to verify their identity.
- Collaborators in the folder can also access content if this option is selected (including any external business partners with the link).
In most cases, “people in your company” is self-explanatory -- everyone with your company’s email domain can access this shared link However, certain very large enterprises can consist of two or more subsidiaries or affiliates, each of which has its own Box Enterprise ID (EID). In this case, you can define whether “people in your company” refers to people who all share an email domain (such as person@acme.com), or whether it refers only to people whose business shares the same Box EID as the person sending the link.
To define your company by email domain or by EID
More on EIDs and email domains
- People in this folder: Only users who have been invited to the folder can access the content in the folder.
Note:
Collaborators already have access to their content, but can easily direct one another to a specific file or folder using the shared link.
- Remove: This option removes and deletes the shared link assigned to that file or folder so it can no longer be accessed, even if someone has the old link.