Every lever a private link gives you — expiry, password, searchable opt-in, custom domain, white-label, analytics — what each one is for, and which are free versus paid.
The value of a private link is that it's adjustable. The same drop-a-file-get-a-URL action can produce a link that self-destructs tonight or one that lives at your own domain forever. The controls are how you match the link to the engagement — and the most common mistake is leaving them on the default when the situation wants something else.
Here's every lever, and where to read more.
A short fuse is right for a one-off review and wrong for a permanent reference. When 7-day self-destruct is the wrong default covers the judgment, and setting a self-destruct date maps specific windows (review cycle, quarter, event date, never) to specific engagements.
A password stops a casual forward at the prompt without turning the link into an account system. How password protection on an HTML link actually works covers the difference between real server-side protection and client-side theatre — and it's free on every tier.
Most links should never be found; a few (a portfolio piece, a public case study) should. Searchable and private: when one document should be both covers the per-document toggle that keeps the default-noindex on everything else.
Custom domain for private client links walks the Studio-tier setup where the link lives at your own subdomain, so the URL reads as your surface from the first click.
A link that's gone down still gets opened months later. White-label expiry pages covers making that dead-link moment carry your brand instead of a generic "expired" page.
Reading the access log covers what view tracking actually answers — was it opened, forwarded, re-read — and where basic counts end and detailed analytics begin.
Stack the controls and the pricing logic falls out: privacy is free (unguessable URL, noindex, password, 7-day default + one always-on link on Free, plus one document you can opt into searchable), and the paid plans buy persistence and ownership — Solo ($4.99/mo) makes links permanent, removes the footer, and raises the searchable allowance to five; Studio ($14.99/mo) adds a custom domain, white-label expiry, unlimited searchable, and the largest files. You're never paying to make a link private; you're paying to own how long it lasts and whose brand it wears.
See the full set in the Controls & plans archive.
A scheduled self-destruct retires a shared link on a date you set at upload — no reminder, no manual deletion. Here's why scheduling beats deleting by hand, how to pick the date, and what the viewer sees when the link retires.
Most expiry windows get set by guess — 7 days because that's the default, 'never' because that's reversible. The actual fit comes from matching the window to what the content references.
Two architectures live under the same 'password protected' label. One is a real gate; the other is a UI prompt the receiver can click past in 30 seconds with DevTools open.
miinideck turns a single HTML file into an unguessable link with optional password and expiry. Default-private, never indexed.