What “one-time” means in SecretShare

The shared record is not consumed by the first ordinary page request. That distinction matters because Slack, Discord, Teams, email security scanners, and other services may fetch a URL to create a preview or assess safety. SecretShare first displays a confirmation page. Only a deliberate “Open and destroy” request atomically claims the stored record.

After that claim, a concurrent or later request cannot retrieve the same ciphertext. The server returns the encrypted payload to the first confirmed request and removes the claimed record. The browser then decrypts the content using the key in the URL fragment and, for files, creates a local download.

Use a one-time link for delivery, not storage

One-time file download links are a good fit for bootstrap credentials, recovery codes, private configuration, and other handoffs whose usefulness is brief. They are not a substitute for versioned document storage, a password manager used by a standing team, or a secrets manager used by applications.

One-time access also does not prove who retrieved the content. Anyone who has the complete link—and the passphrase when one is configured—can attempt to open it. Confirm the recipient before sending, use a separate channel for an optional passphrase, and rotate credentials when the handoff completes.

Expiration and failed delivery

Choose one hour, 24 hours, or seven days depending on how quickly the recipient can act. Expired records cannot be consumed. If the recipient sees that a secret is gone before they retrieve it, do not resend the same sensitive value through an insecure channel; create a fresh link and investigate whether the original may have been opened.

Delivery tradeoff: once a confirmed retrieval claims the record, a network interruption may prevent a convenient retry. One-time semantics favor limiting duplicate access over reliable repeated delivery.

How to create a one-time file download

  1. Open SecretShare and choose the File tab.
  2. Select one file no larger than 150 MB.
  3. Choose the shortest practical expiration.
  4. Add a passphrase if the link should not be the only access factor.
  5. Create the link, verify the recipient, and send the link through the selected channel.
  6. Send any passphrase separately and ask the recipient to confirm successful retrieval.

For secret text, use the same workflow from the Secret text tab. Read the encrypted file sharing guide for details about what is encrypted, or review how the preview-bot confirmation gate works.

One-time download FAQ

Does visiting the link destroy it immediately?

No. A visit checks availability. The encrypted record is consumed only after a person activates the confirmation control.

Can the sender retrieve the file again?

The sender receives the same one-time link and has no separate recovery copy from SecretShare. Keep an appropriate source copy outside the service if business policy requires it.

What does an expired or missing page mean?

The record may have been opened, expired, or never existed. The response intentionally does not disclose more detail.

Is a one-time link enough for highly privileged credentials?

It reduces persistence but does not replace least privilege, recipient verification, rotation, endpoint security, or an audited enterprise secrets workflow.

Create an encrypted link for one confirmed retrieval.

Create a one-time link