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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
NoteAuto-expiration is not available on free Individual accounts. Upgrade your plan to access this feature.
If, in an enterprise setting, there is a different number of days than in the shared link auto-expiration policy, the more restrictive option is applied. If there are contradicting expiry dates between the shared link auto-expiration policy and the enterprise setting, both are 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 are sent 10 and 5 days prior to expiration respectively.
  1. Navigate to the Admin Console.
  2. Select Shield.
  3. Select the Access Policies tab.
  4. Click Create Policy.
  5. Enter a Policy Name and, optionally, a Description.
  6. Select the Content Type you want this to apply to. Learn more about Classification Labels.
  7. Click the Add Security Control dropdown.
  8. Select Shared Link Auto-Expiration.
  9. 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
  10. Select what type of link to apply the policy to. You can select either:
    • Public shared links only
    • All shared links
  11. 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
  12. Select Next, then Start Policy.
NoteThe shared link auto-expiration policy only applies to newly created shared links or ones that were updated after the auto-expiration policy has been applied.
  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
  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

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End user experience

Any relevant auto-expiration date displays to users when they create a shared link. For example, if a shared link auto-expiration policy has been created where links expire after a certain number of days for public shared links only, when a user creates a shared link, a tooltip displays informing them when the link expires and becomes 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 are notified through an email about upcoming expiry dates.