Share a file on CloudStor

Files and folders on your CloudStor drive are private unless you grant access to someone else. To share files on your CloudStor drive:

• Share them directly with another CloudStor user.
• Create a public link that you can share with anyone - even if they don’t have a CloudStor account.
• Create a private link that you can share with other CloudStor users.

Video Tutorial

Share directly with other CloudStor users

If you are collaborating with other CloudStor users, you can share files directly to their CloudStor account. You can share files and folders with a CloudStor user from another AARNet-connected institution.

If you are working with an external collaborator that does not have access to CloudStor, you can speak with your IT administration team to set up a CloudStor External Collaborator account for that user. Eligibility and requirements for a Collaborator account will vary by institution.

Note: By default, sharing files with another user allows them to:

• Edit the files.
• Delete the files.
• Share the files with other users.
• Create new files in the same folder, if you share a folder.

You can modify their permissions when you share the files, or afterwards.

1. Click  next to the file or folder you want to share.
   
2. Enter the email address of the person with whom you want to share the file.
   CloudStor will display a list of CloudStor accounts that match the email address you’ve entered.
3. Click on the username of the person you want to share the files with.
   
4. If you don’t want the person to be able to:
• Share the file or folder with other CloudStor users, untick the can share checkbox.
• Create files in the folder, expand can edit and untick create.
• Delete the file, expand can edit and untick delete.
• Edit the file and save changes to it, expand can edit and untick change.
  
  
5. Click notify by email to have CloudStor send the person an email alerting them that you shared the file with them.
6. If you want to share the file or folder with more users, enter another email address and repeat the process.

Change direct-share permissions for a file or folder

Once you have shared a file or folder with a user, you can add or remove  permissions they have for that item.

To change share permissions for a user on a file or folder:

1. Navigate to the file or folder in the CloudStor web interface.
2. Click  or Shared next to the file or folder.
3. Modify or delete the share permissions.

Share through public links

You can share CloudStor files or folders using public links. This link can be accessed by anyone who has the link, and they don’t need to have a CloudStor account to access it.

A public link only gives access to the specific file or folder that you have created the link for. It does not grant access to any other files or folders in your CloudStor account. If you create a public link to share a folder, all files or folders within that shared folder can be accessed through the public link.

Note that public links don’t restrict access to specific users. If you share a public link with a person, and they share it with other people, everyone will be able to access the file or folder that you shared.

1. Click  next to the file or folder you want to share.
2. Click the Public Links tab in the Sharing pane.
   
   
3. Click Create public link.
   A popup will appear with some link configuration options.
   
   
4. Give your link a descriptive name to help you identify later which users it provides access to, and the level of access provided.
5. Choose permissions for the file or folder. By default, public links provide download/view access. If you are sharing a folder, you can allow files to be uploaded to your shared folder.
6. If you want to ensure that only people who know a password can access the file or folder, set a password for access. We recommend that you do this for security purposes with all public links. Ensure that you then share the password using a secure method, for example through a password management platform, encrypted chat application or temporary text sharing tool.
7. If you want to limit the amount of time that the file or folder is available using the public link, set an expiry date. We recommend adding an expiry date to links when people will only need access to the file or folder for a set period - for example, until project completion date.
8. If you want CloudStor to send the link directly to the person’s email, enter their email address.
9. Click Share to create your public link.
   CloudStor will display the public link URL under the link name you entered.
10. To share the public link using social media or email, click .
    Alternatively, to copy the link, click the clipboard icon.
    
    
11. Repeat these steps to create extra public links for the file or folder.

Delete a public link

1. Click  or Shared next to the file or folder with the public link.
2. Click the Public Links tab in the Sharing pane.
3. Click  next to the link you want to delete.
   

Change permissions for a public link

1. Click  or Shared next to the file or folder with the public link.
2. Click the Public Links tab in the Sharing pane.
3. Click  next to the link you want to change permissions for.
4. Select the new permission level.
5. Click Save.

Share with CloudStor users through a private link

You can use a private link as a shortcut or to point other CloudStor users directly to a file or folder within a shared location. To use the link, people will need to:

• Have a CloudStor account.
• Be signed in to it.
• Have access to the file or folder - or the folder it’s in. This can be a group drive or a previously-shared location using direct sharing.

Note: A private link is essentially a direct link to the file or folder on CloudStor. You don’t create these like public links; you can only share the existing link.

1. Click  next to the file or folder you want to share.
2. Click  next to the file or folder name in the Sharing pane.
   
   CloudStor will display a URL for the file or folder.
3. Copy the URL and paste it to share with another CloudStor user.