Free file transfer services: a practical checklist
Choose a free service using the whole delivery, not a headline file-size allowance. Add the sizes of every file, count the deliveries you expect this month and agree a download deadline with the recipient. A free transfer allowance and a permanent storage quota are different things.
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Published by HexaTransfer, a service operated by Gaprod — Groupe Dwenola SAS. These guides discuss our own service alongside other products. About the publisher
Choose a free service using the whole delivery, not a headline file-size allowance. Add the sizes of every file, count the deliveries you expect this month and agree a download deadline with the recipient. A free transfer allowance and a permanent storage quota are different things.
How to choose
| Question | Check before sending |
|---|---|
| One delivery or ongoing work? | Temporary link for a finished delivery; shared storage for repeated editing. |
| Who can obtain the key? | Distinguish browser encryption from encryption performed by the storage provider. |
| What happens at expiry? | Confirm the deadline and keep an independent original; expiry does not remove copies already downloaded. |
WeTransfer's official plan documentation currently describes Free as up to 10 transfers and 3 GB of total usage in a rolling 30-day window. Its free-plan guide gives a maximum three-day link lifetime. Do not plan around older claims of unlimited 2 GB transfers retained for seven days. Check the allowance displayed in your account before uploading.
HexaTransfer in practice
HexaTransfer is a free, account-free tool for occasional deliveries up to 50 GB. Links expire after 14 days by default; choose 1–30 whole days when creating the transfer; keep your own copy. Files and their names are encrypted in the browser with AES-256-GCM. The browser generates a random key and puts it after # in the share link. Send the complete link only to intended recipients: anyone holding it can decrypt the transfer, subject to any additional password protection.
The optional password controls access at the server; it does not derive the encryption key. Keep the tab open until the link appears, and allow enough disk space when downloading. Uploading does not remove the original file.
Sources checked on 2026-09-27
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