---
title: "Send a Password Protected File: Two Ways | LinkPilot"
url: https://uselinkpilot.com/send-password-protected-file
description: "Send a file password protected: put the file's password in a one-time link that burns after one view, or send the file itself as an encrypted link."
lang: en
---

# Send a file password protected

Send the file's password through a link that burns, or send the file itself as an encrypted one-time link.

No account needed. Free forever plan.

## How it works

1. 01
   ### Paste a password, a key, or a file
   Encrypted in your browser before anything is sent. Burn after read is on for every anonymous secret.
2. 02
   ### Send the link
   One URL. The key after the # stays in the browser and never reaches our servers.
3. 03
   ### The stored secret is gone
   The first open burns the ciphertext. A second visit, by anyone, meets the destroyed page.

Browser-side encryption shipped on 29 September 2026. Secrets created before that date were stored as plaintext until they expired, and a file's name, size and type are still visible to us. Read the full security model (https://uselinkpilot.com/security-architecture).

## Way one: send the password separately, through a one-time link

Protect the file as usual, with a PDF password or an encrypted ZIP or 7z archive, and send the file by whatever channel the recipient expects. Then paste the password into the creator above and send that link by a different route. The password is encrypted in your browser, the first reveal destroys the stored copy, and the file and its key are never in the same message. This takes seconds and needs no account.

## Way two: send the file itself as an encrypted one-time link

From a free LinkPilot account, attach the file to a secret. It is encrypted in your browser with AES-GCM-256 before upload, the key stays in the link after the #, and the first download overwrites the stored ciphertext. Set an expiry of one hour, 24 hours or seven days, or revoke the link from the dashboard before it is opened. The file's name, size and type are visible to LinkPilot; its contents are not.

Pro (https://uselinkpilot.com/pricing) adds a passphrase that is mixed into the decryption key, so the link alone cannot open the file, plus a custom expiry and an audit timeline.

## Password protected file sharing: which way to pick

Pick way one when the recipient will keep the file and only the password needs protecting. Pick way two when the file itself should not persist anywhere: an ID scan, a signed form with personal data, a config with credentials inside. Both leave nothing usable in a mailbox once the link has been opened.

## Frequently asked questions

### Is a password-protected PDF or ZIP secure on its own?

### Can I send a password protected file without an account?

### Does the recipient need special software to open an encrypted one-time link?

### What happens if the recipient loses the file after downloading?

Pro, $29 a month, adds a passphrase on every secret, a custom expiry date and time, and the audit timeline that records each view, burn and revoke. See plans (https://uselinkpilot.com/pricing).

## Related

- How to send documents securely via email: https://uselinkpilot.com/send-documents-securely-by-email
- Encrypt an email attachment in Gmail: https://uselinkpilot.com/encrypt-email-attachment-gmail
- Secure file sharing with clients: https://uselinkpilot.com/secure-file-sharing-with-clients
- Send a password securely: https://uselinkpilot.com/send-password-securely

All use cases: https://uselinkpilot.com/use-cases

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