Share a Proton Drive file without recipient signup

In short

• Turn on a file's Public link with can view permission, then copy that link. The recipient can open and download it without a Proton account.
• To stop future access through that link, turn Public link off again. Check the old link while signed out.
• A copy someone already downloaded stays on their device. Revoking the link does not recall it.

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We tried this with one fictional, 208-byte text file in Proton Drive Free, web version 5.2.0. The signed-out download exactly matched the original. After revocation, a fresh visit failed and the earlier download still opened. The result covers this small file-sharing exercise.

1. Choose a public link for a no-signup download

Use this route when someone needs a copy of an ordinary file and you are comfortable with anyone who obtains its link being able to open it. Start with a harmless practice file if you have not used sharing before.

Your recipient does not need a Proton account to open and download through the public link. Entering their email address into Drive's invitation field is a different route. Proton says a non-Proton invitee must create an account and accept the invitation. Copying a public link into your own email avoids that invitation workflow. Proton's invitation instructions (opens in a new tab)

If the file is small and you do not need to switch off later online access, an ordinary email attachment may be simpler. If you already use Google Drive, its Anyone with the link setting may cover the job without another service. Check that your account allows that option. Google Drive link sharing (opens in a new tab)

2. Turn on view-only access for the right file

First upload and check the file. Open its contents so you know which version you are about to share.

1. Open Proton Drive (opens in a new tab). In My files, select the intended file and choose Share.
2. Find Public link. Before sharing, our panel showed Not active and can view.
3. Turn on Public link. Confirm that it becomes Active and keeps can view permission. This is the Viewer route for opening and downloading.
4. Choose Copy link. Paste it into the message you intend to send, then check the recipient before sending.

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Not active toggle with can view beneath it, cropped from Proton Drive public-link panel.

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The right side of the Public link panel before sharing: Not active, with can view beneath it. Cropped Proton Drive interface (opens in a new tab).

You do not need a paid upgrade for this basic sharing exercise. Proton also documents password and expiry settings on its free and paid plans. We did not test those settings here; check its current instructions if you need them. An expiry limits future link access and cannot remove a previously downloaded copy. Password and expiry controls (opens in a new tab)

3. Open the link as a signed-out recipient

Testing while signed into the owner's account can hide an access problem. Use a browser where you are signed out of Proton. A private window can help if your browser permits it. Otherwise, save your work and make sure you can sign back in before choosing Sign out. We signed out in the same browser and confirmed that the blank sign-in form appeared.

1. Open the copied link in a new tab while signed out.
2. Check the preview's filename and contents. Our fictional note compared two imaginary garden layouts and said Status: first draft.
3. Click Download. In the menu we saw, choose the plain Download option.
4. Open the downloaded file in its usual app. Compare the text or important fields with the original, rather than relying on the filename alone.

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Proton Drive download menu with Download and Scan and Download choices.

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Choose the plain Download option for this check. Cropped Proton Drive interface (opens in a new tab).

The preview also offered Sign up and Save for later. We did not use either. Save for later is a different action and can prompt account creation; it is unnecessary for this download. Our downloaded text was byte-for-byte identical to the 208-byte original. Recipient options (opens in a new tab)

4. Switch off the link and test it again

Keep the downloaded practice copy so you can check it again after switching off the link.

1. Sign back into the owner's account. Select the same file and open Manage share.
2. Turn off Public link. Our confirmation said The link to your item was deleted, and the file's Shared marker disappeared. The original file remained in Drive.
3. Sign out again and close the earlier recipient preview.
4. Open the old link in a new tab. This checks a fresh online request rather than an already-open preview.

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Proton Drive message saying it could not find the shared item, which may have been moved, deleted or made unavailable.

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After we revoked the link, a fresh signed-out visit returned this message. On its own, this message can also mean an item was moved or deleted. Cropped Proton Drive interface (opens in a new tab).

Our fresh tab showed Shared link not found and Hm, we couldn't find that one. That result followed the confirmed removal of this particular link. It does not prove that every possible copy or other sharing route has disappeared.

5. Check what the recipient still has

Open the copy downloaded in step 3 from your computer's download folder. It should still be a local file; opening it does not require the old sharing link.

Our earlier download remained readable after revocation and still exactly matched the original. A recipient could also have copied its text or saved it elsewhere before access ended. Decide whether that is acceptable before sharing your real file.

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After revocation, the old online link fails while the earlier downloaded copy still opens.

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If the recipient cannot open the file

• If they see an account-creation request, check whether you sent an invitation or they chose Save for later. For a public-link download, start again from the copied public URL and choose Download.
• If the link cannot be found, inspect the file's current sharing state. A revoked, expired or unavailable link needs the sender's attention. Do not turn sharing back on until you have checked the file and intended audience.
• If the downloaded file is wrong, stop sharing that link and check the source file. Opening the right filename is not proof of the right contents.

To practise sharing and revoking a harmless file, start with Proton Drive Free (opens in a new tab). A paid plan is not needed for these steps, and your recipient does not need an account for a public-link download. Remember that revocation cannot recall a downloaded copy.

Sources: Proton public links and recipient options (opens in a new tab); non-Proton email invitations (opens in a new tab); password and expiry controls (opens in a new tab); Google Drive link sharing (opens in a new tab).