WeTransfer Link Expired?
Your WeTransfer link expired. The file is gone. You get to re-upload the whole thing and hope the recipient downloads it within the next 3 days. (It used to be 7 days. Then Bending Spoons happened.) Or you could just send it directly and skip the countdown.
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Read Why This HappensWeTransfer Expiry Changes
Current free plan link expiry
What it was before Dec 2024
File after expiry — deleted
P2P — no link, no expiry
Why Links Keep Expiring
The 3-Day Countdown
WeTransfer free links expire in 3 days. Your recipient was busy, traveling, or just didn't check email in time. File gone. Upload again. Hope for the best. This is the experience.
Designed to Push You to Pro
WeTransfer Pro: 30-day link expiry ($14.99/month). The 3-day free limit isn't about storage costs — it's about making the free tier annoying enough to convert you. That's the quiet part.
No Notification Before Expiry
WeTransfer doesn't ping the recipient before the link dies. No 'hey, you have 24 hours left.' Just gone. If you sent a large file and the recipient missed the window, that's your problem.
P2P: No Link, No Expiry
P2P transfers are real-time. There's no stored file, no link, no countdown. You connect, transfer, done. The 'window' is however long both of you are online.
Skip the Cloud. Transfer Directly.
These problems exist because cloud-based transfer services upload your files to a server first. P2P transfer skips the server entirely — files go straight from your device to theirs.
Sender Goes Online
Open a Perkoon session, drop your files, hit send. The receiver can join whenever they're ready.
Transfer Directly
Files stream instantly between devices. No link to expire.
Done
No waiting period. No 3-day countdown. Finished.
By starting, you agree to our Terms
Link-Based vs Direct Transfer
| WeTransfer (Links) | Perkoon (Direct) | |
|---|---|---|
| Expiry | 3 days | N/A — instant transfer |
| If recipient misses window | Re-upload everything | Just connect again |
| Files stored on server | Yes (until expiry) | Never |
| Transfer speed | Upload + download | Direct stream |
| File size limit | 3 GB | None |
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I recover an expired WeTransfer link?
No. Once the link expires, the file is deleted from their servers. You need to re-upload and send a new link. There's no recovery option on the free plan.
When did the expiry change to 3 days?
Late 2024, after the Bending Spoons acquisition. Free links used to last 7 days. The change was part of a broader restriction of the free tier (along with the 10 transfer/month cap and mandatory account creation).
How do I avoid this happening again?
Three options: (1) Tell the recipient immediately and follow up (unreliable), (2) Pay for WeTransfer Pro ($14.99/mo) for 30-day expiry, or (3) Send the file directly via P2P — no link to expire because there's no server copy.
What if the recipient can't be online when I am?
Not a problem anymore. P2P lets you send before the receiver is ready — the transfer queues and fires when they join. For true fire-and-forget (close your laptop), use Perkoon cloud storage (paid, configurable expiry) or Google Drive (free, no expiry).
No Links. No Expiry. Just Transfer.
Connect, send, done. No 3-day countdown.
By starting, you agree to our Terms