If you notice an unexpected preview or download of your transfer, it can understandably be concerning. In most cases, this does not mean that someone has found your transfer without permission.
Can someone find my transfer online?
No. WeTransfer links are not indexed by search engines, which means they cannot be found by searching for them online.
If someone has been able to access your transfer, it is most likely because the link was shared with them by you or by one of your recipients.
We recommend checking with your recipient(s) to see whether they shared the transfer with someone else. They may have shared it with a colleague, manager, friend, or family member. It is also possible that they accessed the transfer using a different email address than expected.
I don’t recognize the person who previewed or downloaded my transfer
Most likely, your recipient shared the transfer link with someone else, or they accessed it using a different email address. We recommend contacting your recipient to ask whether they recognize the person who accessed the transfer.
If you don’t recognize someone who accessed your transfer and you are concerned about its security, you can:
- Delete the transfer and create a new one, making sure it is only shared with the intended recipients.
- Add a password to your transfer for an extra layer of protection.
- Use Access Control to manage who can preview and/or download your transfers.
These features can help prevent unwanted access and give you more control over your files.
My transfer shows more downloads than expected
A high download count does not always mean that multiple people have accessed your transfer.
Our system counts download actions, not only complete transfer downloads. If your recipient downloads the entire transfer at once, this counts as one download. However, if they download individual files separately, each file download is counted as a separate action.
For example, if your transfer contains 100 files and your recipient downloads 50 files individually, your download counter may show 50 downloads.
My transfer was downloaded immediately after I sent it
Sometimes a transfer may appear to be downloaded very soon after it was sent. This does not necessarily mean that someone accessed it maliciously.
Some recipients use security software, such as email protection tools that scan links for potential threats. These tools may automatically check WeTransfer links to make sure they are safe, which can trigger download confirmation emails or activity notifications.
If you are unsure, we recommend contacting your recipient to confirm whether their email security software may have scanned the link.