Recover an expired file transfer in news and media
A broken download link does not tell the whole story. WeTransfer treats link expiry and permanent file deletion as two separate events, and WeTransfer Ultimate gives both the sender and the recipient a concrete recovery path for footage, raw photography, audio, and other media assets.
Get your expired files back
In newsrooms and media production, an expired transfer link on a package of rushes, broadcast-ready audio, or high-resolution stills can feel like a crisis. The reality is more forgiving: when a transfer is marked recoverable, the underlying files stay on WeTransfer's servers for an extended period after the download link stops working, giving you a window to act. Senders on WeTransfer Ultimate can go directly to their Transfers panel and restore expired transfers, including those originally sent from a Free or Starter account, as long as that retention window is still open. On the receiving end, if you still have the original expired link, you may be able to trigger a restore from the expired download page when signed in with an eligible plan. Free and Starter users cannot self-restore, but an expired link alone is not evidence that the files have been wiped from WeTransfer's servers.
What makes WeTransfer different
Our features are designed to minimize how much of your data we — or anyone else — can access, so you can keep what's yours, yours.
30M+ Transfers sent every month
4.8 App Store / Play Store average rating
12M+ Monthly active users
43K+ Enterprises using WeTransfer daily
Everything you need
Give people simple tools, and they'll do extraordinary things. Ultra-fast file transfers, built-in customization, easier team collaboration. That's the magic of WeTransfer.
Move your ideas forward
Share content with a unique link, give anyone a free pass to send you 200 GB files, and stay in control of transfers — even after you hit send.
Collaboration tools for teams of all sizes
With tools designed to enhance collaboration, get everyone in your team talking and moving as one, without disrupting their workflow.
Share with confidence and security
From password protection to file encryption, WeTransfer has all the built-in security features you need to safeguard your work.
FAQs
All your questions answered.
Possibly, yes. If the sender left the recoverable option on (which is the default), the footage may still be sitting on WeTransfer's servers even though the link has stopped working. If you open the original expired link while signed in with a WeTransfer Ultimate, Teams, or Enterprise plan, you may be able to trigger a restore directly from the expired download page, which extends the download window without requiring the sender to re-upload anything. If you are on a Free or Starter plan, you cannot self-restore, so your best path is to contact the sender and ask them to recover and resend.
Not necessarily. An expired link and a permanent server deletion are different things on WeTransfer. By default, transfers are marked recoverable, meaning the underlying files remain in a restorable state on WeTransfer's servers for an extended period after the link expires. Free and Starter users cannot self-restore, but if you upgrade to WeTransfer Ultimate while that retention window is still open, you can then recover the transfer from your Transfers panel, including transfers originally sent on a lower plan. Acting quickly matters, because the window does close eventually.
WeTransfer sends files without re-encoding or compressing them, so what goes in is exactly what comes out. That includes high-resolution RAW photos, 4K and higher video files, broadcast audio formats, PDF press releases and scripts, design files, ZIP archives, and office documents. There is no restriction on file type, making it practical for everything from a photographer delivering stills to a wire service to a video producer sending a finished cut to a broadcast partner.
Log in to WeTransfer, go to your Transfers panel, and find the expired transfer in the list. If the transfer was marked recoverable and you are on WeTransfer Ultimate, Teams, or Enterprise, you will see an option to restore it, which makes the files accessible again without re-uploading. This recovery path covers transfers you originally sent even while on a Free or Starter plan, as long as the retention window has not closed. Once restored, you can adjust the expiry date or set the transfer to never expire, so the same situation does not repeat.
WeTransfer Ultimate lets you set a custom expiry on any transfer or choose to keep it active indefinitely, so a package of rushes or a finished edit stays available for as long as the project demands. You can also adjust the expiry of an already-sent active transfer from your Transfers panel at any time. For teams covering ongoing stories or long-running productions, combining custom expiry with the recoverable-by-default setting gives you a safety net even if you miss an expiry deadline.