How to receive files from clients, the simple way

The easiest way to receive files from clients is to send them a file request link: a web page where they drop their files, without creating an account, and you get notified when the upload is complete. It removes email size limits, avoids “request access” back-and-forth, and keeps everything a client sends in one place.

Many freelancers and small teams still collect files the hard way: a dozen emails with split attachments, a shared folder the client cannot open, photos sent through a messaging app at a fraction of their quality. This guide compares the ways to receive files, explains what to ask for so you get usable files the first time, and gives you a message template you can copy.

Why collecting files is harder than sending them

When you send, you choose the tool. When you receive, the client chooses, and they choose whatever they already know. That usually means email, which stops at 20–25 MB per message (see the email attachment size limits), or a chat app that recompresses photos and videos. The fix is to provide the channel yourself: one link, one place, no decision left to the client.

The ways to receive files, compared

Google’s help centre confirms that respondents must sign in to a Google account to answer a file upload question, and that the files land in the form owner’s Drive. Dropbox’s file requests work for people without a Dropbox account on every plan, with a 2 GB file limit on its Basic, Plus and Family plans, and the files count against your Dropbox storage.

What is a file request link?

A file request is the reverse of a transfer. Instead of uploading files and sending a link, you create a link and send it to the person who has the files. They open it in any browser, add their files, and the files arrive on your side. A good file request gives you:

• No account for the uploader: the client clicks and uploads, nothing else.
• A generous size limit, so raw photos, video rushes and design files go through untouched.
• A title and instructions on the upload page, so the client knows exactly what to send.
• Notifications when something arrives, so you do not have to check.
• Control: an optional password, an expiry date and a cap on the number of submissions.

How to receive files from clients with Transfr

On Transfr, a file request accepts up to 100 GB per upload, and the people uploading never need an account. You can even create a request without an account yourself, by giving your name and email address so you are notified of each submission.

1. 1

   Step 1

   Create a request

   From Transfr, create a file request and give it a clear title, such as “Photos for the March brochure”, plus a short description of what you need.

2. 2

   Step 2

   Set the options

   Add a password if the files are confidential, choose when the link expires, and limit the number of submissions if needed.

3. 3

   Step 3

   Share the link

   Copy the link or its QR code into your email, quote or project tool, or invite up to 10 people by email directly.

4. 4

   Step 4

   Get notified and download

   You receive an email each time someone uploads. Files arrive in their original quality and stay available for 7 days, so download them to your own storage promptly.

What to ask for, so the files are right the first time

Most delays come from receiving the wrong thing: a screenshot instead of the logo file, a compressed photo instead of the original, a PDF instead of the editable document. Put these points in your request description:

1. The exact file types: “logo as SVG or AI, not JPEG”, “original photos from the camera or phone, not from WhatsApp”.
2. Original quality: ask clients not to resize, export at “email size” or forward copies saved from a chat app, but to upload straight from their photo library or camera folder; our guide to sending large files from iPhone explains the options.
3. A naming rule: for example “Lastname_Document_Date”, which saves hours when files pile up.
4. One request per job: a separate link per project keeps files from different clients apart.
5. A deadline: set the link to expire after it, so late uploads do not land in an old project.

A message template you can copy

Hi Sam, to get started I need the original photos and your logo. You can upload everything here, no account needed: [link]. Please send the original files (not screenshots or WhatsApp copies), logo as SVG or AI if you have it. The link is open until Friday. Thanks!

Short, specific, with the deadline and the file types in plain words. If the files are sensitive, send the password in a separate message, for example by text.

Receiving confidential documents

Accountants, lawyers, HR teams and estate agents receive identity documents, payslips and contracts. For these, the method matters as much as convenience:

• Use a password-protected request and send the password through a different channel.
• Set a short expiry and a submission limit, so the link cannot be reused months later.
• Download the files to your secure system and do not leave them in inboxes or chat histories.
• If you handle personal data of EU residents, check where the files are stored; see our guide to GDPR-compliant file transfer.

Our page on receiving large files details the protections, and the secure file transfer checklist covers the rest.

Examples by profession

For profession-specific workflows, see our pages for freelancers, agencies and videographers.

Collecting files at events and on mobile

A file request link works on any phone browser, which makes it useful beyond client work: guests uploading their photos after a wedding, participants sending videos after a workshop, students handing in projects. Print the request’s QR code on a card or a slide, and people can upload straight from their phone gallery. Ask them to pick the photos from their gallery rather than screenshots or chat copies, so you receive full-quality files.

Organising what you receive

Receiving is only half of the job. Decide in advance where the files go once downloaded: a project folder named after the client and the date, a shared drive for the team, or your editing software’s import folder. Delete files you no longer need, especially personal documents, and close or let the request expire once the project is done. A clean handover also makes it easy to send the finished work back, for example with a transfer link from the same place.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Sharing your whole cloud drive folder with edit rights to collect a few files.
• Accepting files through chat apps, which may compress them and bury them in the conversation.
• Reusing one permanent link for everything, which mixes up clients and stays open forever.
• Forgetting to confirm receipt: a quick “got everything, thanks” avoids duplicate uploads.