Dropbox or OneDrive links for client deliverables

If the client needs a link that opens without a Dropbox account and your Dropbox plan supports expiration, a Dropbox shared link is an option. Dropbox lists Professional, Essentials, Standard, Advanced, Business, Business Plus, and Enterprise for link expiration. Dropbox account-free links Dropbox link settings Choose a OneDrive Specific people link when access should be tied to named recipients, and verify the expiry control in your organization’s account.

Decision point	Dropbox	OneDrive
Client account	A shared link can be opened without a Dropbox account. Dropbox sharing help	Test the actual client’s access to a Specific people link before sending the deliverable. Microsoft external sharing guidance
Link audience	Check the link’s audience before copying it.	Specific people links let you name recipients. An Anyone link, if enabled, can be forwarded and opened by whoever receives the URL. Microsoft external sharing guidance
View and download	Confirm the final link allows viewing and has the download behavior the client needs.	Confirm both settings on the link you will send; some sharing settings are controlled by an administrator. Microsoft sharing permissions
Password and expiry	Passwords and expiration dates require one of Dropbox’s listed eligible plans, not simply any paid plan. Dropbox link settings	Verify expiry availability and the displayed date in your organization’s sharing dialog. Microsoft sharing permissions

For a routine handoff to one known client, start with a OneDrive Specific people link if identity-bound access is the priority. If the client cannot use that link and account-free opening matters more, check the eligible Dropbox plan’s expiration control before sending the deliverable. Link settings apply to people who access the item through that link; Dropbox says people with direct access keep their existing permissions. Dropbox link settings

Treat view as a setting to inspect, not a promise implied by the word “share.” A realistic mistake is sending a OneDrive Anyone link with edit permission, then discovering that it was forwarded. Where Anyone links are enabled, whoever gets that URL can access it. Microsoft says an existing link’s permission cannot be changed from edit to view: delete that link, create a new view link, and send the replacement to the client. Microsoft external sharing guidance Microsoft sharing permissions

Set the cutoff for the link, then decide separately how long to retain the deliverable. Do not assume a link’s expiration deletes the file or answers the client’s retention requirements. If downloading matters, test it explicitly; the facts here do not establish which download restrictions your particular account offers.

Before sending the real files, share a harmless sample with the same audience, view, download, and expiry settings. Have the client open it, try the intended download, and report any access prompt. Forward the sample URL to a second, unlisted address to check the audience boundary. At the selected cutoff, try the URL again. Send the real deliverable only when that trial shows the client can do exactly what is intended and the link stops working when expected.