FAQ
Short answers to the questions people ask most about Secure File Exchange. Each one links to the page that explains more.
Creating and sending links
Does the outside person need an Atlassian account?
No. They need the link and a browser, on a computer or a phone. Nothing to sign up for, nothing to install. See What Outside People See.
Does the outside person see my work item?
No. The link's page shows the work item's key and their own files only, never the title, description, comments or other attachments.
Will the app email the link to my customer?
No, the app does not send email. Click Copy message and send the ready-made text through the email or chat you already use with them. See Copy the link and the message.
How do I know the customer sent the files?
The app adds a comment to the work item that mentions the link's creator and lists the files. In Jira Service Management it is an internal note, so the customer does not see it. See Request Files.
How large can files be?
Up to 1 GB each, and up to 50 files per link. Your admin can set lower limits.
How long does a link work?
As long as the person creating it chooses, within your admin's limits. By default the choice runs from 1 to 30 days, and 14 days is suggested. Your admin can allow up to 90 days. See Policies.
Can I end a link early?
Yes. Revoke link in the panel ends it at once. See Revoke a link.
Can I change a link's expiry date or download limit?
No. A link keeps the settings it was created with. Revoke it and create a new one with the settings you need.
The customer lost the password, or the link is locked. What now?
Unlock a locked link from the panel with Unlock link. A lost password cannot be recovered, because the app does not keep it in a readable form: revoke the link and create a new one. See Passwords and Locked Links.
Do received files become Jira attachments?
No. They stay in the Secure File Exchange panel and are deleted when the retention period after the link ends. To keep a file for good, download it and add it to the work item as an attachment.
Does it work on a phone?
The link's page does, for the outside person. The panel works wherever you can open the work item in a browser.
Administration
Does it work in Jira Service Management and in Jira?
Yes, in both, and in company-managed and team-managed spaces alike.
Who can create links?
By default, anyone who can add attachments to the work item. Your admin can limit it to people with the Share files externally permission. Jira admins always can. See Who Can Create Links.
Who can see the files a customer sent?
Anyone who can see the work item in Jira.
How long are files kept?
While the link works, and then for the retention period your admin sets: 1 to 180 days, 30 by default. The panel shows the date each link's files will be deleted. See Policies.
Can I limit the space the app uses?
Yes: a storage limit for the whole site, a largest file size, a number of files per link, and retention. The Usage page shows what is used now. See Usage.
Can I export the audit log?
Yes, to a CSV file, with your filters applied, up to 50,000 events per file. See Audit Log.
What happens to the files when a work item or a project is deleted?
Links are revoked at once and the files are deleted within the hour. For a project moved to the trash, links are revoked at once and the files go when the project is deleted for good or when retention ends. See Automatic clean-up.
Data and security
Where are the files stored?
In your organization's Atlassian cloud, in storage Atlassian hosts for the app. The app has no servers of its own and passes files to no outside service. See Data & Security.
Are files scanned for viruses?
No. The app limits file types and sizes, and files always download as files, never opening in the browser. Treat files from outside people as you would email attachments.
Does the app collect data about our users or customers?
It sends nothing outside your Atlassian cloud. The audit log records only what an audit needs: the time, the event, the person (or "Outside person") and a shortened IP address.
How is this different from attachment links in Jira Service Management emails?
Jira Service Management can email customers secured links to download attachments without logging in. Those links work for anyone who has them and expire 28 days after they're generated. Secure File Exchange links can also collect files, and each one has the expiry you choose, an optional password, a download limit per file, a revoke button and an audit trail.