This is the single most common point of confusion in Collage: share links and guest upload point in opposite directions. One sends content out to people; the other collects content in from people. Choosing the wrong one is why teams end up emailing files back and forth. This article makes the difference clear.
Share links send content OUT
A share link is how you deliver assets to someone. When you use Share on a folder, Collage, or asset, Collage generates a secure link that recipients can open to view or download the content — no internal login required. You can add an expiry date, a password, or hide downloads under Advanced Settings.
Use a share link when you want to:
- Send a client or partner a folder of approved assets.
- Share a Collage as a single link instead of many attachments.
- Deliver one specific asset for review or download.
To create one, see Creating share links; to track or revoke links later, see Managing your share links.
A share link is for distribution only. It is not a way to collect uploads — recipients cannot send files back through a share link.
Guest upload collects content IN
When you need outside contributors — a photographer, agency, or vendor — to give you files, that's guest upload. It provides a link an external person can use to submit assets without a full Collage account.
Submitted files land in your Uncategorized staging area, kept separate from your team's own uploads, so you can review, rename, tag, and file each submission before it mixes into the main library. Once reviewed, move them into the right folder like any other upload — see Uploading content to Collage.
Quick reference
- Delivering finished assets to someone → share link.
- Requesting assets from someone outside your team → guest upload.
If you need to collect files rather than send them, use guest upload instead of a share link.