Privacy and security
How to make a photo or video link that expires automatically
Sometimes you want a link to stop working after an event or a few weeks. Here is how to make a photo and video link that expires on a date you choose, all by itself.
Sofia Marchetti
Content lead at Galrivo··2 min read
Not every share is meant to last forever. The proofs you sent for feedback, the event album for guests, the photos for a group that only needed them for a week. A link that quietly turns itself off on a date you pick saves you from remembering to clean up later, and from a link living on long after it should.
Why an expiry date is worth it
- It is tidy. The share ends on its own, no awkward "please stop using that link" message.
- It is safer. A link that no longer works cannot be forwarded around months later.
- It is calm. You stop wondering who still has access to that old album.
What Google Drive offers
Drive does have an expiry feature, but it comes with conditions. Expiring access is generally limited to people you add by name and to paid Workspace accounts, and it is not available on the simple "Anyone with the link" setting that most people use to share with friends and family. So for a casual share, Drive's own expiry rarely fits.
All or nothing, again
Setting an end date the easy way
With Galrivo, an end date is a field you fill in when you make the gallery:
Create the gallery from your Drive media
Pick your photos and videos as usual.
make a gallery
Pick your media.
Set the end date
Choose the day the link should stop working. After that, anyone who opens it sees a friendly "this gallery has ended" message instead of your media.
Link works until
After this date the link stops opening. Leave it blank for no end date.
Share without worry
Copy the link and send it. You never have to remember to switch anything off; it ends itself.
Public link
Your files are untouched the whole time. The end date controls the link, not your Drive. If you change your mind, you can extend the date or remove it entirely, and the same link springs back to life.
Expiry plus password is the strong combo
Key takeaways
- An expiring link cleans up after itself and cannot be forwarded forever.
- Drive's expiry is limited to named people and paid accounts, not open links.
- Galrivo lets you set an end date when you build a gallery, with no effect on your files.
- You can extend or remove the date later without changing the link.
Frequently asked questions
Share your media the easy way
Turn the photos and videos in your Google Drive into one clean link, with a password and an end date if you want. Free to start, no app for the people you send it to.
Make my first gallerySofia Marchetti
Content lead at Galrivo
Sofia leads content at Galrivo and owns the big occasion guides. She has helped friends share more wedding and holiday albums than she can count.
