# Expiring and one-time links - Fileline 1.x documentation

> Private links that work for a number of hours and/or downloads, made on Downloads → Links or emailed by the email gate.

> [!NOTE]
> This is part of **Fileline Pro**.

A private link is a download link with a key, such as `example.com/download/trade-prices/?fileline_key=…`. It works for as long and as often as you choose, **whatever the download's other rules**: members only, roles, a password or the email gate.

## Make a link

![Downloads → Links](https://storage.extendiment.com/media/975/screenshot-4-40ff6ed1.png)

1. Go to **Downloads → Links** (or click **Create a private link** in a download's Access box).
2. Choose the download, and a version if the link should always give that one (empty: the latest).
3. Set **Works for** (hours; 0 for no expiry) and **Downloads allowed** (1 for a one-time link; 0 for no limit).
4. Add a note so you know who it's for, then click **Create link**.
5. Copy the link from the green box and send it.

> [!IMPORTANT]
> For safety the link is shown once. Fileline Pro keeps only a scrambled form of its key, so it can't show it again. If you lose it, make a new one.

## The list

Every link is listed with its download, note, how often it was used, when it expires and whether it's **Active**, **Used up** or **Expired**. Links the email gate sent are listed too, with "Emailed to …" as their note. **Delete** stops a link working straight away.

Links that expired or were used up more than 30 days ago are removed automatically.

## How uses are counted

A link is used up by one each time the file is downloaded. Requests that only fetch part of a file to resume a download don't use it up again, so a one-time link still finishes a download that was interrupted (for six hours after it was used). A link that was never used must start from the beginning of the file: a request for a later part of it is refused. Two requests at the same moment can't both use the last download of a link.

Downloads through links are counted in the download's count and statistics like any other.

Source: https://extendiment.com/plugins/fileline/docs/1.x/expiring-links