ShareByLink is an open-source file sharing service and application for Windows, Linux and Mac.

The package is all about simplicity. There’s no registration, no account to create, nothing to set up: just install the program, then right-click a file and select “Share file(s) online…”

Whatever you’ve selected is uploaded to a central server. A link is displayed and copied to the clipboard. Pass it to someone else and they’ll be able to download the file.

The developer says the link expires after 30 days, but there’s no way to control that, perhaps delete the file early if it’s something sensitive. The client doesn’t even maintain a log of the files you’ve uploaded, or the links received.

Your file sharing URL is displayed and automatically copied to the clipboard

ShareByLink is extremely short on documentation, too. Even basics like the maximum file size you can share seem to be missing, so we had to test a few files to see what happened (a 1GB video upload seemed to work).

If you can lived with the unpolished, “not really finished” feel, ShareByLink could be interesting. It’s easy to use, no account hassles, with extras including a command line uploader, and an option to host files on your own server.

The lack of control over (and information about) the uploaded files is an issue, though, and we wouldn’t use the service to share anything even faintly sensitive or confidential.

ShareByLink is a free service and application for Windows, Linux and Mac.