Send Atlas / Guide / Receive Files
Receive Files · client upload portal
A client upload portal for large files.
Send one link and your clients upload straight to you. No account on their end, no email attachment limits, and no “did you get it?”. Every upload page carries your logo and colors, and you get an email when each upload lands.
Receive Files is included in Send Atlas Pro, a flat $14.99/mo.
From link to files in your dashboard
Upload links live in the Receive Files tab of your Send Atlas dashboard. Each one takes about a minute to set up.
Create a link
Name it after the client or project. Choose how long it stays open, from an hour up to 30 days, and add a password or a total size cap if you want one. Your link looks like send-atlas.com/r/code/your-link-name. The code keeps it private, and you can rename the link without breaking it.
Make it yours
Add your logo, a background color or image, a light or dark theme and an accent color. Write a welcome message telling people what to send, and a message for anyone who arrives after the link closes. A live preview shows exactly what your client will see.
Share it
Paste it into an email, a call sheet, a project brief, your email signature or your website. Anyone with the link can upload. If it gets passed around, generate a new code and the old address stops working.
Your client uploads
They enter their name and email, then drag in files or whole folders. Folder structure is kept, and they can pause and resume the upload. If they cancel partway, the files that already finished are still delivered to you.
You get the files
You get an email as each upload lands. In your dashboard, each link shows who sent what and live progress for uploads still running. Download one file, a whole group as a ZIP, or in Chrome and Edge, everything straight into a folder.
One link that works both ways
People use two names for this. A file request is a one-off ask, like “send me the camera cards from Tuesday’s shoot.” An upload portal is a standing page that clients and collaborators use again and again. A Send Atlas upload link does both. Open it for a few hours for a single request, or keep it open for weeks as your studio’s intake page.
A one-off request
Open a link for 24 hours, cap it at the size you expect, and send it to one person. It closes by itself, and nobody can use it afterwards.
A standing portal
Keep a link open for 30 days and reopen it when it closes, with the same address each time. It works in an email signature, on a contact page or in a QR code on a call sheet.
A link per client
Create a link per client or project and their uploads stay separate, each with its own name, branding, password and size cap. Pause one without touching the rest.
Built for people who receive big files
Editors and post houses
Collect rushes, camera cards and turnovers from shooters and DITs, with every folder exactly as it left the card.
Agencies and studios
Give a brand one page for logos, product shots, raw footage and approvals, instead of a dozen email threads with attachments that bounce.
Festivals and programmers
Take in screeners, DCPs and press kits from filmmakers on a page that carries the festival’s branding and closes on the deadline.
Photographers
Receive client selects, retouching files and RAW sets from second shooters without anyone signing up for anything.
Audio and music
Collect stems, session folders and voice-over takes from artists and talent, in full quality with nothing compressed.
Anyone tired of “it’s too big to email”
One link replaces shared-folder invitations, file-size bounce-backs and asking clients to sign up for yet another service.
Receive Files at a glance
| Feature | Send Atlas Receive Files |
|---|---|
| Who can upload | Anyone with the link. No account, no app. |
| What uploaders enter | Their name and email, so you know who sent each file |
| Files and folders | Any file type, any number of files, whole folders with their structure |
| How much can arrive | Up to your free Active Storage: 1 TB on Pro, up to 5 TB with add-on storage. Optional size cap per link. |
| How long a link stays open | 1 hour to 30 days. Reopen any time with the same address. |
| Password | Optional, per link |
| Branding | Logo, background color or image, light or dark theme, accent color, welcome and closed messages |
| Notifications | An email when each upload lands, and live progress in your dashboard |
| Getting files out | Single files, a whole group as a ZIP, or straight into a folder in Chrome and Edge |
| Price | Included in Pro, a flat $14.99/mo. No per-upload, per-GB or per-seat fees. |
Received files count toward your Active Storage until you delete them. See the guide for a walkthrough.
When you need something bigger
Send Atlas keeps received files in its own storage. If uploads have to land directly in your own S3 bucket or on-premises storage, or you need metadata forms, automation into an asset manager, or certifications like TPN or SOC 2, look at MASV Portals or Signiant Media Shuttle’s submit portals. They are built for that, and priced for it: see our MASV pricing and Media Shuttle pricing breakdowns. For a freelancer or small studio that just needs clients to send big files without friction, Receive Files does the job for a flat monthly price.
Upload portal FAQ
Do my clients need an account to upload?
No. They open your link, enter their name and email so you know who sent what, and drag in their files. There is nothing to install and no account to make.
Is there a file size limit?
Uploads go into your Active Storage, so the limit is the free space you have: Pro includes 1 TB and you can add up to 5 TB in total. You can also set a total size cap on any link, so one client can’t fill your storage.
Can I put one upload link in my email signature?
Yes. Set the link to stay open for 30 days, the longest allowed, and reopen it from your dashboard when it closes. The address stays the same, so the link in your signature keeps working. If a link ever leaks, generate a new code and the old address stops working straight away.
What is the difference between an upload portal and a file request?
A file request is a one-off ask: send me these files by Friday. An upload portal is a standing page anyone with the link can use, again and again. A Send Atlas upload link can be either. Keep it open for a few hours for a single request, or for weeks as a portal, and switch it off whenever you like.
Can I password-protect an upload link?
Yes. Turn on Require a password and visitors have to enter it before they can upload anything.
How do I know when files arrive?
You get an email when each upload lands, and the Receive Files tab in your dashboard shows every link, the files that came through it, who sent them, and live progress for uploads that are still running.
Can clients send whole folders?
Yes. They can drop a folder, and its structure arrives intact, which suits camera cards, DCPs, image sequences and project folders. You can download a group as a ZIP, or in Chrome and Edge straight into a folder on your computer.
What happens when my storage is full?
Every upload link pauses, and visitors see that you aren’t accepting files right now. Free up space or add storage, and your links reopen by themselves with their original close dates.
Is Receive Files on the free plan?
No. Received files are kept in Active Storage, so Receive Files is part of Pro, a flat $14.99 a month. There are no per-upload, per-GB or per-seat fees.
Related guides
Stop chasing files across email threads.
Send Atlas Pro is a flat $14.99/mo with Receive Files, 1 TB transfers, delivery receipts and 1 TB of Active Storage. Start free and upgrade when you’re ready.