---
key: open-a-file-a-company-shared-with-you
title: Open a file a company shared with you
audience: customer
section: portal/files-forms
routes: ["/s/:token?", "/portal/:orgSlug/a/:accountId/share", "/portal/files/:fileId"]
since: 0.0.1
updated: 0.0.1
status: published
summary: Open a secure link a company sent you to a file, a folder of photos, a note or a document, enter a passcode if asked, preview and download, and what to do when the link has stopped working.
keywords: [shared link, secure link, download file, shared photos, shared folder, passcode, link expired, link retired, can't open link]
related: [see-photos-from-your-work-order, see-and-download-an-invoice, get-back-into-the-portal]
---

A company shares a file, a folder, a note, or a quote, invoice or statement by sending you a secure link. It opens a page with the company's name and logo at the top, at an address that starts with `/s/`. You do not need a portal account unless the company asks for one.

## Steps

1. Open the link from the email or text.
2. If the page says **This share is passcode protected.**, type the passcode the company gave you under **Share passcode** and select **Continue**. Select **Show** to check what you typed.
3. If the page says **Customer portal sign-in required.**, select **Sign in to continue** and sign in to the portal. See [[sign-in-to-the-portal]].
4. Read or look through what was shared:
   - One file: its name, type and size, with a preview underneath. Select **Download file** to save it.
   - A folder: the folder name, how many files it holds, and a grid of files. Select a file to preview it full size and use the arrows to move between files. Select **Download** to save one. **Load more files** appears at the bottom when there are more. When the folder has a **Refresh** button, it shows files the company added since you opened it.
   - A note: its title, when it was updated, and the text.
   - A quote, invoice or statement: the document itself, laid out like the paper copy. See [[see-and-download-an-invoice]].

## What you see

- **Need a hand?** at the bottom has the company's phone number and email when it shares them.
- A file still being checked shows **NovaScan is checking this file**, and a video still being prepared shows **Nova is preparing this video**. They become available on their own; you can leave the page open.
- **Download unavailable** or no download button: the company shared the file to look at only, or it is not ready yet.

## If something looks different

- **This link has expired.** or **This link can’t be used anymore.**: the link ran out or the company stopped sharing it. Ask the company for a new link.
- **Share link retired**, with **This share link is no longer supported.**: the link uses an old address that no longer works. Ask the company to send you a new link; the old one cannot be brought back.
- **We couldn’t find that link.**: part of the link is missing. Open it again from the original message, or copy the whole address.
- **That passcode is incorrect. Try again.**: check the passcode with the company.
- **Preview unavailable**: your browser cannot show this kind of file. Download it instead when the button is there.
- **File blocked by NovaScan**: the file did not pass the safety check and cannot be opened. Ask the company to send it again.
- **Too many attempts.**: wait a few minutes, then select **Try again**.