---
key: share-a-note-or-file-with-a-customer
title: Share a note or file with a customer
audience: staff
section: resources
routes: ["/accounts/:accountUid", "/accounts/:accountUid/:tab", "/work-orders/:uid/:tab?/:itemUid?", "/work/projects/:uid/:tab?/:itemUid?", "/work/tasks/:uid/:tab?/:itemUid?", "/service-assets/:assetUid/:tab?/:itemUid?", "/work/portfolios/:uid/:tab?/:itemUid?"]
since: 0.0.1
updated: 0.0.1
status: published
summary: Make a link to one note, file or folder for a customer, choose who can open it and for how long, then copy the link, change it or stop it.
keywords: [share with customer, send photos to customer, share link, customer link, portal link, share file, share note, expiring link, stop sharing]
related: [add-a-note-to-a-record, attach-a-file-to-a-record, set-share-link-expiry-defaults]
---

Open the customer or record and press its **Notes** or **Files** tab. For example, in the sidebar open **Operations**, then **Work Orders**, open the work order, and press **Files**. Sharing works on anything that belongs to a customer.

Everything on these tabs is private to your team until you share it. A share is a link the customer opens in their portal or browser.

## Before you start

- Your role needs permission to share notes or files. Letting the customer download, and sharing videos outside your organization, each need their own permission.
- The customer's contacts are listed as recipients. Add the person to the account first if they are missing.

## Steps

1. On a file, open its menu and choose **Share / manage link**. On a note, press **Share note** (or **Manage shared note** if it is already shared). The sharing panel opens.
2. Under **Sharing settings**, pick the person in **Select recipient**, or **Anyone with the link** when no single person applies.
3. Under **Who can open**, choose **Anyone with the link**, **Anyone with the link and passcode** (then type a **Share passcode** of at least six characters), or **Signed-in customer portal users**.
4. Set an **Open limit** if the link should stop after a number of opens, or leave it unlimited.
5. Pick the **Expiration**: your organization's default, a custom date, or never if your organization allows it.
6. Switch **Download** on to let the customer save the file. For a note with attachments, choose **Live — include future attachments** or **Snapshot — current attachments only**.
7. Press **Start sharing** and confirm. Nova says **Sharing started.**
8. Press **Copy link** and send it to the customer by text or email. Nova says **Share link copied.**

## What you see

- The file shows under **Shared** in the files view menu, and the panel shows when the link was last opened, or **Never opened**.
- To change the settings later, open the panel again, change them and press **Save changes**. **Renew expiration** restarts the clock.
- **Replace link** makes a new link and stops the old one. **Stop primary link** ends sharing; **Resume sharing** brings the same link back. **Stop all links** ends every link to the item at once.

## If something looks different

- **Share note** is missing: the note's record does not belong to a customer, or your role cannot share.
- **Only the note can be shared because you cannot share its attachments.**: your role can share the note but not its files.
- **Never (disabled by organization)** is greyed out: your organization requires links to expire ([[set-share-link-expiry-defaults]]).
- **No contacts**: the customer has no contacts yet.