Is WeTransfer safe? What to know — and a private alternative
WeTransfer works, but after its 2025 terms-of-service backlash many people want a file transfer that clearly never touches their content. Here's a straight answer on WeTransfer's privacy, plus WeScanTransfer — no account, encrypted, and deleted in 24 hours.
Send a file privately →Free · no sign-up · nothing installed · auto-deletes in 24h
In short
WeTransfer uses encryption and is generally safe to use, but it requires an email, keeps files on its cloud for a limited time, and in 2025 it faced backlash over terms that appeared to allow using uploaded content to train AI (later reversed). If you want zero doubt, WeScanTransfer needs no account, encrypts every transfer, never scans or trains on your files, and hard-deletes everything after 24 hours.
What people worry about with WeTransfer
The 2025 AI-terms backlash
WeTransfer updated its terms in a way many read as allowing uploaded files to help train machine-learning models. It reversed course after public pressure, but trust took a hit.
An email is required
The free flow asks for your email and the recipient's, and sends a verification code — more personal data in the loop than a simple transfer needs.
Files sit in a cloud
Transfers are stored on WeTransfer's servers until they expire. WeScanTransfer relays briefly and hard-deletes after 24 hours.
Shrinking free limits
The free tier is capped (3 GB, limited transfers, short availability). WeScanTransfer is 3 GB free with no account and no ads.
How to send a file privately, without an account
- 1
Open the site
Go to wescantransfer.com on your computer or phone. A QR code and share link appear — no email, no login.
- 2
Pair or share the link
Scan the QR with another device, or send the unguessable link to whoever needs the file.
- 3
Send — it's gone in 24h
Move files up to 3 GB. Everything is encrypted and hard-deletes after 24 hours (or instantly with Delete Now).
Why WeScanTransfer removes the doubt
No account, no email
Nothing to sign up for and no email to hand over. The link is the only credential.
Never trained on, never scanned
Your files are never opened, scanned, sold, or used to train AI — full stop.
Gone in 24 hours
Encrypted in transit and at rest, then hard-deleted after 24 hours, or immediately on demand.
3 GB free, no ads
Send big files without a paywall or ads, both between your own devices and to other people.
WeScanTransfer vs WeTransfer on privacy
| WeScanTransfer | WeTransfer | |
|---|---|---|
| Account / email required | No | Email required |
| Files auto-deleted | 24 hours (hard delete) | On expiry (cloud) |
| Used to train AI | Never | 2025 terms controversy |
| Ads | None | Ads on free |
| Free file size | 3 GB | 3 GB (limited transfers) |
| Phone ↔ computer pairing | Yes (QR) | No (link only) |
Is WeTransfer safe? — FAQ
Is WeTransfer safe to use?
WeTransfer encrypts transfers and is generally safe, but it requires an email, stores files on its cloud until they expire, and drew criticism in 2025 over terms that appeared to permit AI training (later reversed). For a no-account option that keeps nothing, WeScanTransfer is an alternative.
Does WeTransfer use my files to train AI?
After a 2025 backlash, WeTransfer changed the wording and stated it does not use content to train AI. If you want certainty, WeScanTransfer never scans, keeps, or trains on your files, and deletes everything after 24 hours.
Can I use WeTransfer without an account or email?
The standard flow asks for email addresses. WeScanTransfer needs neither an account nor an email — you pair by scanning a QR or share an unguessable link.
What is a private WeTransfer alternative?
WeScanTransfer: no account, encrypted transfers, files up to 3 GB, no ads, and automatic hard-deletion after 24 hours. It also pairs your phone and computer directly by QR.
No catch — the honest answers
The six questions people ask before they trust a transfer tool.
Is it really free?
Yes. Sending files up to 3 GB is free — no sign-up, no credit card, no ads, and no watermark on anything. The free tier is fully usable on its own; an optional Pro plan just raises the limits.
How do you make money?
From the optional Pro subscription, and nothing else. We don't run ads, we don't sell data, and we don't monetize your files. Pro upgrades — not your content — fund the service, which is why the free tier can stay generous.
Are my files private?
Yes. A transfer travels over an encrypted connection, and the share link is a long unguessable code, so only someone with that exact link can receive the file. Your files are never opened, indexed, read, or shown to anyone else.
Are files stored forever?
No. Every transfer is hard-deleted after 24 hours — both the file and its database record — and you can remove it instantly with Delete Now. Nothing lingers on our servers.
Are files used to train AI?
Never. Your files are not used to train AI models, build datasets, or improve any product. They are relayed to the recipient and then deleted — that is the entire lifecycle.
Is my data encrypted?
Yes — encrypted in transit with TLS 1.3 and at rest with AES-256. The only credential is the unguessable link, and it expires along with the transfer.
More detail on encryption, retention and deletion: how your files stay private →
Move your file now — scan, drop, done
No account, no install, nothing kept. It just works.
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