External document sharing lets authorized users send a secure document link to someone outside of Equip without creating an Equip account for that recipient. Recipients receive an email link, open a shared document page, and download the available file or files until the link expires.
How It Works
The external share option is available from the document menu for documents you can view. Equip sends the recipient an email with a View Document button that opens a shared document page.
Go to Documents, or open a participant profile and select Documents.
Find the document you want to share.
Open the document action menu and select Share Externally.
In Share Document Externally, enter the recipient's Email Address.
Add a Recipient Name if helpful.
Keep the default Link Expires date or choose a future date.
Select Send Link.
After the link is sent, Equip confirms that the document was shared with the recipient's email address. The recipient can select Download for each file shown on the shared document page.
Benefits
Share with outside contacts: Send documents to people who do not have an Equip login.
Limit access by date: Use Link Expires to control how long the shared link remains available.
Share multi-file documents: Recipients can download each available file attached to the document.
Keep sharing focused: The recipient only receives access to the shared document link, not the full participant profile or your Equip account.
Options
Email Address: Required. This is where Equip sends the shared link.
Recipient Name: Optional. Use this to personalize the recipient information for the share.
Link Expires: Optional. The field defaults to the next day if no other date is selected.
Best Practices
Confirm the recipient's email address before selecting Send Link.
Use the shortest practical Link Expires date for sensitive documents.
Check the document title and attached files before sharing externally.
If a recipient reports that a link expired, send a new external share with an updated expiration date.
FAQs
Who can share a document externally?
Users who can view the document can use Share Externally. Access still follows the document and participant permissions configured in Equip.
Does the recipient need an Equip account?
No. The recipient opens the secure link from the email and downloads the shared file or files from the shared document page.
What happens when the link expires?
The recipient will see a Link Expired message and will need a new link from the person who shared the document.
What if the recipient sees Link Not Found?
The shared link may be invalid, revoked, or typed incorrectly. Send a new external share if the recipient still needs access.
Can a shared document include more than one file?
Yes. When a document has multiple files, the shared page lists each available file with its own Download button.
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