We list the best ways to share files securely, to make it simple and easy to send files online to share with friends, family, or colleagues.
There's plenty of file-sharing services online, and most cloud storage services will let you transfer files online.
We’ve also picked out the best free cloud storage.
The best ways to share files securely of 2025 in full:
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Best cloud storage to share files securely
Internxt is already one of the best could storage providers, with a pretty generous 10GB free allowance and very reasonably priced plans for monthly, annual, and lifetime plans.
In our testing, we found the dashboard software easy to get along with, and upload speeds were solid for large files. It's an accessible platform, and even supports seven languages, including English, Chinese, Russian, Italian, Spanish, French, and German.
This is on our list because of its 'Internxt send' capabilities, so members can send large files securely through the internet.
It's important to note that Internxt has made a commitment to being open-source - so the community can check the end-to-end encryption themselves.
Internxt is built on zero-knowledge architecture which guarantees not to scan or save any data you send through the service (although even if they did, it's end-to-end encrypted, meaning they don't have access to you decryption key).
The encryption is client-side, so only you choose who you share files with, even if someone had access to Internxt's servers, they would only see encrypted information.
There aren't any file size limit, nor are there any restrictions on the file types. You can share files through email or the dedicated, password protected link which can be sent to anyone regardless of whether they have an Internxt account or not.
Not just that though, Internxt also offers some additional free services, including a password checker, temporary email, byte converter, file virus scanner, and a password generator. Internxt excels as a 'swiss army knife' for security.
Read our full Internxt cloud storage review.
Best messaging app to share files securely
Now despite what you may have heard (through no fault of it's own) Signal is widely regarded as the gold-standard for encrypted messaging apps.
The platform's encryption engine is open-source, so anyone can inspect the encryption and can ensure it is secure - basically meaning there are extra eyes checking it's robustness.
The pull isn't just the industry-leading encryption on offer though. The service has a clean interface with useful features - like group chats and multimedia messaging.
If you so desired, Signal could quite comfortably replace the default SMS app - but, SMS texts aren't encrypted, so you need the recipient to also have Signal installed for that perk.
The app includes a few other useful features aside from just security though. It also comes with video calling and disappearing messages that vanish after a certain time period, perfect for those conversations you don't want to stay on the record (but if you're part of the American government, please use official channels!).
That's not a feature unique to Signal, but on top of its end-to-end encryption, your message content quite possibly couldn't be any more secure.
Read our full Signal review.
Best ways to share files securely with syncing
SyncThing is a free and open source P2P file-syncing program, similar to Resilio (formerly known as BitTorrent Sync). Like Resilio, it uses the Bittorrent protocol to efficiently copy files between devices on the same network or over the Internet.
SyncThing uses TLS to protect data in transit, which combined with the open BitTorrent protocol makes for ultra-secure communications. Another advantage of using TLS is that SyncThing can make use of digital certificates to authenticate devices, so only those you authorize can access your data.
The fact that there's no central server, as is the case with all major cloud storage providers, means that your data is much harder to be seized or stolen by a nebulous third party.
True to its name, SyncThing is designed to sync files between devices, not share them with other users. You can get around this by setting up folders specifically to share with other people, then adding files to them so that they can be synced to other devices but this means you have to take the time to learn all the app's features.
Best ways to share files securely with email
GnuPG is a free and open source implementation of Symantec's PGP encryption software. It uses 'public key' encryption to securely send e-mails. If you secure a message using a recipient's freely available 'public key', they can then decrypt it using their separate 'private key'.
GnuPG is compatible with the OpenPGP standard and many e-mail client programs like Mozilla Thunderbird support it out of the box. Some can use it if you install additional tools e.g. GPG4win to enable e-mail encryption in Microsoft Outlook.
Some e-mail providers such as ProtonMail also allow you to use GPG encryption via their web interface, though you'll have to trust that they didn't make a copy of your private key during setup.
In order to get started you must first generate a public/private "key pair". In theory you can do this via your computer's command line but most modern e-mail clients have a handy wizard for this purpose. It's very important to choose a strong public key (ideally 4096 bits) and keep your private key safe.
Another great feature of using GnuPG is that you can use your private key to digitally sign e-mails. Your recipient can then use your public key to verify the digital signature - if the message has been altered in any way, the signature check will fail.
We've also featured the best document management software.
Best ways to share files securely FAQs
Which secure file sharing platform is best for you?
When deciding which secure file sharing platform to use, first consider what your actual needs are, as sometimes free and budget software may only provide basic tools and saving options, so if you need to use advanced features you may find a paid platform is much more worthwhile.
Additionally, higher-end software can really cater for every need, so do ensure you have a good idea of which features you think you may require from your secure file sharing platform.
Should file sharing be open source?
We aim for most, if not all of the software on this list to be available open source, meaning that the source code is publicly hosted and can be contributed to by anyone, while the projects are typically offered for free, thanks to surviving on community donations.
While businesses may instinctively rush to trust household name companies, it's more than likely that they're using their products to collect data about you, your business, and your files.
Besides this bit of caution, switching to open source software will make surprise changes to corporation's business model or pricing scheme a thing of the past, so you can truly count on a secure file sharing solution long term.
How important is end-to-end encryption?
End-to-end encryption (E2EE) is the gold standard for protection in file sharing.
E2EE effectively eliminates the 'man in the middle' - which, in the cloud context, is most likely the cloud service provider itself.
If you're sharing sensitive information, it's important to minimize the number of parties with the technical capabilities to decrypt and view the content. E2EE means you don't have to trust the provider, or its employees, as the provider only receives an unreadable block of data, known as Zero-Knowledge - which dramatically reduces the attack service.
E2EE also protects files while they are at rest, not just when they're moved - so you can have confidence your information is secure.
How we tested the best ways to share files securely
To test for the best ways to share files securely we first set up an account with the relevant software platform. We then tested the service to see how the software could be used with different files and folders, from different devices, in different situations. The aim was to push each platform to see how useful its basic tools were and also how easy it was to get to grips with any more advanced tools.
Read how we test, rate, and review products on TechRadar.
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