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Invite people to a shared album

How to invite members to a Private share with expiring links, seat limits, and account unlock — and how that differs from encrypted private storage.

4 min read

Invite people to a shared album

Invite members lets people you choose join a Private share with their own FWDLink account. It is collaboration / access-controlled viewing — not an open public link, and not the same as keeping an encrypted album only for yourself.

Before you invite

  1. Open an album you own.
  2. If the album is encrypted, unlock it first. Vault albums can use Password or Private shares; monetize stays blocked. See Sharing from the vault.
  3. Create a Private share link for the album so invitees have a gallery URL after they join.
  4. Open the Invite members panel on that share.

If access is still Password, the panel tells you to switch to Private to invite members. Password links stay password-only.

How to create an invite

  1. In Invite members, choose Uses (seats): e.g. 1 — single-use or several people (2, 5, or 10).
  2. Choose Expires: 1, 3, 7, 14, or 30 days (7 is often the default).
  3. Tap Create invite link.
  4. Copy the invite URL (or note the code) and send it privately to trusted people.
  5. Prefer single-use or short expiry on private / vault albums.

What invitees do

  1. Open the invite link (path like /album-invite/...) or redeem the code.
  2. Sign in or create a FWDLink account if needed.
  3. Redeem the invite to join as members.
  4. Open the Private gallery URL the owner created — they unlock with their own account, not your vault PIN.

Example

You want family to see a private event album. You set access to Private, create the private gallery link, and generate a 7-day, 5-seat invite. Each person joins with their account; later you can revoke unused invites or remove members.

Manage invites and members

  • Refresh the panel to reload pending invites and current members.
  • Revoke a pending invite so the link or code stops working.
  • Remove a member who should no longer have access.
  • If you have not created a Private link yet, the panel reminds you to create one so members get a gallery URL after joining.

How this differs from encryption

Goal What to use
Collaborate or let invited people view Private share + Invite members
Solo private storage with strong encryption Encrypted / Locked album (shares still access-controlled; monetize blocked)
Quick PIN gate in the app only Require unlock to open (links keep their own rules)

Do not mix “vault only for me with maximum privacy” with open collaboration expectations. If encryption blocks the flow you need, remove encryption only when the content may be shared under platform rules.

Tips

  • Prefer single-use invites on sensitive albums.
  • Send invite links on a trusted channel — do not post them publicly.
  • Monetized shares stay blocked on vault albums; invites are for Private access, not paid unlock.
  • Combine with safer album covers so the album list does not show private photos.

Troubleshooting

Invite members is dimmed or asks for Private
Set the share access to Private. Password-only shares do not support an invite list.

Invitee joined but has no gallery
Create a Private link on the album first, then share that gallery URL after redeem.

Invite expired or already used
Create a new one with new seats and expiry. Revoke old ones you no longer need.

Encrypted album / monetize errors
Expected for paid or open-public types on vault albums. Stay with password or Private + invites. See vault sharing limits.

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