A folder link lets you share a folder and its contents with people outside your Vimeo account, without sharing each video separately. You control access with the folder's privacy setting, and you can add a password or an expiry date.
In this article:
- What a folder link shares
- Folder privacy options
- How to share a folder with a link
- Set an expiry or turn off the link
- What recipients see
- Folder links vs review links
- Current limitations
What a folder link shares
Note: A folder link takes priority over the privacy of the items inside the folder. When a folder is set to Unlisted or Password, anyone with the link can view every video directly in that folder, including videos whose own privacy is set to Private, Company only, Unlisted, or Embed only.
- Password-protected videos are still included in the folder, but viewers must enter the video's own password to watch them.
- Videos added to the folder later are automatically included in the link.
- To keep a video out of the link, move it out of the folder.
- Only items directly in the folder are shared. Subfolders and their contents are not included.
- If non-video files are enabled on your account, the same rules apply to files in the folder. Password-protected files still require their own password.
Recipients get a page listing the folder's contents. They can watch the videos and open the files, and they can comment on and like individual videos. They can't approve, edit, or upload content, and they can't see your Library.
Folder privacy options
Open the folder's Share panel to choose its privacy.
| Privacy | Who can access the folder | Does the link work? |
|---|---|---|
| Private | Only you and the people you have given access to | No. People outside your account can't use the link. |
| Company only | Everyone in your team account, shown with your team name | No. People outside your team can't use the link. |
| Unlisted | Anyone who has the link | Yes. No Vimeo account is required. |
| Password | Anyone who has the link and enters the folder password | Yes. The password is set on the folder, not on individual videos. |
The link only works while the folder is Unlisted or Password. If you switch back to Private or Company only, the link stops working for everyone outside your account, even if they already have the URL.
How to share a folder with a link
You need the can edit or can manage permission on the folder.
- Go to your Library and find the folder.
- Hover over the folder and select the options menu, then Share. You can also open the folder and select Share in the header.
- Under Privacy, choose Unlisted or Password. If you choose Password, enter the folder password and save it.
- Under Link, select Copy link.
- Send the link to your recipients. If you want to limit how long it works, set an expiry.
If the folder is still Private or Company only, the copied link won't open for people outside your account.
Set an expiry or turn off the link
Folder links do not expire by default. In the Link section you can:
- Choose Tomorrow, 1 week, 30 days, or a custom date up to 365 days.
- Choose No expiration to remove the expiry.
- Select Reset to renew the link with the same duration.
To close the link immediately, change the folder's privacy back to Private or Company only. Anyone using the link loses access right away and sees "This folder link is no longer available." Changing the privacy to Unlisted again makes the folder link available again.
The folder link address stays the same when you change the folder's privacy or expiry, so you don't need to send a new URL.
What recipients see
- A folder page listing the videos, and files if enabled, directly in the folder.
- They can open and watch videos, and open files, without a Vimeo account.
- If the folder has a password, they are asked for it once.
- If a video or file has its own password, they are asked for that too.
- Download buttons follow each item's own download setting. A folder link does not turn downloads on.
- Each video page has a comment section, so recipients can read other people's comments and add their own. They can also like videos.
- The page is excluded from search engines. Recipients can't approve, edit, or upload content, and can't see your Library.
If the link has expired, has been turned off, or the folder was deleted, recipients see "This folder link is no longer available. It may have expired or been turned off."
Folder links vs review links
Both let you share a folder externally, but they do different jobs.
| Review link | Folder link |
|---|---|
| Review and feedback workflow | View-only sharing |
| Comments, annotations, and review statuses | Comments and likes, but no annotations or review statuses |
| Separate per-link settings for comments, downloads, versions, resolved comments, and appearance | Controlled by folder privacy, password, and expiry |
| Expires after 30 days by default | No expiry by default |
| Anyone with the link; can also require a password | Anyone with the link |
If you need annotations, review statuses, or approvals, create a review link instead. See How to share a folder of videos for external review.
Current limitations
- All-or-nothing sharing. You can't exclude individual items from a folder link. Move an item to another folder to exclude it.
- Direct items only. Subfolders and their contents are not included in the folder link.
- Item passwords still apply. Folder links override privacy, but not video or file passwords.
- No annotations or approvals. Use a review link if you need review statuses or approvals.
- No custom URL or embed code. Folder links use the vimeo.com/share/folder format.
- No folder-level download setting. Downloads follow each item's own setting.
- No per-person link access. Anyone with the link can use it. To limit access to named people, add team members to the folder instead.