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Storage & Access

A snapshot stores an independent copy of files, with its own storage location and access rules. Account for those differences before preserving or sharing files: the source folder's region and later permission changes do not govern the copy. Snapshot Lifecycle explains assembling, finalizing, and removing it.

Snapshot File Storage

Snapshot files are stored in a hidden system folder named for the snapshot's ID. For example, snapshot 29816 uses _/Snapshots/29816/.

Each snapshot created directly, by a Share Link, by the Desktop App, or by an Outlook Add-In email attachment gets its own numbered folder. These are system-controlled folders. You cannot configure folder settings, Webhooks, Email Notifications, or File Expiration rules for them; set an expiration on the snapshot itself instead.

Snapshots use native Files.com storage in your site's default storage region. They do not inherit the source folder's region, and Files.com does not offer a separate regional storage setting for snapshots. Quarantined files also use the site's default region.

If a snapshot's storage region would not meet your organization's requirements, do not create that snapshot. Site Administrators can disable Allow Snapshot Share Links to prevent users from creating new snapshot Share Links. This does not revoke existing links or remove their snapshots. If you need configurable regional storage for snapshots, contact us to discuss your requirements.

Who Can Access Snapshot Files

The snapshot's creator and Site Administrators can list and read its hidden folder and files. Authorized visitors to an associated Share Link can read the snapshot's files through that link. Other users cannot see or read the snapshot folder, even if they can access the original source files.

A snapshot is an independent copy, so later changes to the source folder's permissions do not remove the creator's read access to files already copied into it. Removing access to the source is not a way to remove access to the snapshot. The copy remains available until the snapshot expires, a Site Administrator deletes it, or the 96-hour cleanup rule removes an unfinalized snapshot.

Reading the files does not grant permission to manage the snapshot. Listing or viewing snapshot records through the Snapshot API, updating their name, expiration or source paths, finalizing them, and deleting them are Site Administrator operations.