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Is there any free file-sharing site that lets users upload a file that allows direct downloads of the files uploaded just with a simple link? I know that a similar question has been asked (like A web storage site with direct file link), but let me explain the technical details why those solutions do not work for my specific use case.

My use case is that I need to upload simple files (specifically CSV, PDF, Excel spreadsheet or Microsoft Word) for the automatic population of FAQ topics by the Microsoft Power Virtual Agent (PVA) chatbot. The PVA interface allows developers to point to an https resource (either a web page or one of the above-mentioned file types) and it uses natural language processing to automatically convert the resource into its custom chatbot format.

For some bizarre reason, the PVA interface does not allow direct uploads of files. Developers may only point to either a web page or a file that is directly accessible via an https address. I need to upload Excel spreadsheets (in XLSX format) to train the chatbots.

I initially tried to share the file with file syncing services (specifically, Dropbox and OneDrive). However, I had trouble with both because the PVA file upload interface requires a link that directly downloads a file whereas those services lead to a page that views these files on their servers. After a lot of searching and trial and error, I have finally figured out how to generate direct download links from Dropbox. So, I can get this to work in my own personal situation. I also have a personal web server and I was able to upload the file there and PVA recognized it. However, I was unable to get this to work with OneDrive for Business despite many suggested attempts I tried. (Ironic, considering that both PVA and OneDrive are Microsoft applications.)

My problem now is that I want to train other users in my organization to use PVA and this upload feature is an important necessity for many of them. My organization uses OneDrive, so that would have been the easiest solution if I could have gotten it to work.

I have searched the Web and found many temporary file upload services, but all of them go to a page that then requires a subsequent click for downloading. (I understand; they have to fund their free service with ads.) So, I have not found anything that works.

So, my question is this: is there any free file-sharing site that lets users upload a file that allows direct downloads of the files uploaded just with a simple link? The only links that work with PVA must not lead to a user-viewable page that then requires the user to click on a link to download, and the direct link must not use any URL query options (e.g., "?download=1").

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  • Mediafire supports one click download link for 1 day. I download from Mediafire and copy download link. And shorten the url with t.ly
    – onurcano
    Jan 18 at 0:24
  • @onurcano, I tried Mediafire but it did not work from PVA. The download link still leads to a human-readable page that requires a one-step interaction before accessing the actual download file. This is what blocks PVA. Or could you submit a full answer with detailed steps on how to get a direct download link from Mediafire?
    – Tripartio
    Jan 19 at 15:05
  • Are you asking for a self-hosted software or for an existing service? There's 0x0 that seems to do what you want (the links it returns are direct); it's written in Python. Though once you can self-host anything, you could just run a normal web server and be done with it.
    – aitap
    Jan 20 at 15:36
  • @aitap, My target users are not technically sophisticated enough to self-host anything. I'm looking for an existing free service that they can use.
    – Tripartio
    Jan 20 at 15:54
  • As far as I can tell, tempsend.com can be operated without specialised knowledge and gives direct download links that work from a different IP address without cookies for free, but like any other free service, that might stop being the case any time without warning.
    – aitap
    Jan 20 at 16:50

3 Answers 3

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I have just checked https://transfer.sh/ and https://www.file.io/ by uploading a file, copying the download link and accessing it without my cookies and via Tor. To be precise, they both redirect browsers to a download page, but when accessed by a "headless" file download tool like curl or mpv, they return the file content straight away.

This will likely stop being the case in the future.

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Mediafire allows one click download link for one day. Here are some screenshots.

  1. Login enter image description here

  2. Download your file enter image description here

  3. Open the list of download links enter image description here

  4. Copy your download link enter image description here

If you're downloading via terminal and having problems, you could remove 's' from the 'https' link.

If you need links to be available for more than one day, you could buy a hosting. Then upload the files via ftp.

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  • 1
    Does this work without signing up for a Mediafire account (that is, without logging in)? I tried it that way and did not get the same options that you show here.
    – Tripartio
    May 8 at 18:35
  • I don't understand why it didn't work. I can download while I'm logged out.
    – onurcano
    May 14 at 1:54
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You can try SwissTransfer, which has a simple clean interface and policy very respectful of users' privacy

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  • As far as I can tell, SwissTransfer does not support downloading with a single direct link.
    – Tripartio
    May 8 at 18:24
  • @Tripartio this is how I shared many files in the last few years, with the service sending an automated e-mail with a single link or by sharing the link to recipients. What it can't do is make a permanent link to files, which the same provider should permit with another service infomaniak.com/kdrive
    – LuC
    May 9 at 6:49
  • What I mean is that it does not generate a link that directly downloads the file. The link goes to a web page from which the user needs to download the file. My question concerns an application that cannot take that human step in between, so this does not work for me.
    – Tripartio
    May 10 at 7:26
  • @Tripartio Oops, sorry then! Maybe it could otherwise work with the KDrive solution I mentioned above, but I didn't try it: as it has a free plan you can put it on the test
    – LuC
    May 10 at 12:17

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