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Keep the album private afterwards

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Martin Freiwald, Founder
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4 min
Short answer

Download everything first. After that, closing uploads stops new contributions and making the album private stops viewing — in that order.

Neither removes anything. Deleting the event is the step that does, and it is the only irreversible one.

The order matters

Download, then close. Doing it the other way round works too, but it means a period where you have closed the album and have not yet got the files — and that is the window in which a mistake costs something.

With the files on your own disk, every remaining decision is reversible.

  1. Download the album. Everything after this is reversible. Not having the files is not.
  2. Close uploads. It takes effect immediately and revokes the links guests were using to send.
  3. Make the album private. The link then shows nothing at all, to everyone.

Closing uploads

Contributions stop at once, and the links guests were using to send are revoked, so a page somebody left open stops working rather than continuing quietly. Viewing is unaffected — the album stays visible unless you change that separately.

Leave it open for a few days first. The second wave comes from people who were too busy on the night.

Making it private

This stops viewing for everyone holding the link, and the page then shows nothing at all — not an explanation, just nothing. Guests who were told to look at it will report the album as broken unless you say what you have done.

It is reversible: making it public again restores everything exactly as it was.

The steps and what they do
StepStops uploadsStops viewingReversible
Download everythingNoNoNot applicable
Close uploadsYes, immediatelyNoYes
Make album privateNoYesYes
Set a viewing passwordNoFor anyone without itYes
Delete the eventYesYesNo

Only the last line removes anything. The rest are switches you can flip back.

A password instead of private

If you want the album reachable for family but not for everyone who was handed the link, a viewing password is the middle option. It needs at least 8 characters and it applies to everybody, including people who saw the album before you set it.

Send the password in the same message as the link. A second message gets lost.

Tell people what you did

A guest who taps a link and sees nothing assumes something broke. One line prevents a week of messages: the album is closed now, and here is where the pictures went.

If you are handing the album over to somebody, say when it expires. That date is theirs to plan around.

Or do nothing at all

The album ends on its own at the close of its retention window plus the 14-day grace period, with warnings before it. For a private party among people you know, letting it run out is a perfectly reasonable plan.

The 1 thing that is not optional is the download. That is time-limited in a way none of the switches are.

Common questions

What should I do first?

Download everything. Every other step is reversible.

Does closing uploads hide the album?

No. Viewing is a separate switch.

What does a guest see once it is private?

Nothing at all — no message and no explanation.

Can I reopen it later?

Yes. Private and closed are both reversible; only deleting is not.

Do I have to do anything at all?

Only the download. The album ends on its own at the end of its window.

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Guests say the link is broken

That is what a private album looks like. Send us the event name if it should still be open.