You revoke a share link from the Shares tab: find the link, select Revoke and confirm. Anyone holding it can no longer open it, and anyone reading at that moment loses access within moments, on every plan.
This differs from how many consumer tools handle a share. Some keep a link reachable until the underlying file is deleted, and even then a downloaded copy can persist. Instant revocation only exists where the platform, not just the interface, treats access as something separate from possession.
Steps
- Open the Shares tab, or open the room, select the document and choose Links.
- Find the live link. Each row shows its status: Live, Revoked or Expired.
- Select Revoke. It sits on the link's row, separate from deleting the document itself.
- Confirm in the dialog. Revoking is immediate and does not depend on the recipient being offline or logged out; access controls decide who can open a link in the first place.
- Check the link status afterwards to confirm it shows as Revoked, then open the document's Activity tab to see who opened it and when; the history stays after you revoke.
- Switch it back on, or create a new link, if needed, for example if you revoked by mistake or the recipient now needs access again under a fresh set of terms. A document link can be switched back on from the document's Links view.
Edge cases and what to check
Revoking stops the link from opening again. It does not reach a copy the recipient already downloaded before you revoked it, because that file is no longer under your control. Set Downloads to Off in the share settings, available on every plan, and this risk does not arise in the first place, which is worth making the default on anything sensitive.
Revoking is different from expiry. Expiry, from Plus, is a date you set in advance so a link closes itself automatically. Revoking is a manual, immediate action for anything unplanned, a deal falling through, a wrong recipient, a mistake in the file. Our guide on how long a share link should stay live covers sensible expiry defaults so you need to revoke manually less often. Instant revocation is on every plan, including the free tier with three rooms and twenty five active links, forever, with no card required.
After revoking, check the analytics to see whether the document was actually opened before you cut access. That tells you how much of a concern the situation really is, rather than guessing. A view alone proves less than it feels like it should. Our guide on views vs verified readers, what document analytics really show covers why an open counted by the platform is not the same as a person having read the content, and what signal actually is worth trusting.
Revoke, expire, or delete: picking the right action
These three actions are often confused, and picking the wrong one either overreacts or leaves a gap.
| Action | What it does | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Revoke | Cuts access through a specific link immediately | Something changed unexpectedly, wrong recipient, deal ended, mistake found |
| Set expiry | Closes the link automatically at a future point (from Plus) | You already know how long access should last |
| Delete the document | Removes the file from the room entirely | You need to remove it from every link and every viewer, not just one |
Revoking is almost always the right first move when something feels wrong, because it is immediate and you can switch a document link back on, or create a new one, afterwards. You cannot undo a document that has already been read by someone who should not have seen it. Reach for revoke before you reach for delete.
If your current tool cannot do this
Test any sharing tool against this question: when you revoke access, does it take effect immediately, or only the next time the recipient logs in?
- If revocation only applies at next login, someone already inside the document keeps reading until they choose to leave, which defeats the purpose in the moment it matters most, the same gap covered in how you un-send a document you have already shared.
- If revocation applies to the whole document rather than per person, you cannot cut off one recipient without shutting out everyone else who legitimately needs access.
- If the tool cannot distinguish a link from a downloaded copy, revoking will feel effective while doing nothing about a file already saved locally.
A tool where revocation is immediate, can be done per person, and is clearly separate from deletion clears this bar. One-click revocation inside 99 Data Rooms works this way: it takes effect within moments, can be done per named person where you named them, and is separate from deletion, and what can a data room do that a Dropbox link cannot sets out the same comparison against a common shared-drive alternative.
Build the habit of revoking as a routine step, not just an emergency one. When a deal closes, a candidate is placed, or a proposal is accepted or declined, revoking the links used during that process is good hygiene even when nothing went wrong. It keeps your list of active links matching what genuinely still needs to be open, which makes the next real emergency easier to spot because it stands out against a clean baseline rather than getting lost among links nobody remembered to close.
Frequently asked questions
Does revoking a link work while someone is currently viewing the document? Yes. Revocation takes effect immediately for anyone opening the link. If someone is mid-read, their viewer receives the revoke over a live connection, the document is cleared from the screen and they see a message that access has been revoked. A periodic check backs this up if the live connection drops, and a reload is refused.
Can I revoke access for one person without affecting everyone else? Yes, if you named each person. With "Only the people I name" switched on, each named person can be withdrawn on their own. A plain link has no names, so revoking it removes access for everyone holding it.
What is the difference between revoking a link and deleting a document? Revoking cuts access through that specific link while the document stays in the room, with its history. Deleting removes the document itself. Revoke first if you are unsure: a document link can be switched back on, or a new one created, whereas deletion cannot be undone.
Does revoking stop someone from keeping a copy they already downloaded? No. Revocation stops future access through the link. A copy already downloaded before revocation is outside your control. Set Downloads to Off on sensitive links from the start, on any plan, to avoid this situation entirely.
Do I need a paid plan to revoke a link instantly? No. Instant revocation is on every plan, including the free tier, which includes three rooms and twenty five active links with no card required.
Keep the ability to switch it off
Every document you share through a room keeps the ability to revoke access at any point, even mid-read. The free tier gives three rooms and twenty five active links forever, no card needed. Start free and share your next document as something you can genuinely switch off.
Sources
- Revocation behaviour reflects 99 Data Rooms product facts, alongside general, documented limitations of email attachments and standard shared-drive links.