Your Client Cannot Download a File: What to Check

Maria Li · SEAL · October 8, 2026

Disclosure: I work with SEAL. Prepared with AI assistance. Examples are hypothetical, not customer case studies.

“I cannot download the files” is not one problem. The link may be expired, a password may be wrong, the download may already be on the recipient’s device, or the file may have downloaded but need a different app to open it. Creating another transfer immediately can leave your client with several links and no clear final version. Start by finding the step that failed. This checklist is for an ordinary client handoff—a PDF, an approved design package or finished audio—not for recovering a lost archive or bypassing an organisation’s security controls.

1. Find the step that failed

Ask for the exact error message and whether the client is opening the link, starting the download, locating the saved file or opening its contents. Those are separate steps. A ZIP that will not open is different from a transfer page that says access has expired.

Ask for the device, browser and approximate time of the attempt. If a screenshot is useful, have the client hide private file names and credentials. Do not ask them to paste a confidential download link or password into a public support thread.

2. Check the recipient link and access rules

Confirm that you sent the intended version and the recipient’s download link, not a private management link. In SEAL’s browser flow, the two links are labelled “Send this” and “Keep this”. The management link stays with you.

Check the transfer’s expiry and whether you revoked it. If you set a password, confirm it through the separate agreed channel. In SEAL, single-use deletes the files after someone downloads them—not merely after they open the link. Check whether a previous download triggered that rule. A restrictive rule that does not match the client’s workflow can interrupt collection.

Do not disable workplace security controls to force a download. If the recipient’s organisation blocks a service, agree on an approved delivery method with the client.

3. Separate downloading from opening the file

Have the client check their browser’s downloads list and the folder they chose for saved files. If the download is incomplete, resolve that before troubleshooting the audio player, PDF reader or ZIP application. Check that the package is within the transfer service’s size limits and that the device has room to save it.

Two useful starting points: on an iPhone or iPad, look for the Downloads folder in the Files app, following Apple’s download-location guide. In Microsoft Edge on Windows, Ctrl+J opens Downloads; see Microsoft’s keyboard-shortcut reference. These help locate an existing download; they do not recover expired transfers.

If the file downloaded but will not open, confirm its format and the agreed deliverable. An exported PDF and an editable project file serve different purposes. The recipient may need the application that created a project file, or you may need to supply the agreed export.

4. Resend deliberately, then confirm receipt

If the link is expired or revoked, check your provider’s recovery policy rather than assuming that every service behaves the same way. SEAL’s documentation says expiry or revocation deletes the seal’s files. Keep your own original; a temporary delivery link is not a backup.

If a replacement is needed, create it from your retained files and identify it clearly: “This replaces the earlier link; Episode 12, approved v3; collect by Friday.” Ask the client to confirm that the expected files downloaded and opened. An access-log entry alone is not confirmation that they inspected the right version.

For the next handoff, agree on the collection window before uploading. SEAL encrypts file contents in the browser before upload and does not require a sender or recipient account for the browser flow. Its free tier is up to 1 GB per seal for up to seven days. Keep the management link private and your source files backed up. Revocation stops future access; it does not erase copies already downloaded.

Tap to send on SEAL. Check the actual package size and deadline before choosing a tier.

Primary sources: SEAL browser documentation and current limits and pricing.

Related: Podcast client-delivery checklist.