Before you create a link
Choose Message for a read-only note or file handoff, and Group chat for a conversation. Both depend on connected browsers. Share only with people you intend to give access, and keep the necessary holders and file sources present until your exchange is complete.
Questions, answered
Do I need an account or an installed app?
No. Held runs in the browser without account registration. The sharing tools need JavaScript and supported browser cryptography and connection features. A local signing identity is used for messages and chats; it is separate from registering an account. File receiving and larger downloads require additional browser capabilities.
Does a message disappear after someone reads it?
No. The default message ends when the original creator session leaves, reloads, disconnects, or expires. A carried message ends when the final admitted holder leaves or expires, or when the original connected creator chooses End. These are session lifetimes, not read-once destruction or a fixed timer. Saved recipient copies can remain.
Can a room be reopened after everyone has left?
Once the final required holder has left or expired and the room has ended, its old link cannot recreate it. Held has no server content archive to recover. A carried message or group can be joined again only while another valid holder keeps it available, using the complete secret link and a fresh handoff.
Does Held provide anonymous chat?
Held does not require a name or an account, but it does not provide anonymity. Peers and network providers can observe addresses or timing. A saved signing identity is recognizable across future rooms and while nearby sharing is open. An optional verified contact email is visible to authenticated, connected peers, and message content or file metadata can also identify someone. End-to-end encryption protects content in the intended transfer path; it does not hide every piece of metadata.
How many people and messages can a group hold?
A Group chat supports up to 16 participants. Each post permits up to 4 KiB of UTF-8 text. Each browser retains up to 200 messages and 512 KiB of aggregate message text, whichever limit is reached first. New arrivals receive the history available from connected peers; complete or permanent history is not guaranteed.
What do participant IDs and Received by counts prove?
A signing identity is the key your browser uses to sign its messages. Held displays a readable name such as Quiet Cove · DB212E9D, derived from the key’s fingerprint. A saved identity keeps the same name in messages, rooms, and nearby sharing. Show full ID reveals the complete fingerprint for comparison through another trusted channel. A verified participant ID proves control of that key, not who the person is. Automatic identities differ by room; a saved identity lets peers recognize the same key across future rooms. Received by counts indicate that peer browsers acknowledged a signed group post. They do not prove it was read, that files were downloaded, or that copies still exist. Older peers may receive posts without supporting acknowledgements.
What are the file limits, and why might a download stop?
A new message or group post supports five files of up to 1 GB each, for 5 GB total. Available browser storage also limits receiving. Downloads require reachable peers with every needed file piece. A room can stay live after some pieces become unavailable. Saving those files above 10 MB requires supported desktop Chrome or Edge streaming-save capabilities. Optical transfer uses the receiver’s camera and has a separate limit of 16 MiB for one file or plain text, counted as UTF-8 bytes for text.
Can Held erase downloads or guarantee a disguised voice is unrecognizable?
No. Original files, copied text, screenshots, and saved downloads remain under their holders’ control. A disguised recording changes pitch and vocal resonance locally, but wording, accent, speech patterns, and background sounds can still identify someone. Neither ending the session nor applying a voice effect provides remote erasure or an anonymity guarantee.
Are short links encrypted like Held messages?
You can choose. Traditional is the default and creates a 25-character link on held.cat, including https://. Held stores its destination in a readable form until expiry. Encrypted creates a 40-character link and encrypts the destination in your browser; Held stores only the encrypted address. Its secret stays after #, so share the complete link. Anyone with either complete link can open it while available. Both offer one hour, one day, one week, or 30 days, with no click tracking. Your browser keeps your latest 100 destinations and complete links locally. Encryption depends on trusted browser code and cannot erase saved copies. Existing links keep working until their original expiry. Secret Held invitations must still be shared directly.
Why can I open Held but fail to connect to a message or chat?
Loading the site and establishing a direct peer connection are different steps. Firewalls, restrictive networks, VPNs, browser policies, or unavailable holders can prevent a handoff. A connection relay can help if it was enabled in Connection settings when the message or group was created. It is off by default, may be unavailable or reach its limits, and cannot restore an ended room. Keep the required holder connected and try another supported browser or network. There is no server mailbox fallback.
What privacy do I give up by allowing a connection relay?
You allow an additional provider to help connect the browsers. When the relay carries your traffic, that provider can observe your IP address, when you connect, and how much data you exchange. Your message, chat, and file content stays end-to-end encrypted and cannot be read by the relay. This trades some privacy about the connection for a better chance of connecting on restrictive networks; delivery is still not guaranteed. The option is off by default. Held does not guarantee anonymity with it off either. Direct connections remain preferred when it is on, so enabling a relay does not guarantee that your network address is hidden from other participants.
What is connection metadata?
It is information about a connection rather than the contents of a message or file. Examples include an IP address, which identifies a network connection and can suggest a location or internet provider; when a connection starts and ends; and how much data is transferred. Depending on their role, Held’s hosting and connection providers can observe some of this information, and peers may learn network addresses. A relay provider can observe addresses, timing, and traffic volume when used. Encrypting the content does not hide all of these details or make Held anonymous.
Can I share an email address with connected peers?
Yes. In Identity, you can save an optional website and a bio of up to 250 characters without an email. These are self-provided, not verified. To add email, you must enter the code delivered by Resend before it can be shared. Only authenticated, connected peers receive the verified address; it is kept out of nearby discovery, saved messages, and chat history. Held stores your saved website, bio, and verified email linked to your public identity. Clear website or bio and save to remove them. An email is replaced only after verification. It stays verified without periodic email checks; the short confirmation sent to peers refreshes automatically. Resend processes the address to deliver your code. A replacement stays private until verified. Removing an address cannot erase copies peers already kept. Email cannot recover your identity; keep your encrypted backup and its matching recovery code.
Can I use Held for offline file sharing?
Yes. Open Optical transfer at held.cat/qr on both devices while connected and wait for Available offline. You can then disconnect and reopen that same page in the prepared browser. Choose Send, then File or Text. The sender shows animated color patterns and the receiver scans them with its camera. Received text appears automatically after verification and any password unlock, with Copy text and Download text options. Downloads are saved as .txt files. Each transfer is limited to 16 MiB, counted as UTF-8 bytes for text. Speed depends on the devices and conditions. Messages, chats, and conventional File transfer still need network connections.
Are optical transfers encrypted?
Only if the sender enables Protect with a password before showing the patterns. It is off by default for both files and text. Use a strong password of at least 6 characters and share it separately. The receiver collects the transfer, then enters the password to unlock the content and its file name. Without password protection, anyone recording enough of the patterns can recover what you send.
Is Optical transfer the same as QR device pairing?
No. QR device pairing passes an invitation so browsers can connect and transfer over the network. Optical transfer carries the file or text itself through animated color patterns, from a screen to a camera. Use Held’s Optical transfer receiver to read those patterns; an ordinary QR scanner is not the receiver.
Can I shorten a URL without signing up?
Yes. Held’s URL shortener needs no account. Paste a web address into Short link, choose Traditional or Encrypted, select an expiry, and copy the short link. Neither option adds click tracking. Traditional links store a destination Held can read; encrypted short links keep the destination encrypted on Held’s server. Share the complete encrypted link, including its secret after #.
How long do temporary short links last?
Choose 1 hour, 1 day, 1 week, or 30 days when shortening the URL. One day is selected by default. The link works until that expiry independently of your browser being open, and clicks do not renew it. Expiry disables the short link; it does not remove the original page, browser history, or saved copies.
Ready when you are.
No account needed. Encryption and peer connections run in your browser.
Open Held