Bitwarden Send: Encrypted, Self-Destructing File and Text Sharing

Sharing a Wi-Fi password, a bank account number, a scan of your passport or a signed contract usually means dropping it into an email, a text message or a chat app. Those channels store your message as plain, readable text on servers you do not control, and once sensitive information lands in someone’s inbox it can sit there for years.

Bitwarden Send takes a different approach. It is a built-in feature of the open-source Bitwarden password manager that turns a piece of text or a file into a temporary, end-to-end encrypted link, then removes it automatically once it expires or has been opened the maximum number of times. This guide explains what Bitwarden Send is, how its encryption works, what the free and paid tiers include in 2026, and how people in New Zealand can use it safely.

What Is Bitwarden Send?

Bitwarden Send is an end-to-end encrypted sharing tool built into the Bitwarden apps and web vault. Rather than acting as long-term cloud storage, it is designed for short-lived, one-off transfers: a password you need a colleague to use once, a document a client must sign, or an account number you would rather not leave sitting in an email thread. You can send up to 1,000 encrypted characters of text, or attach a file, and the recipient opens it through an ordinary web link.

“End-to-end encrypted” means the content is scrambled on your own device before it is uploaded, and can only be unscrambled on the recipient’s device. Bitwarden’s servers store nothing but ciphertext — an unreadable block of data. This is what the company calls a “zero-knowledge” model: because the encryption keys never reach Bitwarden’s systems, its staff cannot read your shared passwords or files even if they wanted to.

How the Encryption Works

When you create a Send, your Bitwarden client generates a fresh encryption key and locks the content with AES-256, the same widely used symmetric cipher that protects the rest of your Bitwarden vault. AES-256 is an encryption standard trusted for banking and government data; the “256” refers to the length of the key in bits, which makes brute-force guessing impractical. Only the encrypted result is uploaded, so the plaintext never leaves your hardware.

This is the key difference from sending the same information by email or chat. In those channels the message is stored in readable form on the provider’s servers, is often scanned for advertising or spam filtering, and stays in the inbox indefinitely unless someone deletes it. A Send is unreadable to the host, removes itself on a timer, and can be locked so that only one person, once, can open it.

Why the Link Itself Protects Your Data

The security of Bitwarden Send rests on how the sharing link is built. Each link contains two parts: a Send identifier that tells the server which record to fetch, and the decryption key needed to unlock it. Crucially, the key sits after the # symbol in the URL — the section browsers call the “fragment.”

Web browsers never transmit the fragment to a server when they request a page. So when someone opens a Send link, their browser downloads only the ciphertext using the identifier, then performs the decryption locally using the key held in the fragment. The key stays on the client side from start to finish, which means Bitwarden’s servers can serve the file without ever being able to read it. For an extra layer, you can also add a password and share it through a separate channel, so the link alone is useless to anyone who intercepts it.

Free vs Premium in 2026

Bitwarden keeps its core password management free, and Send is available to everyone — but the free tier is limited to text. Understanding where the line falls helps you decide whether you need to pay before relying on it. If you are weighing the wider subscription, our overview of Bitwarden’s pricing and plans covers the full picture.

The Free Plan

The permanently free personal account can create Sends, but only text-based ones, and only one active Send at a time. If you want to share a new note or password while an old link is still live, you have to delete or overwrite the existing one first. Free Sends still get the full set of safety controls — expiry dates, one-time access, passwords and email hiding — so for occasional, single-item sharing the free tier is genuinely usable.

Premium and Families

Upgrading unlocks file attachments and removes the single-Send limit. As of a price change in January 2026, Bitwarden Premium for individuals costs US$1.65 per month, billed as US$19.80 per year (roughly NZ$33 depending on the exchange rate). This was an increase from the long-standing US$9.99 a year, so anyone renewing an old subscription will notice the new figure. Premium members can keep unlimited active Sends running at once and attach files of up to 500 MB from the web vault or desktop app, or up to 100 MB from a mobile app. The Families plan (US$3.99 per month, US$47.88 per year) extends the same features to up to six people. Premium also adds 5 GB of encrypted file storage for your vault, which is separate from Send and is not consumed by expired links.

Feature Comparison

The table below sets the two personal tiers side by side so you can match them to how you actually share information.

Privacy Controls and Access Limits

End-to-end encryption stops your internet provider and outside attackers from reading a Send in transit, but it does not stop the wrong person from opening a link that reaches them. If a raw link lands in a compromised inbox or an over-shared group chat, anyone who clicks it can read the contents. Bitwarden Send gives you several controls to close that gap.

Passwords and Separate Channels

The strongest habit for high-value information is to require a password on the Send and then deliver the two pieces separately:

• Set a password. Add a unique password to the Send in the creation panel before you generate the link.
• Send the link one way. Share the link itself through, say, work email.
• Send the password another way. Pass the password over a different channel — a Signal message, a phone call or in person.
• The payoff. Even if someone intercepts the email, the link is useless without the password from the second channel.

Limiting Who Can Open It

Beyond passwords, each Send can be tightened in three more ways. You can set a deletion date so the link dies on schedule; you can cap the maximum access count so it stops working after it has been opened a set number of times (set it to 1 for true one-time viewing); and you can restrict access to specific people. Choosing specific recipients requires them to verify a one-time code sent to their email address before the Send will open — a useful addition when a plain shareable link feels too loose. You can also hide your own email address from viewers.

How to Create a Send, Step by Step

Making a Send takes about a minute and works the same way across the browser extension, desktop app, mobile app and web vault. Open Bitwarden, choose the Send tab, and select Add Send (or the “+” button on mobile). Then work through the options:

1. Choose the type. Pick a text Send or, on Premium, a file Send and attach your document.
2. Name it. Give the Send a label so you can recognise it later in your list. The name is for your reference and is not shown to force the recipient to guess.
3. Set the deletion date. Choose when the Send is permanently removed, up to 30 days from creation. Shorter is safer.
4. Add an access limit. Set the maximum access count to 1 if you want the link to stop working after a single view.
5. Add a password. Turn on the password option and enter a strong string the recipient must type to unlock the content.
6. Save and share. Saving encrypts everything on your device, uploads only the ciphertext, and produces the link for you to copy and send.

Receiving and Opening a Send

For the recipient, there is nothing to install and no account to create. When they open the link in any modern web browser, the page fetches the encrypted data, and — if a password was set — asks them to enter it. Once the password is accepted, the browser decrypts the content locally using the key in the link and displays the text or offers the file for download. The whole exchange happens in a standard browser window with no sign-up wall.

What Happens When a Send Expires

Once a Send passes its deletion date or reaches its access limit, its life ends cleanly:

• The encrypted content and any attached file are removed from Bitwarden’s servers.
• Anyone opening the old link sees a message that the Send no longer exists or is unavailable.
• An intercepted link found in an old email or chat months later is already dead and cannot be opened.
• Senders can also deactivate or delete a Send manually at any time from their dashboard — handy if it went to the wrong person.

Using Bitwarden Send in New Zealand

Bitwarden Send is a cloud service reached over HTTPS, so it works the same on any connection. It runs without fuss across the major domestic networks, including Spark, One NZ, 2degrees and Chorus fibre, and encrypting or uploading a file locally has little effect on everyday broadband use. A few situations where a self-expiring, password-protected link is genuinely useful for New Zealanders:

• Banking and tax. Passing an account number, an IRD number or a statement to an accountant or adviser without leaving it in an email trail.
• Identity documents. Sharing a scan of a passport or driver licence for a RealMe verification or a rental application, then having it auto-delete.
• Professional services. Sending portfolio figures, property records or contracts to a lawyer or agent through a private, time-limited link.
• Everyday accounts. Giving a family member a one-off password for a shared streaming or utility account without texting it in the clear.

Treating Send as one part of a broader routine — a good password manager, unique passwords and up-to-date devices — fits the wider advice in our guide to cyber security in New Zealand. If you prefer to keep everything on hardware you own, Bitwarden can also be self-hosted, and Send works on those private instances too.

Common Mistakes and Best Practice

No tool is flawless, and one recurring point of confusion is mobile behaviour. When a file link is opened inside an in-app browser — for example a link tapped from within the Facebook, Instagram or X apps — those cut-down browsers sometimes fail to run the local decryption and download steps, leaving a stalled screen or a failed save. The fix is simple: copy the link and paste it into a full mobile browser such as Safari, Chrome or Firefox, where the download completes normally.

A handful of habits keep Send genuinely secure rather than just convenient:

• Keep lifespans short. For passwords and sensitive files, choose one hour or one day rather than the 30-day maximum to shrink the exposure window.
• Delete the downloaded copy. Once you have safely received a file, remove the decrypted copy from your Downloads folder so it is not left lying around.
• Hide your email. Turn on “hide my email address” when sharing with people or forums you do not fully trust.
• Tidy up regularly. Check your Send list now and then and clear out links you no longer need.
• Never reuse a Send password. Generate a fresh one each time; a password manager makes this effortless.

Who Bitwarden Send Suits

Bitwarden Send fits anyone who occasionally needs to hand over something sensitive and would rather it did not linger. For light users — the odd password or note — the free tier covers it at no cost. People who regularly share files, or who want several links live at once, will need Premium, though at under NZ$35 a year it remains inexpensive next to standalone secure-transfer services. Because it is open source and built into a tool many people already use for passwords, it is also a natural fit for anyone comparing options in our roundup of the best password managers for New Zealanders. It is not a replacement for long-term encrypted storage or a full file-sync service — its whole point is that the data disappears.

Other tools offer similar ephemeral sharing — Proton Pass has secure link sharing, and there are standalone “one-time secret” web services — but Bitwarden Send stands out for being open source, folded into an app many people already use, and free for basic text. If you only need to hand over the occasional password, the free tier is often enough; if files and multiple simultaneous links matter, the modest Premium cost is usually the deciding factor.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Is Bitwarden Send free to use?

Yes. The free Bitwarden plan can create text Sends at no cost, with full access to expiry dates, one-time access, passwords and email hiding. The free tier allows one active text Send at a time; sending files or keeping several Sends live at once requires the Premium plan.

Does the recipient need a Bitwarden account?

No. Anyone can open a Send in an ordinary web browser without an account, app or extension. The link decrypts the content locally in their browser; if you set a password, they simply enter it first. If you restrict a Send to specific people, they verify a code sent to their email before it opens.

How large a file can I share with Bitwarden Send?

Premium and paid organisation members can attach files up to 500 MB per Send from the web vault or desktop app, and up to 100 MB from a mobile app. File sharing is not available on the free plan, which is limited to text of up to 1,000 encrypted characters.

What happens to my Send when it expires?

When a Send reaches its deletion date or its maximum access count, the encrypted content and any attached file are removed from Bitwarden’s servers, and the link stops working. Anyone who opens it afterwards sees a message that the Send is no longer available. You can also delete a Send manually at any time.

Can Bitwarden staff read what I share?

No. Content is encrypted on your device before upload, and the decryption key travels only in the link’s fragment, which browsers never send to the server. Bitwarden’s servers hold only unreadable ciphertext, so under its zero-knowledge model the company cannot read your Sends.