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Aktar feature

Short links for your uploads, on your own domain

A link like files.example.com/2026/10/7f3c2a91-screenshot.png works, but it isn't one you'd read out or put on a slide. Aktar makes links shorter in two ways: a clean path in your own bucket, and, if you use one, your own link shortener. Aktar manages the workflow; you own the infrastructure.

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Free · Mac, Windows, iPhone, iPad & Android · No account

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Available in
  • Mac0.17.0
  • Windows0.10.0
  • iPhone & iPadcoming soon
  • Android1.8.0

Long bucket links are hard to share

Object keys are long because they have to be unique: dates, random IDs, the original file name. That makes links awkward in a chat message, impossible to type from a slide, and they wrap in emails.

The usual fix is a link shortener, which means another website, another account and another copy-paste after every upload. Aktar does it for you: the short link is what lands on your clipboard, in every copy format and in the QR code.

How it works

  1. 1

    Pick a clean path

    Next to a destination's path, Presets offers Clean URL (Recommended), which saves {short}.{ext}.

  2. 2

    Connect a shortener, if you use one

    In the destination's Short Links section, pick Shlink, YOURLS, Kutt, Dub, Short.io or a custom HTTP request, enter its address and API key and click Test.

  3. 3

    Upload as usual

    The short link is copied after each upload. History shows it with its clicks, and keeps it in step when the file is deleted, moved or replaced.

What you get

  • Never overwrites a file

    {short} is a random 7-character code from your system's secure random generator. On S3 and R2 the upload is only written if the key is new; a taken key gets a whole new code.

  • Your shortener, your data

    Shlink, YOURLS and Kutt on your own server, Dub or Short.io, or any HTTP API. Aktar sends each link to the shortener you set up and nowhere else.

  • The short link everywhere

    URL, Markdown, HTML, your own template and the QR code all use the short link. Copy Original Link is always one click away.

  • Kept in step

    Deleting a file deletes its short link. Renaming or moving it points the short link at the new path when the shortener can, and warns you first when it can't.

  • Expires with the file

    An expiring upload's short link expires with it, and temporary links are only shortened when the shortener supports expiry.

  • In scripts and the CLI

    Webhooks, scripts and the local API get shortUrl. In the aktar CLI, aktar short and --short do the same from a terminal.

Clean URLs without a shortener

Most people don't need a shortener at all. Put {short} in a destination's path and each upload gets a code of letters and digits such as A7kdP2x. With {short}.{ext} and a custom domain on your bucket, links look like files.example.com/A7kdP2x.png: as short as most shorteners, with nothing in between that can go down.

New destinations use {year}/{month}/{short}.{ext}, and the ones you already have keep their path. Presets also has Short with Date and Original File Name. A destination on your own domain suggests a clean URL with an example on that domain.

{short} makes links shorter, not private: 7 random characters are hard to guess, but anyone with the link can open it. For private sharing, keep the bucket private and copy temporary links.

Bring your own shortener

If you already use a shortener for click counts or a branded domain, connect it in the destination's Short Links section. Shlink, YOURLS, Kutt, Dub and Short.io are built in; anything else with an HTTP API works through a custom request. The API key is kept in your Keychain or Credential Manager.

  • Only shorten links longer than a length you choose, so already short links stay as they are.
  • Also shorten temporary links, when the shortener can expire them.
  • If the shortener can't be reached, the original link is copied and a notification offers Retry. A short link never stops an upload, a delete or a move.

Hosted shorteners such as Dub and Short.io see every link and every click, and the form says so. A shortener on your own server sees only what you send it.

Coming from ShareX

Import ShareX Configuration (.sxcu)… reads your ShareX custom URL shortener and turns it into a custom request. Before anything is saved, it shows where your token will be sent, and secrets move to the Keychain. Share to Another Device carries a destination's short link settings and token to your other devices.

Questions

Do I need a link shortener to get short links?

No. {short}.{ext} as the path gives you links like files.example.com/A7kdP2x.png on your bucket's own domain, with nothing else to run. A shortener adds click counts and links that can be pointed somewhere else later.

Which link shorteners does Aktar support?

Shlink, YOURLS, Kutt, Dub and Short.io are built in. Any other shortener with an HTTP API works through a custom request, and a ShareX .sxcu file can be imported.

Can two uploads get the same short code?

No file is ever replaced by a new code. On Amazon S3 and Cloudflare R2 the upload is only written if the key doesn't exist yet, and on other providers Aktar checks first. A taken key gets a whole new code, up to five times, and then the upload stops with a clear error instead of overwriting anything.

Does Aktar see my links or clicks?

No. Aktar has no servers. Each link goes from your device to the shortener you set up, and click counts are read from it when you open History. See the privacy answer.

Release notes

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