Send your work. Get paid first.
We hold the key, you hold the box — the file never touches our servers. It stays viewable and watermarked until the code expires, then it turns to ash.
Ashkey encrypts your file in your browser and stores only the key on our server. When it expires, we destroy the key and the file becomes unreadable — even to us. We can't stop a screenshot or a phone photo, but every capture carries the recipient's name.
Questions
Do my files get uploaded to your servers?
No. Your file is encrypted inside your own browser and never leaves your device. We store only the small key that unlocks it — never the file itself. You can prove it: turn off your internet, lock a file, and watch the .ashk get made offline.
What does "turns to ash" mean?
Every locked file has an access code with a time limit. When the time runs out, we destroy the key on our server. The .ashk file can still sit on the recipient's computer, but it becomes permanently unreadable — even to us. Nothing is deleted from anyone's device; only our key is burned.
Can the recipient just download or copy my work?
The file opens view-only in our viewer — no download button, no right-click, no save. A determined person can still photograph the screen, so we don't pretend otherwise. But every view is watermarked with the recipient's name, so a leaked capture points straight back to whoever leaked it.
Who pays — me or my client?
You do, if you go PRO. Your client opens and views for free, with no account. Paying is only for creating locked files.
What can I protect with it?
Images, PDFs, text and code, and short videos — anything a freelancer, teacher, or team sends before they're ready to hand over the original. For large videos, compress first.
What happens after my client pays?
You send the clean original yourself, however you like. Ashkey protects the preview before payment; it doesn't hold your final file hostage.
Open a locked file
Load the .ashk file you received, enter the access code, then reveal it. It's view-only.