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ShareFile Watermarking - Information Rights Management

February 5, 2026
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ShareFile users interested in Information Rights Management(IRM) can control file access and permissions when sharing a file. The sender of a file may choose to share with watermarked view-only or watermarked downloads. These shares can be revoked at any time, but once a file is downloaded with watermark, you cannot revoke access to the file. This Information Rights Management does not require the recipient to download software onto their device to view or download the file with watermark.

Requirements

  • Supported on both ShareFile managed storage zone and customer managed storage zone.
  • Customer Managed storage zone requirements:

    • Storage zones controller 4.0 or later.

    • Cloud Rendering enabled for on-premises storage. A temporary copy of the file is cached in ShareFile Cloud for up to 1 week after the last time the file is viewed.

  • A plan that includes IRM such as Advanced, Premium or VDR.

  • ShareFile.com or ShareFile.eu account.

Supported File Types

Current file formats supported include:

  • Word
  • Excel
  • PowerPoint
  • PDF
  • Email

Supported Tools

Current ShareFile tools and clients supported include:

  • ShareFile webapp
  • ShareFile for Outlook
  • ShareFile for iOS
  • ShareFile for Android

Opening Watermarked Files

A recipient must be online and must log in to view or download the watermarked file.

Access Permissions

When sending a file from one of the supported tools, you may click Edit Message Options to update the Allow Recipients To option. The following access protections are available when sending files with Information Rights Management enabled:

  • View online only – allows recipients to view the file without watermark in ShareFile web app. They are not able to download, edit, or print the file.

  • View online with Watermark – allows recipients to view the file with watermark in ShareFile web app. They are not able to download, edit, or print the file.

  • Download with watermark – allows a recipient to view and download a watermarked file in ShareFile web app. They are not able to edit the file.

  • Have full control – allows a recipient view, edit, print, and distributed freely to other users without watermark. Users that have been given full control cannot change the access rights of a file or view the activity logs of a file.

Accessing Files within Folders

Users that have been granted access to a folder within ShareFile will not have watermarks applied to files when they log in an access the folder. Watermarks are only applied when a recipient accesses a file from a share link with a watermark option selected. However, you may give users view-only rights for every file within a folder.

Unsupported Tools and Accounts

Current ShareFile tools and clients not supported include the following. The option to share with watermark is not available with these tools. Their replacement, ShareFile for Windows for example will support the IRM options shown above.

  • ShareFile Desktop for Windows
  • ShareFile Desktop for Mac
  • ShareFile Sync for Windows and Mac
  • ShareFile DriveMapper
  • HIPAA accounts with privacy enabled and restricted zones are currently not supported.

Unsupported Behavior and Features

Certain sharing behavior is not available to users including:

  • Sharing files from multiple folders in one share link
  • Downloading multiple watermarked files
  • Get a Link within the Web App
  • Personal Cloud Connector shares

File Size Restrictions and Limitations

The current file size limits for watermarked shares are:

  • 50MB for PDF and PowerPoint

  • 20MB for Word and Excel

    Note:

    For certain Excel files with multiple columns beyond a standard printable area or multiple sheets, the file rendered is based on the last saved view for the Excel file. In some cases, the column may not show the full data and data from columns beyond a printable page will extend to following pages.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What happened to the prior IRM options where the files shared were encrypted and require a separate client to access the file?

The previous IRM capability while providing additional layers of security have user experience challenges especially with the recipient. After deploying the capability for more than 2 years with feedback from customers and usage metrics, ShareFile take the approach of optimizing the most common use case which is IRM sharing with watermark to balance security and user experience. The new IRM options do not need a separate client to access the shared document.

How do I enable the IRM watermarking capability on my account?

For accounts with IRM enabled prior, ShareFile is actively upgrading the account with new IRM options when appropriate. In some cases, we are working closely with the ShareFile admin to roll out the changes gracefully. When the account is enabled, ShareFile admin will need to enable the feature under Settings > Admin Settings > Advanced Preferences > File Settings.

For ShareFile accounts leveraging a customer managed storage zone or storage zone controller, Cloud Rendering option is required for this feature. This can be enabled under Settings > Admin Settings > Advanced Preferences > File Settings.

ShareFile Watermarking - Information Rights Management
February 5, 2026
Contributed by: 
P P
February 5, 2026
Contributed by: 
P P

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