Collaboration
Ente enables you to collaborate with others in two ways: by sharing albums with other Ente users, or by collecting photos from anyone via public links.
Collaborating with Ente users
Collaborative albums allow multiple Ente users to contribute photos to the same shared album. This is perfect for ongoing collaboration with family or friends who use Ente.
How it works
- Album owner: The person who created the album
- Participants: Added by email address (must have Ente accounts)
- Permissions: Owner can assign Viewer or Collaborator roles
- Storage: Each photo's storage counts towards whoever uploaded it
Adding collaborators
- Open the album you want to share
- Tap/click the Share icon
- Select "Share with Ente users" or enter email addresses
- Choose permissions (Viewer or Collaborator)
- Send the invitation
Recipients receive a notification and can access the shared album from their Ente app.
Permissions explained
Viewers can:
- View all photos in the album
- Download photos
- Add photos to their own albums (creates a copy)
Collaborators can:
- Everything viewers can do, plus:
- Add new photos and videos to the shared album
- Remove photos they uploaded
- Comment and react (coming soon)
Album owners can:
- Everything collaborators can do, plus:
- Add or remove participants
- Change permissions for existing participants
- Remove any photo from the album
- Delete photos they own
- Delete the entire album
Storage in collaborative albums
Storage is counted towards the person who uploaded each photo:
- When a collaborator adds a photo, it counts towards their storage quota
- Since collaborators usually already have the photo in their account, they effectively don't pay extra
- The album owner does not pay for photos uploaded by collaborators
- Storage is only counted once, even if the photo appears in multiple albums
When collaborators leave
When a collaborator is removed from a shared album (or when they leave voluntarily):
- Any photos they uploaded will also be removed from the album
- Those photos remain in the collaborator's own account
- Photos uploaded by other participants remain in the album
- The removed collaborator loses access to view the album
Platform availability
Mobile apps (iOS and Android):
- Full support for collaborative albums
- Can view, add, and manage photos
Web and desktop:
- Currently view-only mode for collaborative albums
- We're actively working on adding full collaboration support
Collecting photos from anyone
Collect links allow you to gather photos from people who don't have Ente accounts. This is perfect for collecting event photos from large groups where not everyone uses Ente.
What are collect links?
Collect links are public links with the "Allow adding photos" option enabled. Anyone with the link can view existing photos and add their own through their web browser - no Ente account or app installation required.
Common use cases:
- Wedding photos from guests
- Birthday party memories
- Vacation trip photos
- Conference or event photos
- Any group gathering where you want photos from everyone
How to create a collect link
On mobile:
- Open the album you want to use for collecting photos
- Tap the Share icon in the top right corner
- Select "Collect photos"
- Tap "Copy link"
- Share the link with anyone you want to collect photos from
On web/desktop:
- Open the album
- Click the share album icon
- Select "Collect photos"
- Click "Copy link"
- Share the link with others
Anyone with the link can view existing photos and add their own through their web browser. They can also download photos if you haven't disabled downloads.
Storage for collected photos
All photos added to your album through a collect link count towards your storage quota as the album owner.
When someone adds a photo via a collect link:
- The photo is stored in your account
- You can view, download, and manage it like any other photo
- You can remove collected photos at any time
- Contributors cannot delete photos after uploading
Managing collect links
Set limits and protections:
- Password protection: Require a password to access the link
- Link expiry: Set when the link should stop working
- Device limits: Limit how many devices can access the link
- Disable downloads: Prevent people from downloading original quality photos
- Disable uploads: Convert to view-only by turning off "Allow adding photos"
Stop collecting photos:
- Remove the link: Delete the public link from your sharing settings
- Disable uploads: Edit link settings and turn off "Allow adding photos"
- Change to view-only: Convert the collect link to a regular public link
View contributors: Currently, you cannot see who added which photos to a collect link. All collected photos appear in the album without attribution. We're considering adding this feature based on user feedback.
Comparison
| Feature | Collaborative Albums | Collect Links |
|---|---|---|
| Participants need Ente account | Yes | No |
| Access method | Email invitation | Link |
| Who pays for storage | Each uploader | Album owner |
| Best for | Ongoing collaboration with Ente users | One-time collection from large groups |
| Platform support | Mobile (full), Web/Desktop (view only) | All platforms via web browser |
| Can set upload limits | No (trust-based) | Yes (password, expiry, device limits) |
Related topics
- Public links - Share albums via links
- Sharing overview - All sharing methods explained
- Custom domains - Use your own domain for links