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How to stop customers sharing your files

Updated September 23, 2026

Content Vault can limit how widely a customer is able to share the files they download. The controls live in the Download protection panel of each subscription plan.

💡 These limits apply to Library Access and Content Drip subscriptions. Content Pass subscriptions don't have a Download protection panel — a content pass is governed by its download allowance instead. See Setting up a Content Pass subscription.

Where to find it

  1. Go to Apps → Content Vault → Subscriptions
  2. Open the subscription and select the plan you want to protect
  3. In Plan settings, choose Download protection

Limits are set per plan, so a Basic tier and an All-Access tier can be protected differently.

Download protection panel with the IP address limit and per-file download limit both left unlimited

The two limits

IP address limit for downloads

The number of unique IP addresses allowed to download a given customer's files.

This is the main defence against a customer passing their download link around: one person downloading from home and from the office looks like two addresses, but a link shared with fifty people looks like fifty.

Download limit per file

How many times each individual file can be downloaded before that link stops working.

Useful when a single large file — a video, a bundle, a high-resolution asset — is the whole value of the subscription.

Leave a field empty for no limit. Both fields show Unlimited until you enter a number.

Choosing sensible numbers

There is no single right answer, but a few things are worth keeping in mind:

  • Legitimate customers use more than one device. A phone, a laptop and a work machine can easily be three addresses, and mobile networks change IP addresses regularly. Very low IP limits generate support tickets from honest customers.
  • Per-file limits are less disruptive than IP limits for most stores. A customer re-downloading a file they already paid for is normal behavior.
  • Start permissive and tighten if you see abuse. The Analytics page can help you spot unusual download patterns — see Understanding the Analytics page.

What these limits do not do

Download protection restricts access to the download link. Once a file is on a customer's machine, nothing stops them from copying it.

To deter redistribution of the file itself, use PDF stamping & watermarks, which embeds the customer's own details into each PDF, or video / audio streaming, which serves content without handing over a downloadable file at all.

Used together — a per-file limit, an IP limit and personalized stamping — these make casual sharing both harder and traceable.