When you send a transfer, WeTransfer gives you two ways to keep track of whether your files have been downloaded: a status label in your transfer list, and a total download count in the transfer details panel.
The download status label
In your transfer list, each sent transfer shows one of two labels:
- ⬇️ Downloaded — at least one download has taken place that WeTransfer was able to attribute
- Not yet downloaded — no qualifying download has been recorded yet
How the label updates depend on the access control setting of your transfer.
The total download count
Inside the detail panel for any transfer, you'll see a Total downloads figure. This counts every download action recorded on the transfer, whether that's a single file or the full transfer, and regardless of who did the downloading (the sender, a recipient, or anyone else with the link).
💡 Tip: For tracked and restricted transfers, you can see a full breakdown of exactly who downloaded your transfer. Check out How to Track Your Downloads with Download Verification for more details.
Public email transfers
For public email transfers, the status label works a little differently from the others. It will only switch to Downloaded once a recipient downloads the transfer in one of these specific ways:
- Clicking the download link in the email they received
- Downloading from the Received tab in their transfer list
- Downloading while logged in with the account associated with their recipient email address
⚠️ Note: Downloads made using the sender's link — for example, if you shared the transfer link directly via WhatsApp, Slack, or email outside of WeTransfer — will increase the total download count, but won't update the label. The same applies if the sender downloads their own transfer — unless you added yourself as one of the recipients. This is because WeTransfer can only confirm a recipient has downloaded when the recipient-specific link or account is used.
When a recipient downloads in one of the ways listed above, a checkmark will appear next to their email address in the transfer details. Hover over the checkmark to see the exact date and time of the download.
Tracked transfers
The status label switches to Downloaded as soon as the first download occurs, including downloads by the sender. Because tracked transfers require the downloader to be logged in to a WeTransfer account, the status label update is reliable from the first download.
Restricted transfers
Same as tracked: the status label updates to Downloaded on the first download, including downloads by the sender. Restricted transfers require the downloader to be logged in with an account that has been granted access to that specific transfer, so WeTransfer can always confirm the download.