Temporary Image Hosting - Temp Uploads That Delete Themselves
Upload a temporary image now. Upload a photo, screenshot or video up to 200MB, then set it to delete itself after 1 hour, 1 day, 1 week or 1 month - no account, no signup.
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Sometimes you don't want a link to stick around forever. YourImageShare's temporary image hosting lets you upload an image or video and set it to delete itself automatically after anything from 5 minutes to 1 year (1 hour, 1 day, 1 week and 1 month in between) - no account required, no need to remember to come back and clean it up.
Regular uploads stay permanent. Auto-deletion is entirely opt-in - turn it on per upload, while uploading, from that upload's own page, or through the API. Nothing changes for uploads you don't set an expiry on.
Temp Image Upload: Share a Photo That Deletes Itself
Use this as a temp image host when a picture only needs to be online for a while: a screenshot for a support chat, a photo for a listing, a document you would rather not leave on the internet. A temporary photo upload takes three steps:
- Add the image. Press Upload a Temporary Image and choose the file.
- Set the timer. Before you press Upload, tick Auto-delete and choose 5 minutes, 1 hour, 1 day, 7 days, 30 days, 6 months or 1 year. Forgot? Set it later from Edit details on the image's page.
- Share the link. When the time is up the file is deleted from storage and the link stops working.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Price | Free |
| Account | Not needed |
| How long a temp image can stay | 5 minutes, 1 hour, 1 day, 1 week, 1 month, 6 months or 1 year |
| Maximum file size | 200MB per file |
| What you can upload temporarily | JPG, PNG, GIF, WEBP, AVIF, BMP, TIFF, HEIC, and HEIF images; MP4, WEBM, and AVI videos |
| After it expires | The file and its thumbnail are removed and cannot be recovered |
Temporary Photo Hosting: Upload a Temp Picture
Temporary photo hosting works the same for a phone photo as for any other image. Take or pick the picture, upload it, and give it a time limit. Use it when you want to host an image temporarily rather than leave it online:
- Temporary photo upload from a phone: press the upload button, pick a photo from your gallery or take one with the camera, then set the timer on the photo's page.
- A temp picture for a chat or a listing: send the link, and the temp pic is gone after the hour, day, week or month you chose.
- Several photos at once: upload pictures temporarily as a group by selecting more than one file; each photo gets its own link and its own timer.
Photos keep their full resolution. JPG and PNG files are optimized to WebP at the same dimensions, and location data (EXIF) is removed on upload, so a temporary picture does not carry where it was taken.
What Is Temporary Image Hosting?
Normal image hosting (see our image hosting guide) keeps your files up until you delete them yourself. Temporary hosting flips that around: you attach an expiry time when you upload (or any time after, before it expires), and the platform handles the deletion for you. Once the time is up, the file is removed from storage and the link starts returning a "Gone" page instead of your content.
It's the same upload flow, the same direct links, embeds, and BBCode you'd get from any other upload on YourImageShare - the only difference is a self-destruct timer attached to the file.
Temporary vs. Permanent Image Hosting: Which Should You Use?
Both use the same upload and the same links. The only question is whether the image should still be there next year.
| Use permanent image hosting when | Use temporary image hosting when |
|---|---|
| The image is embedded somewhere that stays up: a blog post, documentation, a forum signature | The image only matters for a while: a support screenshot, a listing photo, a one-off share |
| Other people will keep following the link | The picture shows something private: an ID, an address, an account screen |
| You would have to re-upload and fix links if it disappeared | You would otherwise have to remember to come back and delete it |
You do not have to pick one for everything. The choice is made per upload, and it can be changed in either direction until the moment a temporary image expires.
How to Set an Expiry
The quickest way is while you upload: after choosing the file, tick Auto-delete in the upload window and pick how long it should last (5 minutes, 1 hour, 1 day, 7 days, 30 days, 6 months or 1 year). You can also add or change it later: on the item's own page, you'll see an Edit details button below the file (the same place you'd change its title or description). Open it, check Auto-delete this upload, and pick how long it should last:
| Option | Deletes after |
|---|---|
| 5 minutes | 5 minutes from when you save |
| 1 hour | 60 minutes from when you save |
| 1 day | 24 hours from when you save |
| 1 week | 7 days from when you save |
| 1 month | 30 days from when you save |
| 6 months | 180 days from when you save |
| 1 year | 365 days from when you save |
You can change your mind any time before it expires - reopen Edit details to pick a longer duration, or uncheck the box to remove the expiry and make the upload permanent again. Once it actually expires, though, that's final - the file is gone and can't be recovered.
If you're uploading through the API, you can set a custom
expiry directly at upload time with the expires_in parameter - anywhere from 60 seconds to
1 year, in whole seconds instead of a fixed preset.
Use Cases
One-Time Shares
Send a screenshot, ID, or document to one person and know it won't sit online indefinitely afterward.
Support Tickets
Attach a screenshot to a support conversation without leaving a permanent public link once the issue is resolved.
Promo Codes & Giveaways
Post a code or coupon image that stops working on its own once the promotion ends.
CI & Test Artifacts
Upload a build screenshot or test-run capture via the API with a short expiry, so debug output doesn't pile up.
Marketplace Listings
Post photos for something you're selling and have them disappear on their own once the listing's run its course.
Event Passes & QR Codes
Share a ticket, invite, or access QR code that expires right after the event so it can't be reused or reshared later.
Web vs. API
| Web | API | |
|---|---|---|
| Account required | ~ No - works on anonymous uploads too | ✗ Yes, API key required |
| Duration options | ~ 5 min / 1 hour / 1 day / 1 week / 1 month / 6 months / 1 year | ✓ Any value, 60s-1 year |
| Set at upload time | ✓ Yes, tick Auto-delete in the upload window | ✓ Set with expires_in on upload |
| Change or remove later | ✓ Yes, from Edit details | ✗ Not yet - re-upload instead |
Full API reference, including the exact expires_in parameter and response fields, is on
the API documentation page.
How It Works Behind the Scenes
Every few minutes, a background job checks for uploads whose expiry has passed. When it finds one, it
deletes the actual file and thumbnail from storage right away, and the upload's page starts returning a 410 Gone response - the standard way to say "this used to exist, and it's not coming
back," rather than a generic "not found."
Because deletion happens on a short cycle rather than instantly at the exact second, there can be a gap of a few minutes between the time you picked and the moment the file actually disappears. Don't rely on it for split-second timing - it's built for "gone within the hour," not "gone at 3:00:00pm exactly."
Frequently Asked Questions
What is temporary image hosting?
How long can a temporary upload last?
Can I undo or extend an expiry after the file is deleted?
Do I need an account to use temporary uploads?
Is regular image hosting on YourImageShare permanent?
Does an expired upload's link show an error?
Is there a free temp image host?
How do I upload a photo temporarily?
Is there temporary photo hosting that needs no account?
How do I host an image temporarily?
Can a link work only a set number of times?
Can I make a picture delete itself after one hour?
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