What is Bitwarden Send and why should you be using it?

Data security is an absolute must for anyone who wants to keep their sensitive information under lock and key. Without strong security measures, it's only a matter of time before your data is stolen or leaked and the ramifications of that are obvious to anyone who makes use of technology (which is pretty much everyone).

To that end, all consumers and business users should be working with a password manager to not only keep your authentication credentials safe but make it easier for you to employ very strong passwords that are far less likely to be cracked.

But password managers are no longer only about keeping your passwords under lock and key. Some password managers also include other features that make them an even more attractive solution for those seeking to improve the security of their everyday digital life.

Like many password managers, Bitwarden goes the extra mile with several very handy features. One of those features is called Bitwarden Send. With Bitwarden Send you can securely transmit information, via end-to-end encryption, so the only person who can view the text or file is the recipient. With Bitwarden Send you share either a typed message or an attached file and can even set an auto-destruct and/or an expiration date, so you can be certain the sent file will only be available for a set period. You can also password protect whatever you transmit, to add even more security.

Bitwarden Send is available on web-based, desktop, and mobile clients, so you can securely share from any device. Send is available on both free and paid accounts, the only caveat being the free accounts are limited to text only (so no file attachments).

Let's see how Bitwarden Send works.

I'm going to demonstrate on the Bitwarden Desktop client, but the process is similar, regardless of which platform you use.

Open your Bitwarden client and you should see the Send button near the bottom left corner of the window (Figure 1).

Click the Send button to reveal the Send interface (Figure 2).

To create your first Send, click + at the bottom center of the screen. In the resulting window (Figure 3), give the Send a name, select the type of Send, if it's a file click Choose File and locate the file in your default file manager, and then click to expand the OPTIONS section.

Expand the OPTIONS section to reveal the following:

• Deletion Date - specify a timeframe for when the Send will be permanently deleted.

• Expiration Date - specify a timeframe for when the Send will expire.

• Maximum Access Count - specify the number of times the Send can be accessed.

• Password - specify a password for the Send.

• Notes - add any notes you want for the Send.

• Hide my email address from recipients - enable/disable.

• Disable this send so no one can access it - enable/disable.

To make things even easier, click the checkbox associated with Copy the link to share this Send to my clipboard upon save. This does exactly what it says and copies the link to your desktop clipboard. All you then need to do is click the Save button and paste the Send link into an email or a message and share it. When the recipient clicks on the link, they'll be taken to a Bitwarden web page, where they can access the contents of the Send.

Unless you add a Deletion Date, the Send objects will remain in your Bitwarden client, so you can reuse them at any time.

And that is all there is to using this handy Bitwarden feature. Use Send wisely and it will ensure you're sending information and files to recipients with a heightened level of security.

Are you ready to get started with Bitwarden? Start a free trial for your business or sign up for a free individual account.

Jack Wallen is an award-winning author and avid supporter of open source technologies. He has covered open source, Linux, security, and more for publications including TechRepublic, CNET, ZDNet, The New Stack, Tech Target and many others since the 1990s in addition to writing over 50 novels.