If you opt to make your Drive private, all of your files will be encrypted. ArDrive uses AES-256-GCM, which we believe is the best encryption standard currently available. AES-256-GCM is the current standard for top-secret military information. Learn more

Additionally, every private file has its own ‘private key’ based on the key from the user’s Arweave wallet combined with their password.  This makes it only possible for the content to be accessed by the person with that ‘private key’ (you) and the people that they share it with. 

Can I make private files public?

Private Drives can't be converted into Public Drives yet. But any files in your Private Drive can be shared with anyone you want. 

Learn how to share files and share Drives in ArDrive

Can I make public files private?

No, Arweave is a public data protocol..  Public files can never be made private.  Once you have made a file public it will always be public. There is no way to undo this. 

NOTE: Sharing a private file with someone gives access to that file forever.

Can my public files be searched on the internet?

Yes, your public files can be searched on the internet. 

In the future, you will be able to move private files to public, but once they are public you will not have the ability to make them private again. 

This is a new powerful type of innovation and technology that offers many exciting possibilities.

We urge you to carefully consider what you want to make public, because once it is uploaded to the permaweb it will be there forever.

Can my private documents stay private forever?

Yes, your private documents can stay private. The only way they can become accessible is if you move them to a public folder, where they become available to everyone, or if you share the file with someone else.