Why Editing an Invoice Doesn't Update a Share Link You Already Sent

Here's a situation that catches people out. You send a client a share link, notice a typo in a line item, fix it, and save. The client opens the link, and the typo is still there. Nothing is broken. A share link doesn't point to your live invoice. It points to a copy of the invoice taken at the moment you created the link.

A Share Link Stores a Copy

When you create a share link, the server makes a random 48-character token and stores it with a full copy of the invoice as it is at that moment: line items, totals, notes, terms, logo, everything. When someone opens the link, the server reads that stored copy and returns it. It doesn't look up your current saved invoice at all.

That's intentional. Because the link holds its own copy, it shows exactly what you sent, even if you later edit, archive, or delete the original. A client can come back weeks later and see the version they agreed to. It also means an invoice saved only in your browser, which the server never stored, can still be shared, because the link carries its own data.

What This Means After You Edit

Editing and saving an invoice replaces the stored invoice in your workspace, but it doesn't touch any share link created earlier. Those links keep showing the version from when they were made. If the change matters (a corrected amount, a new due date, an added line item), the client needs a new link.

The fix is short:

1. Open the share dialog for the invoice. It lists the active links for that invoice.
2. Revoke the old link. Revoking sets a timestamp on the link, and from then on the server refuses to serve it.
3. Create a new link and send it. The new link copies the invoice as it is now.

Revoking first means the client can't open the outdated version by mistake from an earlier email.

The PDF QR Code Works the Same Way

When you're signed in and download a PDF of a saved invoice, the app adds a QR code that opens a share link. To do this, it first looks for an existing link for that invoice that hasn't expired and isn't password-protected. If it finds one, it reuses it. Only if there's none does it create a new link, valid for 30 days.

Reusing the link avoids creating a new one every time you download, but it has the same effect as above. If you edit an invoice and download the PDF again while an older link is still active, the QR code can lead to the older copy, even though the PDF itself shows your changes. If the QR code needs to match, revoke the old links before downloading again. The next download will create a fresh link from the current version.

Expiry and Passwords Are Fixed When the Link Is Created

Expiry and passwords are also set at the moment the link is created. You choose a lifetime from 1 to 30 days (7 by default) and can add a password of at least four characters, which is stored only as a bcrypt hash. Neither setting can be changed afterwards. To give a client more time or remove a password, create a new link with the settings you want and revoke the old one.

An expired link returns a clear "expired" response, not the invoice, and a revoked link responds as if it doesn't exist. In both cases the stored copy is no longer shown to anyone.

Where the Copy Doesn't Apply

The client portal works differently. A portal link gives a client a list of their documents, and each one is loaded from your workspace at the time it's opened, so edits appear there straight away. If you regularly revise invoices after sending them, the portal is the better way to keep clients on the current version. Share links are best when you want the client to see one fixed version.