Practical guide

Let someone help maintain the archive without sharing your password

Last materially reviewed 2026-09-28

Quick answerHand over a documented task and appropriately permitted copies—not an account password or an assumed right to transfer ownership.
What to know

Define the help needed

A helper may organize a working selection, check recovery copies or identify people in old photos. None of these automatically requires control of the main account. Write the task, scope and acceptance condition in plain language. Keep a separate record of who is responsible for approving changes to the master collection.

What to know

Use supported access methods

Prefer appropriate sharing permissions or independently provided copies for the task. pCloud’s general terms say user accounts are not transferable. Do not assume a household relationship overrides account rules, or that handing someone a password creates a valid succession plan. Legal authority and estate arrangements require suitable advice beyond this publication.

What to know

Provide a small operating note

Describe the folder structure, source labels, accepted versus pending batches, independent-copy location by reference and the last recovery check. Keep passwords and recovery codes out of ordinary shared notes. A helper should be able to understand what remains unknown without receiving every private detail in the archive.

What to know

A fictional handover test

Ask the helper to locate a named non-sensitive sample, explain which copy is the master and identify the next unresolved batch. If they cannot, simplify the note before granting broader access. The objective is maintainability while the owner remains in control, not an undocumented transfer of the account or a promise about future inheritance access.

What to know

Separate task authority from account ownership

Record what the helper may change, what must remain untouched and who accepts the result. Use a working selection when the task does not require the master. Do not turn a helpful household role into an assumed legal right to control an account. If long-term succession is the actual concern, retain independent usable copies and obtain suitable advice rather than relying on an undocumented password handover.

Continue when useful

Next: Archive readme

Keep a short ordinary document explaining structure, sources and uncertainty; do not make one gallery the only place the archive makes sense.

Open Archive readme →

Sources used for this page

These records support the facts and comparisons above. Merchant-controlled records are labelled so you can separate product claims from independent evidence.

  1. pCloud service terms — Merchant documentation · pcloud.com · Merchant-controlled · checked 2026-09-28
  2. pCloud folder invitations — Merchant documentation · help.pcloud.com · Merchant-controlled · checked 2026-09-28