WeTransfer or a link: sending a heavy Keynote deck
If you build in Keynote and the deck is 300 MB, WeTransfer is the usual answer. It moves the file reliably. What it cannot do is open it: the person at the other end downloads a .key and needs Keynote on a Mac, iPhone or iPad to see a single slide.
What WeTransfer is good at
Moving large files to people who will work with them: the editor who needs the master, the client who archives source files. WeTransfer's help centre lists the free plan at up to 10 transfers or 3 GB in any rolling 30 days, and free transfers are only available for a limited number of days. For handing over source files, it is the right tool.
Where it falls short for a pitch
A transfer delivers a file. A pitch needs someone to watch it.
- The viewer downloads before seeing anything. On a phone, that is a long wait for a 300 MB file.
- A .key opens only in Keynote: nothing on Android, nothing on a Windows laptop.
- At most you learn the file was downloaded, not whether anyone reached slide 12.
- A revision means a new transfer and a new email, while the old file sits in their Downloads folder.
Side by side
WeTransfer's plans change; check their site for current limits.
| WeTransfer | Linkdeck | |
|---|---|---|
| What arrives | A .key file to download | A link that plays in the browser |
| Viewer needs Keynote | Yes | No |
| Opens on Android or Windows | No | Yes |
| Builds and video | Yes, once opened in Keynote | Yes, in the browser |
| Size | Free: 3 GB across 30 days | 200 MB per deck free, 500 MB on Pro |
| How long it lasts | A few days on free | 3 days free, permanent on Pro |
| Password | Paid plan | Pro |
| What you learn | Whether it was downloaded | Per-slide time, email gate (Pro) |
| Revision | New transfer, new email | Replace in place, same link (Pro) |
Use both
Send the link for viewing and keep WeTransfer for the source. The editor who needs the .key gets the transfer. The client, and whoever they forward it to, gets a link that plays on a phone with the clips still moving.
From .key to link
- In Keynote for Mac: File → Export To → HTML, and save the folder.
- Right-click the folder and choose Compress.
- Upload the .zip on linkdeck.me and copy the link.
- Paste it where the transfer link would have gone.
Questions
Can the client download the original from Linkdeck?
No. Linkdeck hosts the playable deck only and has no download button. If someone needs the .key or a PDF, send that separately; that is what WeTransfer is for.
Is 500 MB enough for a deck with video?
For most decks with a handful of clips, yes, if you export the clips at 1080p before placing them. Linkdeck does not re-encode video, so the clip you place is the clip that streams. Free decks can be 200 MB.
Does the viewer need an account?
No. The link opens in any modern browser on a phone, tablet or computer, with no app and no Apple ID.
Send the next heavy deck as a link
Export to HTML, compress the folder, upload. Free for one deck up to 200 MB; Pro (€12 a month) takes it to 500 MB with a permanent link.