--- title: "Questions people ask · Privatta" description: "Whether the other person needs Privatta, whether both computers have to be on, and whether the file passes through a server." url: "https://royalsoftworks.com/products/privatta/vs/google-drive/questions/" source: "https://royalsoftworks.com" format: "markdown" note: "Markdown rendering of the HTML page at `url`. Same content, same canonical URL." --- Privatta vs Google Drive · 3 of 3 # Questions people ask. Whether the other person needs Privatta, whether both computers have to be on, and whether the file passes through a server. ## Questions people ask 01 Is Privatta encrypted? Yes. Over the internet, the transfer is encrypted between the two machines after a one-time key and a separate security code have both been checked. On a local network it travels over an encrypted connection too. 02 Does the recipient need an account? Accounts in Privatta live on your own machine, not in a cloud directory. You can create a user for the person you are sending to, or mark a file for everyone and let them connect as a guest. 03 Does the person receiving the file need Privatta? Yes. The file goes directly from one copy of Privatta to another, so it runs on both ends. The recipient can use the Windows app (Linux is to follow) or the Android app, which can browse and download what you have shared with them. 04 Do both computers need to be on at the same time? Yes. The file comes straight from your machine, so Privatta has to be running on your side while the other person takes it. If that is impractical for a particular job, a link-based service is the better fit for that job. 05 Does the file pass through any server? No. Over the internet, a small open-source relay introduces the two machines with a key that works once, then steps aside, and the file travels directly between them, encrypted. On a local network no outside server is involved at all. You can run your own copy of the relay. 06 Can I keep using Google Drive? Yes. Most people keep Drive for shared documents and use Privatta for the files that should not go into it. ## See a direct transfer for yourself The free version needs no account and no card. Put it on two machines in the same office and send something big: nothing leaves the building on the way. [Download Privatta free](https://royalsoftworks.com/download/#privatta) [Privatta vs WeTransfer](https://royalsoftworks.com/products/privatta/vs/wetransfer/) [Previous When to use which.](https://royalsoftworks.com/products/privatta/vs/google-drive/which-to-use/) [All of Privatta vs google drive](https://royalsoftworks.com/products/privatta/vs/google-drive/)