Set up ShareX with imageserver

Use imageserver as your ShareX custom uploader: press a hotkey, and a link to the encrypted screenshot is in your clipboard a second later. Free, and set up in about two minutes.

Quick start

Create an account

Download the .sxcu

The Config Creator fills in your key for you.

Double-click it

ShareX imports it and offers to make it your uploader.

Step by step

Install ShareX. It is free and open source, and available for Windows from getsharex.com or the Microsoft Store.
Create your free account on the sign-up page. Your personal user key is created with it and sits in the dashboard.
Open the Config Creator while signed in. Your key is already filled in. Pick a URL style, the domains your links should use and, for Discord, an embed title and colour. Then press Download .sxcu.
Import it into ShareX. Double-click the downloaded file and confirm when ShareX asks whether to use it. Alternatively open Destinations › Custom uploader settings › Import and choose the file, or press Copy JSON in the Config Creator and import From clipboard.
Make it your destination. In the ShareX main window, set Destinations › Image uploader to Custom image uploader and Destinations › File uploader to Custom file uploader. Set Destinations › Text uploader to Custom text uploader as well, and text you upload from ShareX becomes an encrypted paste.
Take a screenshot. With ShareX's default hotkeys, Ctrl + Print Screen captures a region. When it is uploaded, the link is copied to your clipboard and the deletion link is saved in ShareX's history.

Which URL style to pick

Style	Discord shows	Pick it when
`private`	The preview you chose in the dashboard: blurred, full or none	You want the most privacy. The key sits behind `#`, so browsers never send it and the file is decrypted on the viewer's device. This is the recommended default.
`embed`	A card with your title, colour and the picture	Everyone in the channel should see the screenshot right away, without clicking.
`raw`	The file itself	The link goes into an `<img>` tag, a forum or anything else that expects a real file.

Every style is encrypted the same way. They differ in where the key travels and what a preview can show, see URL styles in the Upload API docs.

Expiry, download limits and folders

The Config Creator adds these under Per upload, or add them yourself under Arguments in ShareX's custom uploader settings, and they apply to every upload made with it:

expires deletes the upload after 1h, 6h, 12h, 24h, 7d or 30d, or keeps it with never.
maxDownloads ends the link after 1, 5, 10, 25 or 100 viewers, or never with unlimited.
folder files the upload into a folder of your dashboard, created on first use.
tags adds comma-separated tags, up to 10 per upload.

ShareX can also ask you every time, which is what Ask every upload in the Config Creator writes. Its {select:…} syntax shows a list to pick from before the upload, and {prompt:…} a text box with a default:

"Arguments": {
  "urlStyle": "private",
  "expires": "{select:never|24h|7d|30d}",
  "folder": "{prompt:Folder|Screenshots}"
}

The full list, including what happens when a setting in your dashboard disagrees, is in the Upload API docs.

Shorten links from ShareX

The URL shortener is a separate ShareX destination, so it comes as its own file. Press Download shortener .sxcu in the Config Creator, import it the same way and set Destinations › URL shortener to Custom URL shortener. It uses the same key and domains as the uploader.

ShareX then shortens any URL you copy and send through Upload › Shorten URL. The Shortener API docs cover custom codes and click counts.

Troubleshooting

What you see	What to do
Screenshots still go to Imgur or another host	The import worked, but the destination was not switched. Set Destinations › Image uploader to Custom image uploader.
`Invalid user key`	The key was regenerated since you downloaded the config. Download a fresh .sxcu from the Config Creator and import it again.
`Unsupported file type for your plan`	The type is read from the file extension, and some formats need a paid plan, see plans. If ShareX saves screenshots as WebP, switching it to PNG under Task settings › Image fixes it on the free plan.
`File size exceeds your plan limit`	The message names your limit. Recordings reach it quickly: lower the bitrate in ShareX's screen recording settings or upgrade.
`Storage quota exceeded`	Delete old uploads in the dashboard, or let new ones expire with the `expires` argument.
Discord shows no picture	With the `private` style, the preview is what you set under "Preview Image" in the dashboard. For a full picture, choose Full thumbnail there or switch the config to `embed`.
Changes in the config have no effect	"Override ShareX settings" is switched on in your dashboard, so your saved preferences win over the URL style, domains, title and colour of the config.
`Too many uploads`	More than 30 uploads within a minute. Wait a moment and retry.

ShareX shows the error text in its notification and keeps the full response under Debug › Show debug log.

Questions

Is imageserver free to use with ShareX?

Yes. The free plan is not a trial and has no time limit. Its storage and file size limits are listed on the plans page.

Does this work on macOS or Linux?

ShareX itself only runs on Windows. The upload endpoint behind it is plain HTTP, so any tool that can send a file with a POST request works, and the Upload API docs have curl examples for macOS and Linux.

Can I upload screen recordings and GIFs?

Yes. MP4, WebM and GIF are accepted on every plan, within its file size limit.

How do I delete an upload made with ShareX?

Every upload returns a deletion link, which ShareX saves in its history. Signed in, you can also delete uploads from the dashboard.

Can I use my own domain?

Paid plans can add their own domains. Once one is verified, choose "Own" under Domains in the Config Creator and download the .sxcu again.

Every screenshot is encrypted

Each upload gets its own random password and is encrypted with AES-256. The password comes back to you inside the link and is never stored, so a lost link is a lost file.

How the encryption works

Ready to set it up?

The Config Creator builds your .sxcu with your key and domains already in it.

Open the Config Creator