FAQ
Facts, Answers, Qt3.14s
General
- How long does Catbox keep files for?
- Forever. If you don't want your file to stick around until the heat death of the universe, use Litterbox.
- Is NSFW content allowed?
- Yes! Upload your weird hentai, SFM masterpieces, and anything else that gets your rocks off, provided it doesn't go against the below.
- What file types aren't allowed?
- The following file types are currently not allowed: .exe, .scr, .cpl, .doc*, .jar
- Banned Content
- Do not upload: Child pornography, viruses/malware, entire episodes of anime, or full length episodes of TV shows, heavy gore, sexualized depictions of minors, bestiality and sexual violence. I will purge your account/uploads if anything you upload violates these rules. See our Acceptable Use Policy and Terms of Service for more info.
- You cannot use Catbox for commercial services without prior approval. Examples include: a CDN (Content Delivery Network); image host for your business/ecommerce site (embedding hotlinks to Catbox files on your Wordpress site); or as source for videos that are streamed on sites other than files.catbox.moe directly.
- Clarification on the above: this only applies to files that are hotlinked outside of Catbox. If you create art, animations, or otherwise, you are free to distribute your creations via Catbox.
- Should you violate any of the above banned content, your offending files will be deleted, your account (should you have one) banned, and your IP blacklisted.
- But what if I really wanna upload [insert banned content]?
- The file is going to be deleted, and you're going to get banned.
- Are you a pomf.se clone?
- Yes/No. The site is based around pomf's "simple sharing" aspect, but no code comes from pomf.
- Are you (F)(L)OSS?
- no.
- Does Catbox use/support any AI technology, for example model training?
- Catbox does not and will not have any agreements with any generative AI companies.
- Why don't you release your source?
- Because a lot of it is messy and I don't like competition.
- ShareX code?
- Here.
- Why are my .html/.php/.ht* files being served as plain text?
- Throughout the entire month of November 2016 I had a massive amount of phishing pages being uploaded.
- Why can't I upload .gif files bigger than 20 MB?
- GIF format sucks - use webm if you need an animation bigger than 20 MB.
- I'm having issues seeing files on files.catbox.moe/I can't access any files!
- See "Connectivity Issues" below.
- How can I support Catbox?
- Thanks! You can donate with card via Patreon!
- How can Catbox run at a deficit of money?
- I'm an adult with a full time job that pays well, and my free income lets me spot the difference.
Connectivity Issues
- Why can't I access Catbox/access files on Catbox (files.catbox.moe)?
- Good question! It turns out certain governments in the world hate freedom of information, don't have net neutrality, don't see online service providers as legally exempt entities, or a combination of the three!
- You will have issues accessing Catbox/files on Catbox if you are connecting from the following countries or providers:
- Austrailia
- Why? - The Australian government had a heart attack after the Christchurch shooting, and decided that Catbox was a terrorist propaganda spreading website, and has instructed multiple Australian ISPs to implement DNS blocks of Catbox's domains.
- How to resolve? - Changing your DNS servers to a public server (i.e. 8.8.8.8, 76.76.2.0, or 208.67.222.222) or utilizing DoH should mitigate this problem.
- Ireland/UK
- Why? - Unfortunately the love of footy has overtaken the sensibilites of the British and Irish governments, and they have decided to implement an IP level block on Catbox's primary IP address, due to clips of games being uploaded to Catbox..
- How to resolve? - You will need to utilize a VPN in order to evade this traffic hijack.
- Iran
- Why? - Unknown, but I'm sure you can probably make some pretty accurate guesses.
- How to resolve? - You will need to use a VPN to bypass the IP-level block.
- Afghanistan
- Why? - Unknown, but I'm sure you can probably make some pretty accurate guesses.
- How to resolve? - You will need to use a VPN to bypass the IP-level block.
- Comcast/Comcast Business
- Why? - Comcast Business' "SecurityEdge" hijacking attack intecepts traffic going towards Catbox. Residential customers are blocked by "xFi Advanced Security" I have been unable to determine if this is a DNS level block, or an IP level block.
- How to resolve? - Comcast Residential: Disable the "xFi Advanced Security" hijack on your router. Comcast Business: Disable the "SecurityEdge" hijack on your account. See here.
- Spectrum
- Why? - Spectrum's "SecurityEdge" hijacking attack intercepts DNS requests for Catbox for an unknown reason.
- How to resolve? - Spectrum Residential customers should disable the "SecurityEdge" hijack in their router/account settings, or use a VPN to bypass the hijack.
- Rogers
- Why? - Unknown. It appears to be dynamically filtering web traffic to Catbox.
- How to resolve? - Disable the "Advanced Security" hijack attack in your Rogers settings
- Verizon
- Why? - Unknown. This is a DNS based block, which means Verizon's DNS servers are returning no result for catbox.moe.
- How to resolve? - Changing your DNS servers to a public server (i.e. 8.8.8.8, 76.76.2.0, or 208.67.222.222) or utilizing DoH should mitigate this problem.
- Quad9
- Why? - Quad9 actually pulls an aggregate list of URL blacklists and uses them for their filtered DNS service. Catbox is frequently added to no-name blacklists for various reasons.
- How to resolve? - Use Quad9's alternative DNS server 9.9.9.10, or switch to another public DNS server.
Security
- What information is kept on users?
- Your IP address is stored with your account. You shouldn't think it's private information anyways.
- Why do you need an email address?
- Because it helps if I ever need to contact you. You don't need to put in a real email. I never validate them - you'll just miss out on my love letters!
- Why do you need to keep my IP address?
- For security purposes. IP addresses are kept with accounts in the database, and normal access logs are wiped monthly.
- What happens if my file receives a DMCA claim/removal request?
- If your file is actually copyright infringing, it's going to get deleted. I have the sole discretion of determining that.
- protip for avoiding your file getting reported: don't post the link publicly, like on a forum.
- Does Catbox modify my files in any way?
- No. Your files are a 1-to-1 copy of the file you upload. We do not remove EXIF data, extraneous metadata, or anything else you might have hidden in the image. We also do not compress/resize your images.
If you have any other questions, email me.