The Dropbox Family plan: an overview
With Dropbox Family, each member of the plan has their own Dropbox account. They can manage their own files and folders and decide what to share with other Family members. A single person, the Family manager, will manage the billing and memberships for the entire Family plan.
Dropbox stores your files online in the cloud. Each Family plan member can access and share the files and folders stored in their Dropbox accounts from any device, using the Dropbox desktop app, mobile app, and dropbox.com.
Dropbox Family features
Dropbox Family gives customers access to all of the same features available in both the Dropbox Basic and Dropbox Plus plans, plus access to the shared "Family Room" folder. These features help you organize, share, and protect your family’s important files, from documents to photos.
Family Room folder
The Family Room folder is a place where your family can organize and access all types of files, from receipts and tax documents to photos and school work. When you upload or create files and folders inside the Family Room folder, all Family plan members will automatically have access to them.
Online-only files and folders
Online-only files and folders help save hard drive space on your computer. Content stored as online-only can be accessed when connected to the Internet from dropbox.com, the Dropbox desktop app, and Dropbox mobile app.
Dropbox Vault
Dropbox Vault is a feature that lets you create a location in Dropbox with an additional layer of security for your most sensitive files. You can share your vault with trusted contacts and, like a Dropbox folder, you can access it from anywhere you use Dropbox.
Dropbox Passwords
Dropbox Passwords is a mobile app and browser extension that stores and syncs your passwords across devices. You can use Passwords to save your account usernames and passwords, suggest new passwords, sync logins across your devices, and autofill them when you log into websites and mobile apps.
Dropbox Backup
Dropbox Backup allows you to automatically back up key folders from your computer and external hard drive to Dropbox. With Dropbox Backup, you can also restore files and folders from your backups onto a new computer.
You can access your backed up files and folders here.
Dropbox Paper
Dropbox Paper is an online document workspace where you can edit and format text, plus organize and display media and other files. You can use Paper to create and safely store your own documents, or easily share with your Family members. You can create and open Paper docs from anywhere you use Dropbox including dropbox.com, the Dropbox desktop app, and the Dropbox and Paper mobile apps.
Camera uploads
Camera uploads lets you automatically upload photos from your mobile device to your own Dropbox account. Once you enable camera uploads, your photos are saved in a folder called "Camera Uploads". You can access this folder from anywhere you use Dropbox and move or share your photos like any other files in your Dropbox account.
Note: Photos uploaded to your account aren't automatically shared with other Family plan members.
Full-text search
Full-text search helps you find files using keywords and file types, rather than only file names. You can search for files and folders in your own Dropbox account as well as content that has been shared with you by other Family members. You can use full-text search anywhere you use Dropbox.
File recovery
File version history helps you recover any file edits or deletions made within the last 30 days. An additional tool, Dropbox Rewind, lets you undo a large number of changes or revert your entire Dropbox account to an earlier state. You can only recover, restore, and Rewind files and folders from your individual account on dropbox.com.
Remote wipe
Remote wipe helps protect your data if a device is lost or stolen. With remote wipe, you can delete the entire Dropbox folder from a device the next time it connects to the internet. You can only use the remote wipe option from dropbox.com.
Security
Dropbox is designed with multiple layers of protection to secure your files. You can take the extra step of enabling two-step verification (also known as two-factor authentication or 2FA) to keep your account safe. With two-step verification you’ll need a security code, in addition to your password, to log in to your account or link a new device. You can only enable two-step verification from dropbox.com and will need a mobile device capable of receiving security codes via text message or an authenticator app.
Setting up your Dropbox Family plan
As the manager of a Dropbox Family plan, you can invite up to 5 more members, ages 13 years or older in the United States and 16 or older anywhere else, to join your plan. If invited members don’t already have their own Dropbox account, they can create one when they accept your invitation.
- Log in to dropbox.com.
- Click your avatar (profile picture or initials) in the top-right corner.
- Click Settings.
- Click Family.
From here, you can invite new members by email or with a link, check the status of invites, delete unanswered invites, and remove members from the plan.
- Log in to dropbox.com.
- Click your avatar (profile picture or initials) in the top-right corner.
- Click Manage account.
- Click Subscriptions in the left sidebar.
- Under Space, you can see how much storage space has been used, and how usage is divided between individual files and shared files.
Sharing files and folders with Family members
The Family plan provides a total of 2 TB of storage space that members can use for their own files and folders. Each Family member can add files and folders to their own accounts from their computer or mobile device.
Learn more about adding files to your Dropbox account from your desktop or mobile device.
Plan members can also share files and folders with each other without using additional storage space. When sharing content, you can decide whether others can edit or only view the things you share. Dropbox is accessible with the Dropbox desktop app, mobile app, and on dropbox.com, so your Family members can share content no matter what device or operating system they use.
- Log in to dropbox.com.
- Hover over the item you’d like to share.
- Click Share.
- Select can view or can edit from the dropdown menu.
- If a link hasn't been created, click Create.
- Click Copy link.
- The link will be copied to your clipboard. You can then paste it into an email, chat, or any other communication channel.
Learn more about sharing files and folders with your Family plan.
FAQs
How can I get the Dropbox Family plan?
If you already have a Dropbox account, you can switch to the Family plan in your account settings.
To switch to the Family plan:
- Log in to dropbox.com.
- Click your avatar (profile picture or initials) in the top-right corner.
- Click Manage account.
- Click Change Plan and follow the prompts to switch to Family.
If you don’t already have a Dropbox account, you can purchase the Family plan directly.
Who can I invite to my Dropbox Family plan?
Anyone ages 13 years or older in the United States and 16 or older anywhere else can be invited to Dropbox Family, up to 6 members in total. If they don’t already have a Dropbox account, invited members can create one when they join a Family plan.
Can the other members of my Family plan see the files I save to Dropbox?
Each member of your Dropbox Family plan has their own, private account. Only the files you choose to share can be viewed or edited by others.
Note: If you create or move files or folders inside a shared folder or the Family Room folder, they'll automatically be shared with everyone who has access to the folder.
How can I get support from Dropbox?
Family plan members can get help from the Dropbox help center, Quick Start Guides, community, and by email. Family managers can also request chat support.
