How to unshare a Dropbox file or folder

Updated Oct 10, 2023
person icon

 The information in this article applies to all Dropbox users, unless otherwise stated.

If you shared a file with someone, you can stop sharing it any time. To do so, you'll first need to know how you shared the file:

Learn how to tell which method you used to share a file.

highlight icon

Note: If the member you'd like to remove already downloaded the file or saved it to their Dropbox account, they'll still keep their copy of the file even if you unshare with them or delete a shared link.

How to delete a link to a file or folder

If a member gained access to a file or folder via a shared link you created, you can remove them by deleting the link. If you delete a link and click the Share button next to a file, all previous members still appear in the list, but the deactivated link no longer works for anyone. Anyone who tries to click a disabled link will get an error message.

highlight icon

Notes:
  • You can delete shared links that you didn’t create only if you have edit access, or if they’re web-based files, like Paper or Google docs.
  • Dropbox is moving to an updated shared link architecture where links are based on content rather than on users. This will affect how links are created and shared. The new links can be identified by the presence of an ‘rlkey’ parameter in the URL. For these links, the above behavior will perform differently:
    • Only users with edit access can delete shared links or modify link settings.
    • Instead of deleting a link, you can restrict access for certain users by following the instructions to remove a member from a file or folder below.
    • Users can add files or folders to their Dropbox accounts via shared links. If you want to remove someone’s access to a specific file or folder, you’ll need to both delete the shared link and remove the user from the access list.

How to remove a member from a file or folder

When you remove a member from a file, that person can no longer access your version of the file on dropbox.com or through their invite.

  1. Log in to dropbox.com.
  2. Click Shared in the left sidebar.
    • Click More in the left sidebar if you don’t see Shared.
  3. Click the “” (ellipsis) next to the folder you want to unshare.
  4. Select Share… next to the Dropbox icon.
  5. Click Who can access.
  6. Click the dropdown menu beside the name of the person you want to remove from the file.
  7. Click Remove.
highlight icon

Note: If the Remove option is greyed out, it's likely that the member is accessing the file or folder through a link to the file, rather than as an added member. If this is the case, you’ll see a message that says People who viewed via link can’t be removed from files. To remove access, you’ll need to delete the shared link that person is accessing the file from.

  1. Click Remove again.
Was this article helpful?

We’re sorry to hear that.
Let us know how we can improve.

Thanks for your feedback!
Let us know how this article helped.

Thanks for your feedback!

Community answers

Other ways to get help