How to rename a file or folder

Updated Oct 10, 2023

Renaming on dropbox.com Renaming on a mobile device Renaming on the Dropbox desktop app

The information in this article applies to all Dropbox users.

You can rename files or folders in your Dropbox account in three different ways:

On dropbox.com
From the Dropbox mobile app
From the Dropbox desktop application

Note: Renaming a shared folder only changes the folder name in your Dropbox account. Limiting a rename to your Dropbox account helps avoid confusion for the other members of the shared folder.

Renaming on dropbox.com

Log in to dropbox.com.
Click All files in the left sidebar.
- You can also click Folders in the left navigation bar to locate your file.
Select the name of the folder you want to rename.
Hover over the name of the file or folder and click "..." (ellipsis).
- If you’re in grid view, click “⁝” (vertical ellipsis).
Click Rename.

Note: You can view pages in a document, scrub through a video, or flip through the contents of a folder without opening it. To do so, make sure you’re using grid layout, then move your cursor horizontally across the file or folder.

Renaming on a mobile device

Open the Dropbox app.
Tap the “⁝” (vertical ellipsis) to the right of the file or folder you'd like to rename.
Select Rename from the menu that pops up at the bottom of your screen.

Open the Dropbox app.
Tap the "..." (ellipsis) next to the file or folder name you'd like to change.
Tap Rename.

While viewing a file, you can also rename it from the file action menu (…).

Renaming on the Dropbox desktop app

On your computer, rename the file or folder as you normally would. For example, click the file, wait a moment, and then click the filename again to edit it.

The new name appears on all devices linked to your Dropbox account and on dropbox.com.

Note: This process is different for shared folders.

Learn more about renaming shared folders.

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