Overview of the Dropbox team file system update

Overview

Dropbox updated the structure of team folders to make it more organized and easier to use. This change has already been rolled out to all eligible Dropbox team accounts.

If your team has already completed this migration, you‘re now using the new folder structure. This article explains what’s changed, how the new system works, and how to resolve common post-update issues.

What’s changed?

The updated team file system brings several structural and permission improvements:

• Unified team space: All team folders now live in a shared team space for better visibility and organization.
• Updated folder naming: The desktop folder name changed from “Dropbox [team name]” to “[Team name] Dropbox”.
• Personal folders: Every team member now has a personal folder in the team space.
• Centralized access control: Folder permissions cascade from top-level folders, allowing admins to manage access more consistently.
• Visible file paths: Folder paths now include the top-level folder name.
• Improved sharing transparency: When a subfolder is shared, members can see its parent folder path (but not its contents).

These changes make it easier for teams to manage shared workspaces, maintain consistent access, and collaborate securely.
 

What this means for your team

For team members

• You’ll find your files and folders in the new team space.
• Shared folders may appear under different paths than before.
• If a shared folder doesn’t appear on your desktop, check your selective sync settings for that folder.
  • You can also ask your team admin for a full folder path report to identify the top-level folder for your subfolders if needed.
• Some shortcuts, scripts, or third-party automations using old file paths may need to be recreated.
• Existing team folders default to the availability setting for new files. Make sure to check that any folders that need to be available offline, are.

For admins

• Team folders and permissions can now be managed in one central location.
• Permissions for top-level folders automatically apply to subfolders unless manually changed.
• You can still control whether team members can create or manage team folders. Learn more about team folders.
• Check sharing and access permissions for top-level folders in the Manage access settings:
  • To prevent team members from managing access to a top-level folder, set to Admin only for top-level folders and Team members who can edit for subfolders. Learn more about managing access settings.
  • The default for the Manage access setting on team folders depends on where the team folder is created. For example, new folders created in: 
    • “/browse” will be set to Team members who can edit by default.
    • The content manager by an admin will be set to Admin only by default.
• You can request a folder path report from Dropbox Support to review folder structure and sync settings.