How to manage Protect and control in Dash

Admins Updated Aug 13, 2025

In this article

person icon

The information in this article applies to admins on Dropbox Dash.

The Protect and control section of the Dropbox Dash admin console provides powerful data governance features that help admins secure company files and manage sharing across the following connected apps:

  • Dropbox
  • Microsoft 365 (OneDrive and SharePoint)
  • Google Drive 

In this section, admins can view, control, and monitor who has access to files, helping organizations protect sensitive information, respond quickly to access issues, and keep accurate records of permission changes.

How to access the Protect and control page

The Protect and control page displays a table showing file ownership, document details, and sharing permissions for all connected apps.

To access the Protect and control page:

  1. Log in to dash.ai using your admin credentials.
  2. Click your avatar (profile picture or initials) in the bottom-left corner.
  3. Select Admin console from the dropdown menu. The Admin console opens with the Dash section already expanded, and you'll see Settings under Products → Dash.
  4. Click Protect and control under the Dash section in the left sidebar.
  1. Log in to dropbox.com using your admin credentials.
  2. Click Admin console in the left sidebar.
  3. Click Dash under the Products section to expand it.
  4. Click Protect and control.

How to use filters 

You can use filters to quickly find documents based on specific criteria, such as last modified date, file type, application, sharing status, and more. Preset filters make it easy to view common permission groupings, like files shared with personal accounts.

How to include or exclude apps

You can use the is (include) and is not (exclude) filters to control which apps appear on the Protect and Control page. By default, filters are set to is, but you can change them to is not to exclude certain criteria. For example, in the Link type filter, you can select options such as Restricted, Company, or Public, and then choose is not to exclude files with those link types. These filters make it easier to show or hide information about specific apps or file types, helping you focus on what matters most.

To include or exclude results:

  1. Log in to dash.ai using your admin credentials.
  2. Click your avatar (profile picture or initials) in the bottom-left corner.
  3. Select Admin console from the dropdown menu. The Admin console opens with the expanded Dash section, and you'll see Settings under Products → Dash.
  4. Click Protect and control under the Dash section in the left sidebar.
  5. Open and select the filter you would like to use.
  6. When the filter dropdown appears, choose is (to include) or is not (to exclude) details for the selected filter. The is filter is selected by default.
  1. Log in to dropbox.com using your admin credentials.
  2. Click Admin console in the left sidebar.
  3. Click Dash under the Products section to expand it.
  4. Click Protect and control.
  5. Open and select the filter you would like to use.
  6. When the filter dropdown appears, choose is (to include) or is not (to exclude) details for the selected filter. The is filter is selected by default.

How to add or remove a collaborator

To add or remove a collaborator on the Protect and control page:

  1. Log in to dash.ai using your admin credentials.
  2. Click your avatar (profile picture or initials) in the bottom-left corner.
  3. Select Admin console from the dropdown menu. The Admin console opens with the expanded Dash section, and you'll see Settings under Products → Dash.
  4. Click Protect and control under the Dash section in the left sidebar.
  5. If you want to:
    • Remove a collaborator, select the checkboxes next to one or more collaborators, click person-leave (remove collaborator), enter a collaborator name or select a collaborator type, type “CONFIRM”, then click Remove.
    • Add a collaborator, click share (add collaborator), enter a name, type “CONFIRM”, then click Add.
  1. Log in to dropbox.com using your admin credentials.
  2. Click Admin console in the left sidebar.
  3. Click Dash under the Products section to expand it.
  4. Click Protect and control.
  5. If you want to:
    • Remove a collaborator, select the checkboxes next to one or more collaborators, click person-leave (remove collaborator), enter a collaborator name or select a collaborator type, type “CONFIRM”, then click Remove.
    • Add a collaborator, click share (add collaborator), enter a name, type “CONFIRM”, then click Add.

How to view item details

You can view detailed information about an item in the Protect and control list. The following information is available for each item.

Item details Description
Item title and metadata

The top bar displays the title of the item you’re viewing. Just below the title, you’ll see important details such as:

 

  • Link access
  • App the item belongs to (for example, Dropbox)
  • Item age and last modified date
  • Unique identifier

 

Note: Some metadata may be missing if it isn’t available from the API.
Account list

The main table lists all accounts with access to the item. For each account, you’ll see:

 

  • Person’s name and avatar
  • Email address
  • Access level (such as Editor or Owner)
  • User type (shows if the account is part of your organization)
Sidebar filters

Once in the expand details view, you can use preset filters (like “Internal accounts”) or filter the list by:

  • User type
  • Access level
  • People
To view item details:
  1. Log in to dash.ai using your admin credentials.
  2. Click your avatar (profile picture or initials) in the bottom-left corner.
  3. Select Admin console from the dropdown menu. The Admin console opens with the expanded Dash section, and you'll see Settings under Products → Dash.
  4. Click Protect and control under the Dash section in the left sidebar.
  5. Click on an item to expand the details. Now, you can see the names, email addresses, and access levels for all collaborators. 
  1. Log in to dropbox.com using your admin credentials.
  2. Click Admin console in the left sidebar.
  3. Click Dash under the Products section to expand it.
  4. Click Protect and control.
  5. Click on an item to expand the details. Now, you can see the names, email addresses, and access levels for all collaborators. 

How to access the Reports page 

You can generate reports to view summaries of team files, folders, and shared drives. This lets you quickly identify files with risky permissions so you can take action where needed.

Learn how to view Protect and control reports in Dash.

How to view Action history page

The Action history section in the admin console logs every remediation action performed on items in Protect and control. You can review which actions succeeded or failed and find necessary details.

  1. Log in to dash.ai using your admin credentials.
  2. Click your avatar (profile picture or initials) in the bottom-left corner.
  3. Select Admin console from the dropdown menu. The Admin console opens with the expanded Dash section, and you'll see Settings under Products → Dash.
  4. Click Action history.
  5. Click the description of any entry in the Action history list. A drawer will open on the right, showing who performed the action and what changes were made, a list of items affected by the action, and the completion status or error messages.
  1. Log in to dropbox.com using your admin credentials.
  2. Click Admin console in the left sidebar.
  3. Click Dash under the Products section to expand it.
  4. Click Action history.
  5. Click the description of any entry in the Action history list. A drawer will open on the right, showing who performed the action and what changes were made, a list of items affected by the action, and the completion status or error messages.
Was this article helpful?

Let us know how why it didn't help:

Thanks for letting us know!

Thanks for your feedback!

Related Articles

View Protect and control reports in Dash

How to manage team security in Dropbox Dash

How to manage your team in Dropbox Dash

View team activity and stack reports in Dash

Other ways to get help

Icon depicting two people
Community
Twitter Icon
X
Icon depicting a speech bubble
Contact support