How to manage shared links in the Dropbox Protect dashboard

Admins Updated May 13, 2026

Admins can monitor active links shared across connected apps. This helps identify items with open access, such as public or company-wide links, and take action to reduce risk. By reviewing link types, access levels, and usage patterns, admins can align document access with company policies and protect sensitive information at scale.

Link types and access levels

Protect classifies links by who can access them and what they can do with the content. Admins can review link types and access levels to identify unintended exposure, such as public links with edit access, and take corrective actions.

Link types

Link types indicate who can access the item through the link:

Restricted: Only specific collaborators can access the item
Company: Anyone in your organization with the link can access the item
Public: Anyone on the internet with the link can access the item
Outside: Shared with an external domain
Guest: Shared with collaborators in your organization and specific external accounts that have been granted access (Microsoft files shared by adding the "Everyone" group only).
Targeted: Shared with a defined group of accounts
External: Owned outside your organization and accessed internally via a public link
Unknown: Link type couldn’t be identified by the source app

Note: Dropbox items may show link status as Unavailable.

Link access levels

Link access levels define what users can do once they access the item via the link:

Edit: Can modify content
Comment: Can comment but not edit
View: Can only view the content
Edit via top-level/View top-leve: Access given from a top-level folder with a Company or Public link

How to view shared links

Protect helps admins monitor how content is shared across connected apps by showing all links in one place. This makes it easier to identify broad or unintended access, such as public or company-wide links, and take action to protect sensitive content.

You can view link-sharing details in two ways:

From the Protect dashboard
From the details drawer of individual items

In both views, you can see:

Link type
Access levels
Direct link URL (if available)
Who the item is shared with
Whether access is inherited from a top-level folder

View shared links on the Protect dashboard

Use the Link type and Permissions columns on the Protect dashboard to see how each item is shared. Apply preset or custom filters to narrow the results and focus on specific access types.

Learn how to use filters on the Dropbox Protect dashboard.

Log in to Dropbox Protect. Learn more about accessing Protect.
Select a filter in the left sidebar.
- Use Open company links or Open public links to quickly find links with broad access.
- Use the Link type filter to view specific categories, such as Restricted, Guest, or Targeted.
Click an item row to view details.
Click the Links section to see the details about the shared link.

How to add a link

To make content accessible to others in your organization or on the internet, you can add a Company or Public link.

Note: Use caution when adding a link, as it may increase exposure to sensitive content.

Log in to Dropbox Protect. Learn more about accessing Protect.
Select one or more items using the checkboxes.
Click the Add link type (share) icon.
In the Link type dropdown, select Company or Public.
In the Permission drop-down, select Edit, Comment, or View.
Type CONFIRM, then click Add.

How to remove a shared link

To limit access to a link, you can remove it from an item.

Note: Removing the link does not remove collaborator access. To fully remove access, stop sharing the link or use the remove collaborator action.

Log in to Dropbox Protect. Learn more about accessing Protect.
Select one or more items.
Click the Remove link type (remove link) icon.
Select the link type you want to remove.
Type CONFIRM, then click Remove.

How to stop sharing a link

To remove all existing collaborators and links from an item, you can stop sharing a link.

Notes:

Items that no longer have an owner or collaborator may become inaccessible.
For Dropbox items, admins can add collaborators back on the Dropbox Content tab.

Log in to Dropbox Protect. Learn more about accessing Protect.
Select one or more items.
Click the Stop sharing (lock) icon.
Type CONFIRM, then click Stop sharing.

How to add or remove a collaborator

Admins can add or remove collaborators from items in the Protect dashboard. This includes internal users, outside domains, and personal accounts.

Note: Use caution when adding or keeping access for personal or outside collaborators. These accounts may fall outside your organization’s control.

Add a collaborator

Log in to Dropbox Protect. Learn more about accessing Protect.
Select one or more items using the checkboxes.
Click the Add collaborator (person) icon.
Enter a name or email address in the Collaborator field.
Type CONFIRM, then click Add.

Remove a collaborator

Note: Items without an owner or collaborator may become inaccessible in their apps. For Dropbox items, admins can add collaborators back on the Content tab.