How to share in Dropbox

Updated Dec 20, 2024

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

When you share a file or folder in Dropbox, the recipient will receive an email with a link to access it. To view or edit the shared content, recipients must have a Dropbox account and be logged in. If they don’t have an account or prefer not to log in, you can share a view-only link instead.

Learn how to manage your default sharing settings.

Not using Dropbox yet? See how Dropbox helps you easily share folders.

How to share Dropbox files or folders

Follow the steps below to learn how to send and share files through Dropbox:

Log in to dropbox.com.
Hover over the file or folder you’d like to share and click Share.
- 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.
Select Add people.
Type the Email, name, or group of the person (or people) you’d like to share it with, and click to select them from the results.
- Note: You can invite as many people as you’d like.
Select Can edit or Can view.
Add a note if you’d like.
Click Share file or Share folder.

The person or group will receive an email with a link to the file or folder.

Open the Dropbox folder in File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac).
Right-click the file or folder you’d like to share.
Select Share… next to the Dropbox icon.
Type the Email, name, or group of the person (or people) you’d like to share it with, and click to select them from the results.
- Note: You can invite as many people as you’d like.
Select Can edit or Can view.
Add a note if you’d like.
Click Share file or Share folder.

The person or group will receive an email with a link to the file or folder.

Open the Dropbox mobile app.
Tap “⁝” (vertical ellipsis on Android) or “…” (ellipsis on iOS) next to the folder you’d like to share.
Tap Share.
Tap Invite to file (file) or +Invite (folder).
Tap under Send to and type the Email, name, or group of the person (or people) you’d like to share the file or folder with.
Tap to select them from the results.
- Note: You can invite as many people as you’d like.
Tap to select Can edit (view, comment, and edit) or Can view (view and comment but not edit).
- Tap Close on iOS.
Tap Optional message on Android or Message (optional) on iOS to add a message, if required.
Tap Share.

Notes:

If you’re on a Dropbox team account and you share a folder with your teammates, they'll automatically join the shared folder.
If you share a folder with an individual Dropbox user, the user needs to manually join the folder.
Anyone who’s invited to collaborate in a file or folder can create their own link to share with others.
- If you’re an admin on a Dropbox team, you can control the access settings for folders. Learn how to manage shared link settings for your team.
- If you’re a member of a Dropbox team account, you can still choose who you want to share the link with, even if the team admin changes default link sharing settings.
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:
- Users with view-only access can only create view-only links, but users with edit access can create both edit or view-only links if links have not already been created.
- Only one edit link and one view-only link can exist per file or folder.

How to share a link to a Dropbox file or folder

You can generate a link to any file or folder in your Dropbox account and share it with others. When sharing via a link, you can grant recipients either edit or view-only access. You can also customize and manage their permissions in your default sharing settings for greater control.

Not using Dropbox yet? See how Dropbox helps you easily share folders.

How to create and share a Dropbox link

Log in to dropbox.com.
Hover over the file or folder you’d like to share and click Share.
- 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.
Click Copy link.
Click Manage.
- Select Link for editing for a link with edit access.
- Select Link for viewing for a link with view-only access.
Select Link for editing.
Click Copy link.

The link is copied to your clipboard. You can then paste it into an email, message, or wherever people can access it.

Notes:

If the link recipient is a member of a Dropbox team, their ability to edit content depends on their team’s permissions.
If someone receives a shared link or shared file with view-only permissions, they won't be able to edit the original file.

How to create and share a Dropbox link with view-only access

Log in to dropbox.com.
Hover over the file or folder you’d like to share and click Share.
- 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.
Click Copy link.
Click Manage.
Select Link for viewing.
Click Copy link.

The link is copied to your clipboard. You can then paste it into an email, message, or wherever people can access it.

Open the Dropbox folder in File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac).
Right-click or command-click the file or folder you’d like to share.
Click Copy Dropbox link under Quick Actions.

The link is automatically copied to your clipboard. You can paste it in an email or message to share it with recipients. Once your recipients click the link, they’ll be prompted to request access to the content you’re sharing. You’ll receive these requests via email, and can approve them there.

Open the Dropbox mobile app.
Tap “⁝” (vertical ellipsis on Android) or “…” (ellipsis on iOS) next to the folder you’d like to share.
Tap Share.
Tap Invite to file (file) or +Invite (folder).
Tap under Send to and type the Email, name, or group of the person (or people) you’d like to share the file or folder with.
Tap to select them from the results.
- Note: You can invite as many people as you’d like.
Tap to select Can edit (view, comment, and edit) or Can view (view and comment but not edit).
- Tap Close on iOS.
Tap Optional message on Android or Message (optional) on iOS to add a message, if required.
Tap Share.

How to manage links with edit or view-only access

You can make changes to a file or folder link after sharing it.

Learn how to manage Dropbox sharing permissions.

There are some exceptions to this, including if:

You remove someone’s access and they still have a file or folder link, they could regain access. To prevent them from regaining access, remove the link to the file or folder.
Someone you’ve shared a folder link with has joined that folder, the link permissions you set will no longer apply.
You invite someone to a file or folder with access, they can create their own link to share with someone else. You can’t manage those shared links, so be sure to only share with people you trust.

Can I protect my link with a passcode?

You can add passwords to shared links if you’re a Professional, Standard, Advanced, or Enterprise customer.

Customizing links and settings

Dropbox Professional, Standard, Advanced, Business, Business Plus, and Enterprise customers can change link settings and customize shared links with professional branding.

Things to be aware of when sharing links to Dropbox files and folders

Customers on Dropbox Professional, Essentials, Standard, Advanced, Business, Business Plus, and Enterprise can set additional shared link permissions like passwords and expiration dates.
You can't create a shared link to a restricted folder.
Team admins may change default link sharing settings, but team members can still choose who they want to share the link with.
If you receive a shared link, you'll only be able to access the file or folder on dropbox.com.

Will my Dropbox link automatically grant edit access to my folder?

If you’re on a Dropbox Basic, Professional, or Plus account, you can give other Dropbox users edit access to your Dropbox files or folders via a link.

If you share with someone without a Dropbox account, they’ll only be able to preview the file or folder.

If you give another Dropbox user access to a file or folder, they can create their own link to share that content with others. If you’re an admin on a Dropbox team, you can control the link settings for the rest of your team.

If you’re a member of a Dropbox team account, you can still adjust settings for certain items even if the team admin changes default link sharing settings.

Important: 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:

Users with edit access can create both edit or view-only links if links have not been created already.
If you share a file or folder with an external partner using a link, they can share it with other external parties with the same link. They can’t create their own shared link since each file or folder can only have one edit link and one view-only link.
If you create a shared link with edit access, anyone who accesses that file or folder via that link can add that content to their Dropbox account, making them members of that content with edit access.

Learn more about shared links

Learn how to manage your default sharing settings.

Learn how to set or change shared link permissions.

Learn how to unshare a Dropbox file or folder.

Learn how to customize shared links with professional branding.

Learn how to manage your team’s shared link settings.

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