There are a few situations when shared folders might not work as expected. Check each of the situations outlined in this article to fix issues with shared folders.
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There are a few reasons why you may not see the most recent versions of files in a shared folder. Visit this article on file syncing issues or check each of the situations below.
1. You removed a shared folder from your account
If you delete a shared folder or remove it from your account, you can’t access the folder anymore.
To check if you deleted a shared folder on dropbox.com:
4. Hover over the folder you’d like to add and select Add to Dropbox.
If you have the desktop app installed, the shared folder is automatically synced again. If the older version is in the same location, Dropbox syncs the new version and adds “(1)” to the end of the name. This prevents an issue where two folders have the same name.
If you'd like to change or recover the old name, you can rename the old version to whatever you'd like, then rename the new version.
2. Files are missing from a shared folder and you didn’t delete them
If you can’t see files that you expect to see in a shared folder, then you may have unintentionally deleted the folder.
Check that the folder you’re looking at is still shared:
If you see "Not added to Dropbox" below the folder name, you removed the shared folder. You can Add to Dropbox from the Shared page.
If the shared folder is active, check if your files are in the shared folder on dropbox.com. If they’re missing, you can recover your files.
If the shared folder options window doesn’t pop up when you click Share, you may be experiencing an issue caused by a third-party browser extension or add-on (such as a pop-up or ad blocker).
To fix this problem, temporarily disable any browser extensions or add-ons that are running. Once you change your shared folder settings and no longer need the shared folder options window, you can re-enable these browser extensions.
If you'd like to continue using the extension, you may be able to create an exception for Dropbox, or whitelist https://www.dropbox.com. However, not all extensions support this functionality.
If you can’t share a folder inside another folder, your sharing permissions in that folder may be limited by the owner of the parent folder. Try contacting the owner of the parent folder to share a folder inside their shared folder.
If you still can’t share a subfolder, you may have reached the limit on how many shared subfolders can be created in a single folder. Learn more about shared folder limits.
I’m a Dropbox Family customer
Dropbox Family customers can’t directly share subfolders that are inside parent shared folders. If you need to share files or folders inside of a parent shared folder, you can share them via a link.
If you join a shared folder that has the same name as a folder already in your Dropbox account, a (1) is appended to the new shared folder name.
Rename the original folder causing the naming conflict (the one without a (1)). Then you can remove the (1) from the shared folder name.
If you're on a team account, you may have a team folder.
If you move a shared folder into a team folder, you transfer ownership of that folder to the team. You no longer own the folder, and you can’t remove the folder from the team folder. An admin on the team is the only one who can move a folder out of the team folder.
If you’d like, you can make a copy of the folder and move it to the preferred location in your account. If you need the folder removed from the team folder, please contact your team’s admin.
The owner is likely the person who originally invited you to the shared folder. If you don't see an owner for a shared folder, the owner may have already left it. If this happens you can contact the original owner and ask them to first add the folder back to their Dropbox, and then transfer ownership to you.
If you can’t contact the owner, you can:
You left the folder and want to transfer ownership
If you're the owner of a shared folder and leave it without transferring ownership, the shared folder will be without an owner. The owner is the only member who can remove members from the folder.
If you don’t need this folder anymore, but another member does, you can make them the owner. First, add the shared folder back to your Dropbox account. You can then transfer ownership of the folder to another member.
A shared folder owner or editor can change permissions. If you need to have a different role within a shared folder, contact the owner or any current editor and ask to have your permissions updated. Learn more about roles in a shared folder.
To check that a folder is actively shared between you and the other people you’d like to have access to it:
You can see the members of a shared folder by following the instructions below:
On dropbox.com:
On the Dropbox desktop app:
On the Dropbox mobile app:
From this view, you can see the members of the shared folder and what type of access they have.
Note: When you move a file or folder into a shared folder, everyone who has access to that shared folder will gain access to the file or folder you moved into it.
If files appear to be missing from a shared folder, first check that the folder is active and that other members are using it. To do so:
Note: If you need to contact Dropbox Support about an issue with shared folders, the owner (or a member with edit access) will need to submit the request.
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