How to set or change shared link permissions

If you share a link to a file or folder with someone, you can decide who can see the contents of the link, and what they can do with the link.

Note: You can only delete shared links that you create. If you invite someone to a file or folder with edit 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. If you’re an admin on a Dropbox team, you can control the link settings for everyone. Learn how to manage shared link settings for your team.

Not using Dropbox yet? See how Dropbox makes managing file permissions easy.

If you added members to a file or folder, instead of sharing a link, learn how to change their permissions in that file or folder.

Note: The link customization options below only apply to shared links you create. If you give someone access to a file or folder, your link customizations won’t apply to any shared link they create.

Add passwords to shared links

Dropbox Professional, Standard, Advanced, and Enterprise customers can add a password to a shared link on dropbox.com or on the Dropbox mobile app. When someone opens the link, they'll need the password to see its contents.

To add a password to a shared file on dropbox.com:

1. Sign in to dropbox.com. 
2. Hover over the name of the file and click the share icon (rectangle with an up arrow).
3. Click Settings.
4. Click either Link for editing or Link for viewing depending on which link you’d like to add a password to.
5. Next to Require password, click to toggle it On.
   • If you’re adding a password to a view-only link, next to Who has access, choose People with password.
6. Set a password.
7. Click Save.

To add a password to a shared folder on dropbox.com:

1. Sign in to dropbox.com.
2. Hover over the name of the folder and click the share icon.
3. If a link hasn’t been created, click Create then copy link.
4. Click the gear icon in the top-right corner.
5. Click Link for Viewing.
6. Next to Who has access, choose People with password.
7. Set a password.
8. Click Save.

To add a password to a shared link on the Dropbox mobile app:

1. Open the Dropbox mobile app.
2. Tap the “⁝” (vertical ellipsis on Android) “…” (ellipsis on iPhone/iPad) next to the file or folder you’d like to add a password to.
3. Tap Folder settings or File settings.
4. Tap Control access under Link settings.
5. Toggle Require password to on.
6. Tap Who can view.
7. Tap Only people with password.
8. Set a password.
9. Tap Save.

If someone tries to view a file using a shared link that requires a password, they’ll be asked to enter a password. 

What if I forget my password for the link or want to change it?

You can reset the password for any link you've shared in the same way that you set the password. If you’ve forgotten the password, you can create a new password, or you can always disable the link. For security reasons, we never display your existing passwords.

Learn how to disable a link.

As a member of a Dropbox team account, does the admin for my team have control over the passwords I set?

While admins can’t set passwords for the links you create, they can control whether you’re able to set them. They can also restrict all shared links to team-only.

Admins: learn how to make links team-only.

Set expiration dates for your shared links

Dropbox Professional, Standard, Advanced, and Enterprise customers can create, modify, or remove an expiration date for a shared link on dropbox.com or on the Dropbox mobile app. People will only be able to access the shared link until the expiration date. After its expiration date, that link is disabled.

To set an expiration date for a shared link on dropbox.com:

1. Sign in to dropbox.com.
2. Hover over the name of the file or folder and click the share icon (rectangle with an up arrow).
3. In the popup window, click Settings.
4. Click either Link for editing or Link for viewing depending on which link you’d like to set an expiration date for.
5. Next to Expiration, click to toggle it On. 
6. Choose when you’d like the link to expire. The shared link expires at 11:59 PM on the day you choose, based on your time zone.
7. Click Save for the expiration date to be applied to the link.

To set an expiration date for a shared link on the Dropbox mobile app:

1. Open the Dropbox mobile app.
2. Tap a file to open its preview page.
3. Tap “…” (ellipsis) in the upper right corner. 
4. Tap Manage Access.
5. Tap View link settings.
6. Next to Expiration, tap to toggle it On. 
7. Choose when you’d like the link to expire. The shared link expires at 11:59 PM on the day you choose, based on your time zone.
8. Tap Done.

Once saved, you can copy and paste the link to an email or send it directly through Dropbox. Once the link expires, you need to create a new link to share the file or folder again.

Recipients can’t see the expiration date.

If you need to change the expiration date, use these same steps to change the expiration.

What happens if someone I share the link with accesses it after the expiration date?

If someone visits a link after it expires, they'll see an error that says "This link is expired."

Disable downloads for a shared link

Dropbox Professional, Standard, Advanced, and Enterprise customers can disable downloads for a shared link on dropbox.com or on the Dropbox mobile app. 

Important note: Disabling downloads for a shared link prevents people from downloading the contents of a link through Dropbox. This doesn’t prevent people from saving the content using other methods.

To disable downloads for a shared link on dropbox.com:

1. Sign in to dropbox.com.
2. Hover over the name of the file or folder and click the share icon (rectangle with an up arrow).
3. Click Settings.
4. Click either Link for editing or Link for viewing depending on which link you’d like to disable downloads for.
5. Next to Disable downloads, click to toggle it On.
6. Click Save.

To disable downloads for a shared link on the Dropbox mobile app:

1. Open the Dropbox mobile app.
2. Tap a file to open its preview page.
3. Tap “…” (ellipsis) in the upper right corner. 
4. Tap Manage Access.
5. Tap View link settings.
6. Next to Disable downloads, click to toggle it On.
7. Tap Done.

You can share this link through Dropbox or by pasting the link into an email or chat. 

Recipients can preview the file on dropbox.com, but the Download button will be grayed out and won’t be clickable. If a recipient hovers over Download button, they’ll see “Downloads disabled.”

If previews aren’t supported for type of file you’re sharing, you’ll see the error “[file type] files can’t be previewed. Downloads must be enabled to share.” Downloads can’t be disabled for that file. 

Limit access to shared links to members of your team

To limit shared link access to members of your team on dropbox.com:

1. Sign in to dropbox.com.
2. Hover over the name of the file or folder and click the share icon (rectangle with an up arrow).
3. In the popup, click Settings.
4. Click either Link for editing or Link for viewing depending on which link you’d like to limit access to.
5. Next to Who has access, select Team members from the dropdown menu.
6. Click Save.

Note: Shared view access links and shared links for web-based files can still be shared externally. Non-team members can create their own shared links based on their access and settings.

To limit shared link access to members of your team on the Dropbox mobile app:

1. Open the Dropbox mobile app.
2. Tap a file to open its preview page.
3. Tap “…” (ellipsis) in the upper right corner. 
4. Tap Manage Access.
5. Tap View link settings.
6. Tap Link access.
7. Select Team Members from the menu.
8. Tap Done.

Once saved, you can copy and paste the link to an email or send it directly through Dropbox.