How to share a Dropbox file or folder with someone who doesn't have a Dropbox account

Updated Nov 14, 2024
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The information in this article applies to all Dropbox users.

You can share files with anyone, including people without Dropbox accounts, by sharing a link to any file or folder.  If you share a link to a file with someone who doesn’t have a Dropbox account, they won’t need to create a Dropbox account to open and preview that file.
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Note: Until you share a file or folder with someone who has a Dropbox account, it will say “Only you” have access to that file or folder. So if you share a file or folder with someone who doesn’t have a Dropbox account, it will still say “Only you” have access.

How to share a file or folder with someone outside Dropbox


You can send a shared link by email, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), instant message, or social networks wherever you want. 
 

Dropbox Professional, Standard, Advanced, and Enterprise customers can also add passwords and expirations to shared links.

To share a file or folder on dropbox.com:

  1. Log in to dropbox.com.
  2. Hover over the file or folder you’d like to share and click Share.
  3. Click Copy link.


This will copy a link that follows your default link permissions. To change to a different kind of link:

  1. Follow the steps above.
  2. Click Manage.
  3. Select Link for editing or Link for viewing.
  4. Click Copy link.
     

You can also change the default permissions given by links you create. Learn more about changing your default link permissions. 

 

To change the permissions of individual viewers after they’ve clicked the link:

  1. Log in to dropbox.com.
  2. Hover over the file or folder you’d like to change permissions for and click the “” (vertical ellipsis).
  3. Select Manage permissions.
  4. Click the People tab.
  5. Select Can view or Can edit from the dropdown next to the viewer’s name.

To share a file or folder on your computer: 

  1. Open the Dropbox folder in File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac).
  2. Right-click or command-click the file or folder you’d like to share.
  3. Under Quick Actions, click Share….
  4. From the dropdown, select Can view to give them view-only permissions.
    • If a link hasn't been created, click Create.
    • If a link has been created, then click Copy link.

How to stop sharing a file or folder with someone outside Dropbox

You can delete the link to immediately stop the person you've shared it with from accessing that file or folder. Learn how to remove a link to a Dropbox file or folder.

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