Dropbox shared folders FAQs

Sections in this article:

How does ownership of shared folders work?

If you’re the owner of a shared folder, you automatically own all subfolders that are inside of it. Even if someone else creates a new subfolder under your parent folder, you’ll automatically own the newly created subfolder.

If you change the owner of the parent shared folder, the new owner will own the parent shared folder and all of its subfolders as well.

How do I transfer ownership of a shared folder?

Ownership of shared folders must be changed at the parent folder level. Learn how to transfer ownership of a shared folder.

Who has access to my shared content?

Learn how to find who has access to a shared folder and what type of access they have.

Can I move a shared folder into another shared folder?

You can only move a shared folder into another shared folder if you’re the owner of both the moving folder and the destination folder. If you aren’t the owner of the moving folder, try contacting the owner to move the folder.

Note: You can only move a shared folder into another shared folder on dropbox.com and the Dropbox mobile app.

Can I unshare a shared folder?

You can unshare a folder as long as:

  • The folder doesn’t have any shared folders inside of it.
  • The folder isn’t inside another shared folder.

If you’d like to remove members from a folder that can’t be unshared, you can manually remove members at the parent folder level.

Why can’t I create a shared folder?

There’s a limit on the amount of shared folders you can create.

  • Within a single folder, you can create up to 1,500 shared subfolders.
    • Note: If you’re on a team account, you can create up to 1,500 shared folders within a single folder.
  • Within your Dropbox account, you can create up to 30,000 shared folders, including parent folders and subfolders.

If you've reached the 1,500 shared subfolders limit, or the 30,000 shared folders limit, you can permanently delete some shared folders.

Learn more about permanently deleting files or folders.

If you’ve reached the limit for shared folders you can create in one folder, you can:

  • Permanently delete some shared folders inside of it.
    • Note: After you permanently delete it, the folder is deleted for you, and any other members who had access to it. A permanently deleted folder cannot be recovered.
  • Move some shared subfolders to a new parent folder.
    • Note: A parent folder is a folder that contains subfolders. You can create up to 1,500 shared subfolders within a parent folder.

Learn more about moving Dropbox files and folders.

How helpful was this article?

We’re sorry to hear that.
Let us know how we can improve:

Thanks for your feedback!
Let us know how this article helped:

Thanks for your feedback!