FAQs about Dropbox shared folders

What are parent folders and subfolders?

Parent folder: A folder that contains other folders. 

Subfolder: A folder within another folder.

What's the difference between a shared folder and a team folder?

Team folder: Admins can edit team folders from the admin console. You can also restrict access to folders created inside a team folder. Learn how to create a team folder. 

Shared folder: Shared folders can’t be edited from the admin console. You can’t restrict access to folders created inside a shared folder. Learn how to create a shared folder.

How does ownership of shared folders work?

If you’re the owner of a shared folder, you automatically own all subfolders contained within 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 as well as all of its subfolders.

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?

To move a shared folder into another shared folder, you must own the file or folder you’re moving and have edit access to the destination folder.

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

To move a shared folder into another shared folder:

On dropbox.com

1. Log in to dropbox.com
2. Navigate to the shared folder you’d like to move.
3. Hover over the shared folder and click the ‘…' (ellipsis).
4. Click Move.
5. Select the folder you’d like to move the shared subfolder to.
   • To browse all folders, click Personal.
6. Click Move.

On the Dropbox mobile app

1. Open the Dropbox mobile app.
2. Navigate to the shared folder you wish you move. 
3. Tap the ‘⁝' (vertical ellipsis).
4. Tap Move.
   • You might have to scroll down to see this on iOS.
5. Tap the folder you wish to move it to.
6. Tap Move.

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.

Notes:

• If a subfolder is moved from a shared folder, the Unshare button will become available.
• 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. If you can’t create a new shared folder, you might have reached the limit.

• Within a single folder, you can create up to 1,500 shared subfolders. This number includes the parent folder itself.
• Within your Dropbox account, you can create up to 30,000 shared folders, including parent folders and subfolders. This number includes parent folders and subfolders.

What can I do if I’ve reached the maximum number of shared subfolders?

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 can't be recovered. Learn more about permanently deleting files or folders.
• Move some shared subfolders to a new parent folder.

Learn more about moving Dropbox files and folders.