How to remove members from a shared folder and unshare folders

If you want to remove access to a shared folder, you can remove specific members or unshare the folder.  If you’d like to leave a shared folder that you’re a member of, learn how to temporarily or permanently leave a shared Dropbox folder.

If there are shared links in this shared folder and the link creator leaves the folder, the view access links will be disabled. Anyone with edit access will be able to edit link settings.

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

How to remove a member from a shared folder

When you remove a member from a shared folder, that member loses access to the folder and all the files it contains. You must be the owner of the folder to remove members unless the owner has given the editors permission to manage access to the folder.

On dropbox.com

1. Log in to dropbox.com.
2. Hover over the folder you’d like to manage and click the share icon (rectangle with an up arrow).
3. Click [x] Who can access.
4. Click the dropdown next to the member you’d like to remove.
5. Click Remove.
6. Choose if you want to leave the member a copy of the shared folder.
7. Click Remove.

On the Dropbox desktop app

1. Open the Dropbox folder in File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac).
2. Right-click or command-click the folder you’d like to manage.
3. Click Share….
4. Click the dropdown next to the member you’d like to remove.
5. Click Remove.
6. Choose if you want to leave the member a copy of the shared folder.
7. Click Remove.
    

How to unshare a folder

When you unshare a folder, the files are permanently deleted from each member's account and removed from any linked devices the next time the Dropbox desktop app syncs. If you're the owner of a shared folder, you can unshare the folder at any time.
 

You won’t be able to unshare a folder if:

• The folder contains shared folders
• The folder is inside another shared folder
   

This is because, when you share a folder, the people you invite to that folder then have access to everything within it—including other folders. In this case, you can set user permissions to edit or view-only but you can’t unshare specific files or folders within a shared folder.
 

Alternatively, if you’re the owner of the whole folder, you can move the subfolder out of the shared folder or manually remove members at the parent folder level following the instructions above.
 

On dropbox.com

1. Log in to dropbox.com.
2. Hover over the folder you’d like to unshare and click “…” (ellipsis).
3. Click the share icon (rectangle with an up arrow).
4. Click Share with Dropbox.
5. Click the settings icon (gear icon).
6. Click Unshare folder.
7. Click Unshare.

On the Dropbox desktop app

1. Open the Dropbox folder in File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac).
2. Right-click or command-click the folder you’d like to unshare.
3. Click Share….
4. Click the settings icon (gear icon) in the top-right corner.
5. Click Unshare folder.
6. Click Unshare.

If you have an issue that is not covered in this article, find answers to common questions about shared folders for individuals and team accounts.