Limit the amount of space a Dropbox team member can use

Admins Updated Feb 13, 2026

In this article

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The information in this article applies to certain types of admins on Dropbox Standard, Business, Advanced, Business Plus, and Enterprise plans.

Member space limits let admins control how much Dropbox storage space team members can use.
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Note: Member space limits may not be available when any team member has access to more than 5,000 folders (for example, on teams with a very large number of shared folders). Teams with a large number of shared folders may experience performance issues.

What happens if a member goes over their limit?

Members are notified via email, desktop, and mobile app when they reach:

  • 90% of their space limit
  • 100% or more of their space limit

Admins are also notified via email. In addition, a record is added to the activity logs.
 

Dropbox continues to work as normal for members who go over their storage space limit, depending on the syncing setting.

There are three options:

  • On (Keep syncing): Dropbox works as normal. Members can continue uploading new files, and they’ll only see an alert that they’re over the limit.
  • On (Stop syncing): Dropbox is limited. Members can’t upload new files until they’re back under the limit. 
  • Off (No limit): Storage limits aren’t enforced.

Dropbox only works fully as normal when On (Keep syncing) is turned on.

What happens to over-quota members on a team with stop sync enabled?

Admins can use stop sync limits to prevent members who exceed their space limit from using Dropbox as normal. Specifically, two things happen:

  • Their account will stop syncing
  • They won't be able to upload files

These team members will then have two options:

  • Remove files to bring their accounts below the space limit
  • Contact their admin to request more storage
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Note: Admins don't receive email notifications when a team member reaches their stop sync limit.

How to set a default space limit for all team members

  1. Log in to dropbox.com with your admin credentials.
  2. Click Admin console in the left sidebar.
  3. Under Products, click the dropdown next to Dropbox.
  4. Click Settings.
  5. Under Content, scroll to Storage.
  6. Toggle Member storage limit to On (Keep syncing) or On (Stop syncing).
  7. Enter a custom limit value in gigabytes using the dropdown next to Storage limit per member.
    • The value must be 2 GB or higher.
  8. Click Save.
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Note: Only admins can set a space limit for team members.

Set custom limits for individual team members

Certain team admins can set custom storage limits for individual members. Not all admin roles have this permission. Only super admins, user management admins, and security admins can set or change storage limits. Billing admins, reporting admins, and content admins can’t change these settings. These limits apply only to a team member’s own folders and help prevent accidental overages without limiting collaborations.

Learn more about admin roles and permissions.

Before you begin, make sure Member Storage Limit is set to On (Keep syncing) or On (Stop syncing) in the admin console.

  1. Log in to dropbox.com with your admin credentials.
  2. Click Admin console in the left sidebar.
  3. Click Members
  4. Select the team member you want to update.
  5. In the Storage used column, click .
  6. Enter a new custom limit.

You can also update a member’s storage limits by selecting the team member directly in the Members tab and clicking Edit space limit.

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Note: The minimum storage limit for an individual team member is 2 GB.

Set exceptions for a team-wide space limit

You can apply a space limit to the whole team and exempt specific members using an exception list.

  1. Log in to dropbox.com with your admin credentials.
  2. Click Admin console in the left sidebar.
  3. Under Products, click the dropdown next to Dropbox.
  4. Click Settings.
  5. Under Content, scroll to Storage.
  6. Toggle Member Storage Limit to On (Keep syncing) or On (Stop syncing).
  7. Scroll to Exceptions and click Manage.
  8. Enter the names or email addresses of team members to exclude, then click Save.

What counts towards a space limit?

Any files or folders stored in a team member's Dropbox team account count toward storage limits.

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Important:

  • Team folders don’t count toward individual space limits because they’re owned by the team.
  • Team folders do count towards the team's overall space usage.
  • Shared folders owned by a team member only count toward that person's storage limit.
  • Shared folders owned by a non-team member but shared with a team member count toward that member's space limit.
  • Due to how space limits are calculated, the sum of an individual team member's usage may differ from the overall team usage.

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