Admins: How to manage the team space for your team

Updated Feb 28, 2024
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This article describes a feature available to certain types of admins on Dropbox team accounts.

Certain types of admins can control the top-level folder structure for their team's account, as well as editing permissions and access to team folders. They can also access team members' personal folders from the admin console.

How to allow team members to add top-level folders

Team admins on some accounts can choose if all members or only admins can manage top-level folders.

If this setting is set to Only admins, team members can’t create or manage top level folders. However, team members can add subfolders to top-level folders if they’ve been granted edit access.

To change this setting:

  1. Log in to dropbox.com with your admin credentials.
  2. Click Admin console.
  3. Click Settings.
  4. Under Content, click Top-level content management.
  5. Click the dropdown and choose the right setting for your team:
    • Everyone: All team members can manage top-level folders. Members can create team folders, shared with no one by default, and choose who to share with.
    • Only admins: Only admins can manage top-level folders. Team members can’t add folders to this level of the team space.
  6. Click Save.
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Notes:

  • If you choose Only admins, you’ll use the Content page to add, delete, rename, or move content in the top-level of the team space. The Upload and Create buttons on the All files page will be grayed out.
  • If you choose Everyone, you can either use the Content page, the All files page, or the desktop app to manage the top level of the team space.
  • The person who creates a team folder chooses when they’d like to share it and who they’d like to share it with.

How to create a top-level folder

From the Content page, you can organize the folder structure for your team. Team admins can also manage membership of any shared content. 

To create a team folder:

  1. Log in to dropbox.com with your admin credentials.
  2. Click Admin console.
  3. Click Content.
  4. Click Create team folder on the right.
  5. Create a name for this folder.
    • Uncheck the box next to Automatically sync this folder to members’ computers to prevent automatic syncing.
  6. Click Create.
  7. Choose if you want everyone on your team to have access to this folder or only specific members.
  8. Invite groups to the team folder by entering the group name. Learn how to set up groups.
    • Click the dropdown, then select Can edit or Can view.
  9. Click Add.
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Note: When a team folder is created, the person who created it chooses when they’d like to share the folder and who they’d like to share it with.

How to manage access to top-level folders

To manage access to a top-level folder:

  1. Log in to dropbox.com with your admin credentials.
  2. Click Admin console.
  3. Click Content.
  4. Hover over the folder you’d like to manage access to.
  5. Click Manage.
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Note: You’ll see a list of names and groups of everyone who can access this team folder.

  1. Click the dropdown next to the name of the person or group you want to change access for. From here, you can grant permission to Can edit or Can view the team folder. Or, you can remove permission entirely by clicking Remove. Click Remove again to confirm. You can also type the name of a person or group and click Add to add them to the folder.
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Note: Admins can also delete, archive, copy, and rename team folders.

How to access a team member's personal folder

Team admins on Advanced and Enterprise can access team member folders using log in as member or from the Content page. To access team member folders from the Content page:

  1. Log in to dropbox.com with your admin credentials.
  2. Click Admin console.
  3. Click Members.
  4. Click the gear icon next to the team member you’d like to log in as.
  5. Click Log in as member.
  6. Click Log in to confirm.
  7. When you’re done, click Log out on the red banner at the top of the page.

Learn more about “log-in-as-member”.

For help with managing team folders, or to cancel your Dropbox team plan or trial, contact Dropbox Support.

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