How to restrict access to a folder inside a team folder

Updated Jun 19, 2025

The feature described in this article is available to customers on Dropbox Standard, Advanced, Business, Business Plus, and Enterprise.

When you create a subfolder inside a team folder, it automatically inherits the same members as the parent folder. If you don't want specific people to access the subfolder, you can remove them to restrict access.

To change a member’s level of access to a shared folder—from edit to view-only or vice versa—learn how to set shared folder permissions.

Notes:

You can only restrict access to folders if they’re inside a team folder.
You can't create a shared link to a restricted folder.
If you move files or subfolders out of the team folder other team members will lose access to those files and subfolders.

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

How to restrict access to a folder

Log in to dropbox.com.
Hover over the shared folder you’d like to restrict and click ☑ (more options).
Click Manage permissions.
Click the dropdown next to the member or group you’d like to remove.
Click Remove.
Click Remove again.

If you’re an admin, you can access all team folders using the admin console, even if you’re not a member of the folder.

To restrict access to a folder using the admin console:

Log in to dropbox.com with your admin credentials.
Click Admin console in the left sidebar.
Under Products, click the dropdown to the left of Dropbox.
Click Content.
Navigate to the folder you’d like to restrict.
Click ☑ (more options) next to the folder you’d like to restrict.
Select Manage Access.
Click the dropdown next to the name of the person or group to modify their access.
Click Remove, then click Remove again to remove their permissions entirely.

Open the Dropbox folder in File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac).
Right-click the folder you’d like to restrict.
Select Share next to the Dropbox icon.
Click Who can access.
Click the dropdown next to the member you’d like to remove.
Select Remove.
Choose if you want to leave the member a copy of the shared folder.
Click Remove again.

Android

Open the Dropbox mobile app.
Tap ☑ (more options) next to the folder you’d like to restrict.
Tap Manage Access.
Tap the area below [x] members.
Tap the member or group you’d like to remove.
Tap Remove member or Remove group.
Tap Remove member or Remove group again.

iOS

Open the Dropbox mobile app.
Tap ☑ (more options) next to the folder you’d like to restrict.
Tap Manage access.
Tap the area below [x] members.
Tap the member or group you’d like to remove.
Tap Remove access.
Tap Remove access again.

How to restrict access to a team folder for an individual team member

Log in to dropbox.com with your admin credentials.
Click Admin console in the left sidebar.
Click Members.
Click Manage Access next to the individual you want to modify access for.
Check or uncheck team folders to modify access for individual members.
For checked team folders, select Can edit or Can view from the dropdown.
Click Apply.

How to restore parent folder members to a restricted folder

Inherited members can be restored by clicking Share with everyone in the gray banner that appears in the sharing modal. Once the parent folder members are restored, the folder is no longer a restricted access folder.

To restore parent folder members: