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How do I set team-wide sharing permissions?

How do I set team-wide sharing permissions?

Setting precise access controls for your team’s permissions is a great way to make the most of your Dropbox team account. Keep reading to find out how to manage permissions to ensure only the right people can access the right files in Dropbox, both at the user and custom group level.

10 minute read

Team sharing permissions

Setting team-wide sharing permissions is key to any admin’s job. Whether you want users to be able to share files and folders externally or keep everything within the company, you’ve got the power to make that call.

It’s important to understand how your team operates before you set those permissions. Do they send content back and forth for reviews with clients? If yes, limiting their ability to share externally might slow everyone down.

Tip: permissions aren’t retroactive! If you change sharing permissions to limit external sharing, files, folders, and links previously shared with people outside the company will stay that way.

Shared folder permissions

Shared folders are great for groups of people who work and collaborate on the same files. If a user owns a shared folder, then they can change permissions, which gives users a lot of flexibility in how they work. Keep in mind that any user can own a shared folder and set permissions for it—this isn’t just for admins.


If you own the shared folder

If you create a shared folder, that means you’re the owner (unless it was created in a team folder). Owners can:

  • View folder content

  • View the members of the shared folders and their roles

  • Invite, remove, and email members

  • Change member roles

  • Leave or unshare the folder

  • Determine who can be invited and who can manage the folder

  • Make another member the owner


If you’re an editor

By default, members of a shared folder have edit permissions. Editors can:

  • View folder content

  • View the members of the shared folders and their roles

  • Invite and remove members (except the owner)

  • Leave the folder

  • Email members

  • Edit folder contents

  • Change member roles


If you’re a viewer

Viewers can:

  • View folder contents

  • View the members of the shared folder and their roles

  • Leave the folder

  • Email members

If you have view-only permissions, you’ll see a small lock icon on the shared folder.


Shared link permissions

If you want to share access to a file you can also share a link.

There are specific links for editing and specific links for viewing, which makes it easier to manage edit access to shared documents and folders.

Admins have visibility and control of shared links through tools like the Activity Log and the External Sharing Visibility report.

As an admin, you can control how your team members share links with people outside of your team from the admin console.

When shared links are set to members only, they can only be accessed by members. People outside your team won’t be able to open these links.
​​This setting also applies to links that were previously shared. Anyone outside your team who had access before will no longer be able to view them, only members will retain access.

To manage your sharing permissions’ settings:

  1. ​​Log in to dropbox.com with your admin credentials.

  2. ​​Click Admin console in the left sidebar.

  3. ​Under Products, click the dropdown to the left of Dropbox.

  4. ​Click Settings.

  5. ​​Review and manage your settings on the External Sharing page.

Common questions

Got a question about team-wide permissions? We’ve likely got an answer. If you have a question that’s not listed here, check our help center for more answers.


Why did my shared link stop working?

If a shared link stops working, there can be a few different reasons why. Check to see whether the link was disabled or expired. An admin may have also changed sharing settings for the team, so it may be worth checking with them.


Why did my shared folder stop syncing?

It’s possible that the folder isn’t actively shared between collaborators. Log in to dropbox.com and click the Shared tab. If the folder says You haven’t joined this folder, it means you haven’t yet added it to your Dropbox. Just click Join and it should sync back to your Dropbox.


Does joining a shared folder count against my storage space?

Yes, unless all members of the folder are part of the same Dropbox team account. If that’s the case, the shared folder will only be counted against the team’s shared storage space once.