How do I share and collaborate with my team?
A Dropbox team account can help you, your coworkers, and clients collaborate and stay on top of projects. All without stressing about file sizes, version mix-ups, and lost feedback. Collaboration just got a whole lot easier.
10 minute read
The new and improved way to work together
Working with your team members on projects big and small just got easier and more delightful.
Keep all your files and folders organized
No matter how you get work done, Dropbox helps you organize your files with different folder types and collaborative options.
Each method has its own distinct advantages, depending on what you want to do.
Watch how to upload and download files in our helpful video guide.
Private folders
You can tell that a folder is private if the front of it is blank. A private folder works like any other folder: You can move it, rename it, add stuff to it, or delete it.
Note: Only you (and your team admins) can access what’s inside a private folder in your Dropbox team account.
If you invite someone to that folder, then it’s no longer private.
Shared folders
Shared folders have an icon of people on the front of the folder.
Sharing folders allows others to review and edit your files. All collaborators need a Dropbox account to edit or review. Sharing folders means that the person sees every file or image in that folder.
You can also rename a shared folder, and it will only change for you. That way, if you receive a shared folder invite for “Sales,” but already have two other folders labelled Sales, you can change it to “Midwestern Sales” without causing confusion for anyone else.
However, if you change a subfolder, that folder’s name change will reflect for everyone else.
Want to learn more about sharing files and folders in Dropbox? Watch our file sharing tutorial.
Team folders
Team folders are configured by IT admins and often hold company-managed content. Team folders are like shared folders, but the team admin manages who can access this folder. How can you tell it’s a team folder? There’s a building icon on the folder.
Team spaces
Team spaces are shared workspaces that everyone on the team has access to. The shared workspace functions like a shared drive for the whole team, meaning that it has the same folder structure for all team members. But that doesn’t mean every team member can see everything within those folders – anyone on the team can add or remove anyone from any folder they can edit.
Groups
Team members can create user-managed groups if their admin allows it:
- Log in to dropbox.com.
- Click your team name at the bottom left of the page.
- Click the button by your team name: Groups and members.
- Click Create group.
- Enter a name for your group.
- This is the name all team members will see. As the group manager, you can change the group's name at any time.
- Click Create group.
Sharing on your own terms
With Dropbox, you can pick and choose how you share your most important files and folders.
If you need your team to give feedback on your work, you can give them edit access to your shared folder. But if you don’t want others to edit your work, you can share links instead, which will give them view-only access.
And you never have to worry about the safety of your files. You can share files securely by giving only certain people access to your file (this is called “authenticated sharing”). This limits who recipients can share those files with and it means they’ll have to sign in to view your file.
With all of these options available, you can share your own way, on your own terms.
Keep it (even more) secure
When dealing with confidential or sensitive materials, you have options to control how your content is accessed. You can set who can view your shared link, and you can add passwords and expiration dates to your link.
One other way to further control access to shared files is to enter the specific people you want to have access. To do this, select the Share button on dropbox.com, the desktop app, or the badge on any Microsoft Office files saved in your Dropbox. Then type in the email addresses of the people you want to have access.
Sharing in this way is what we call “authenticated sharing”. This means that the person you share with must have a Dropbox account and be signed in to access the file.
Sharing and collaboration tutorials
Take a look at these tutorials if you want to see more about how to share and collaborate.
Sharing is caring (and easy)
One of the first things you may want to do when you start collaborating with a team member is to share a folder. It’s a great way to make sure everyone has access to what they need and help keep everyone in sync.
Sharing folders and setting permissions
Giving others access to your folders through Dropbox is a great way to collaborate. Want to learn how?
Sharing links and setting permissions
If you only want your team members to view the file, you can share links instead of whole folders.
Sharing content inside team folders
When you put content in a team folder, it’s automatically shared with anyone who can access that folder. It’s easy to share that content with people outside of your team, too.
Sharing tips and tricks
Ever wonder how to rename or move a shared folder? Or the best way to structure your folders in a way that makes sense to you?
Common questions
Got a question about sharing or collaborating with your team? We’ve likely got an answer. If you have a question that’s not listed here, check out help.dropbox.com for more answers.
Can I unshare a folder?
Yes, you can unshare a folder. When you unshare, you’ll be able to decide whether members can keep a copy of the folder.
My shared link isn’t working anymore. Why?
There are a few reasons that might cause a link to not work. For example, the link might have expired, the owner might have changed the settings of the link, or you might not be signed in to Dropbox. Authenticated links require viewers to be signed in.
I added a folder I don’t want or need access to anymore. How do I get rid of it?
It’s easy. First, sign in to dropbox.com and select Shared in the left sidebar. Under the Folders tab, scroll down to the folder in question and select the (…) ellipsis next to the folder. Then select Remove from Dropbox.
Don’t delete the folder please! Remember that any action you take on a shared folder will affect everyone in that folder, even deleting.
Share from File Explorer or Finder
You can easily share directly from your desktop too. Simply right-click the folder and select “Share.”
Sharing on dropbox.com
It works the same way on dropbox.com. Hover over the file you want to share and click the “Share” button to the right.
Add someone else's shared folder
If someone invites you to a shared folder, you’ll get an email invite and a notification in tray or menu bar.
Add the folder
Add the folder to your Dropbox account to begin collaborating with your team.