How to set or change shared link permissions (2024)

If you

to a file or folder with someone, you can decide who can see the contents of the link, and what they can do with the link.

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

If you added members to a file or folder, instead of sharing a link,learn how to changetheir permissionsin that file or folder.

Add passwords to shared links

Customers on Dropbox Professional, Essentials, Standard, Advanced, Business, Business Plus, and Enterprisecan add a password to ashared link on dropbox.com or on the Dropbox mobile app. When someone opens the link, they'll need the password to see its contents.

To add a password to a shared file on dropbox.com:

1. Log in to dropbox.com.
2. Hover over the name of the file and click Share.
3. Click Settings.
4. Click either Link for editing or Link for viewing depending on which link you’d like to add a password to.
5. Next to Require password, click to toggle it On.
   • If you’re adding a password to a view-only link, next to Who has access, choose People with password.
6. Set a password.
7. Click Save.

To add a password to a shared folder on dropbox.com:

1. Log in to dropbox.com.
2. Hover over the name of the folder and click the share icon.
3. If a link hasn’t been created, click Create then copy link.
4. Click the gear icon in the top-right corner.
5. Click Link for Viewing.
6. Next to Who has access, choose People with password.
7. Set a password.
8. Click Save.
   

To add a password to a shared link on the Dropbox mobile app for Android:

1. Open the Dropbox mobile app.
2. Tap “⁝” (vertical ellipsis) next to the file or folder you’d like to add a password to.
3. Tap Share.
4. Select Link for editing or Link for viewing, depending on which link you’d like to add a password to.
5. Tap Modify settings.
6. Toggle Require password to on.
7. Enter a password.
8. Tap Set.
9. Tap Save.

To add a password to a shared link on the Dropbox mobile app for iOS:

1. Open the Dropbox mobile app.
2. Tap “…" (ellipsis) next to the file or folder you’d like to add a password to.
3. Tap Folder settings or File settings.
4. Tap Edit link or View link (folder), or tap Control access (file).
5. Toggle Require password to on.
6. Enter a password.
7. Tap Save in the top right corner.

If someone tries to view a file using a shared link that requires a password, they’ll be asked to enter a password.

What if I forget my password for the link or want to change it?

You can reset the password for any link you've shared in the same way that you set the password. If you’ve forgotten the password, you can create a new password, or you can always disable the link. For security reasons, we never display your existing passwords.

Learn how to disable a link.

As a member of a Dropbox team account, does the admin for my team have control over the passwords I set?

While admins can’t set passwords for the links you create, they can control whether you’re able to set them. They can also restrict all shared links to team-only.

Admins: learn how to make links team-only.

Set expiration dates for your shared links

Dropbox Professional, Standard, Advanced, and Enterprise customers can create, modify, or remove an expiration date for a shared link on dropbox.com or on the Dropbox mobile app. People will only be able to access the shared link until the expiration date. After its expiration date, that link is disabled.

To set an expiration date for a shared link on dropbox.com:

1. Log in to dropbox.com.
2. Hover over the name of the file or folder and click Share.
3. In the popup window, click Settings.
4. Click either Link for editing or Link for viewing depending on which link you’d like to set an expiration date for.
5. Next to Expiration, click to toggle it On.
6. Choose when you’d like the link to expire. The shared link expires at 11:59 pm on the day you choose, based on your time zone.
7. Click Save for the expiration date to be applied to the link.

To set an expiration date for a shared link on the Dropbox mobile app for Android:

1. Open the Dropbox mobile app.
2. Tap “⁝” (vertical ellipsis) next to the file or folder you’d like to add a password to.
3. Tap Share.
4. Select Link for editing or Link for viewing, depending on which link you’d like to add an expiration date to.
5. Tap Modify settings.
6. Toggle Set expiration date to on.
7. Select a date on the calendar.
8. Tap OK.
9. Tap Save.

The shared link expires at 11:59 pm on the day you choose, based on your time zone.

To set an expiration date for a shared link on the Dropbox mobile app for iOS:

1. Open the Dropbox mobile app.
2. Tap “…" (ellipsis) next to the file or folder you’d like to add a password to.
3. Tap Folder settings or File settings.
4. Tap Edit link or View link (folder), or tap Control access (file).
5. Toggle Set expiration date to on.
6. Select a date on the calendar.
7. Tap Save.

The shared link expires at 11:59 pm on the day you choose, based on your time zone.

Once saved, you can copy and paste the link to an email or send it directly through Dropbox. Once the link expires, you need to create a new link to share the file or folder again.

What does a shared link with an expiration date look like for the people I share it with?

Recipients will be able to see the shared link page as normal. They won't be able to see the expiration date.

Can I change the expiration date?

You can change an expiration date by following the steps listed above.

What happens if someone I share the link with accesses it after the expiration date?

If someone visits a link after it expires, they'll see an error that says "This link is expired."To give that person access to the file, create another link and share it with them. Learn how to create and share links to files and folders.

I'm a Dropbox team member. Does my admin have any control over the expirations I set?

Admins can assign a default expiration date for team shared links. If you’re a Dropbox admin, learn how to set a default expiration date for shared links created by your team.

Disable downloads for a shared link

Dropbox Professional, Standard, Advanced, and Enterprise customers can disable downloads for a shared link on dropbox.com or on the Dropbox mobile app.

To disable downloads for a shared link on dropbox.com:

1. Log in to dropbox.com.
2. Hover over the name of the file or folder and click Share.
3. Click Settings.
4. ClickLink for viewing depending on which link you’d like to disable downloads for.
5. Next to Disable downloads, click to toggle it On.
6. Click Save.
   

To disable downloads for a shared link on the Dropbox mobile app:

1. Open the Dropbox mobile app.
2. Tap a file to open its preview page.
3. Tap “…” (ellipsis) in the upper right corner.
4. Tap Manage Access.
5. Tap View link settings.
6. Next to Disable downloads, click to toggle it On.
7. Tap Done.

You can share this link through Dropbox or by pasting the link into an email or chat.

Recipients can preview the file on dropbox.com, but the Download button will be grayed out and won’t be clickable. If a recipient hovers over Download button, they’ll see “Downloads disabled.”

If previews aren’t supported for type of file you’re sharing, you’ll see the error “[file type] files can’t be previewed. Downloads must be enabled to share.” Downloads can’t be disabled for that file.

Limit access to shared links to members of your team

To limit shared link access to members of your team on dropbox.com:

1. Log in to dropbox.com.
2. Hover over the name of the file or folder and click Share.
3. In the popup, click Settings.
4. Click either Link for editing or Link for viewing depending on which link you’d like to limit access to.
5. Next to Who has access, select Team members from the dropdown menu.
6. Click Save.

To limit shared link access to members of your team on the Dropbox mobile app:

1. Open the Dropbox mobile app.
2. Tap a file to open its preview page.
3. Tap “…” (ellipsis) in the upper right corner.
4. TapManage Access.
5. TapView link settings.
6. TapLink access.
7. SelectTeam Membersfrom the menu.
8. TapDone.

Once saved, you can copy and paste the link to an email or send it directly through Dropbox.

Limit access to folders from links

To limit access to a folder from links to members of that folder:

1. Log in to dropbox.com.
2. Hover over the name of the folder and click the share icon (rectangle with an up arrow).
3. In the popup, click Settings.
4. Select the Folder settings tab.
5. Toggle Link restrictions to ‘On’.
   

This setting will create a blanket restriction for that folder and everything within that folder. This restriction will be in place regardless of your existing link sharing settings. Anyone attempting to access the folder, or a file within the folder, through a link, who isn’t a member of the folder, will have to submit an access request.