Dropbox folder can only be shared as a link

You can prevent other members from adding, editing, or deleting files in your shared folder by setting view-only permissions. Learn more about shared folders.

You can also manage your default settings for how you share files and folders.

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

Set permissions when inviting people to a folder

1. Sign in to dropbox.com.
2. Hover over the name of the folder you'd like to set permissions for and click the share icon (rectangle with an up arrow).
3. Enter the email addresses of the members you’d like to add.
4. Select Can edit or Can view from the drop-down menu.
5. Click Share folder.

Change permissions for existing members of a folder

1. Sign in to dropbox.com.
2. Hover over the name of the folder you'd like to set permissions for and click the share icon (rectangle with an up arrow).
3. Click Who can access.
4. Locate the member you'd like to change permissions for.
5. Select Can edit or Can view from the drop-down menu beside their name.

You can also view, edit, or create shared links from the Links tab.

To view existing shared links:

1. Sign in to dropbox.com.
2. Hover over the name of the file or folder you want to view shared links for and click the share icon (rectangle with an up arrow).
3. Click Who can access.
4. Click Links to see which shared links have been created, and who can access them.
   • Note: You can also create new shared links by clicking Settings and Create link.

To edit or delete shared links:

1. Sign in to dropbox.com.
2. Hover over the name of the file or folder you want to view shared links of and click the share icon (rectangle with an up arrow).
3. Click Who can access.
4. Click Links to see which shared links have been created, and who can access them.
5. Click Settings on the link you’d like to edit or delete. 
6. Manage your settings with the drop-down menu and toggles, or click Delete link to delete the shared link.

This error only affects the creation of a shared folder and won't affect future invitations to the folder.

If you’re trying to unshare a folder, follow these steps:

1. On your computer, move the contents of the shared folder into a non-shared folder.
2. Let Dropbox sync this move.
3. Unshare the now empty shared folder.
4. Move the contents back into the now unshared folder, or delete the now unshared folder and use the new folder.

Error: "You sent too many invitations."

What happened: 

You sent a lot of invitations in a short period of time. To prevent abuse, there is a limit on how many shared folder invitations you can send in one day.

How to fix it:

If you hit the limit, wait 24 hours before trying to send another invitation.

Error: "Sharing was unsuccessful." or "Can’t share with user."

What happened:

You tried to share with someone who couldn’t be shared with. We’ll let you know how many users you successfully shared with and how many couldn’t be invited. This can be because:

• The invitees are on a Dropbox Business team that doesn’t allow their members to have invites from off the team
• If you’re on a team that doesn’t allow you to invite members that aren’t on your team

How to fix it:

If you’re on a Dropbox Business team, contact your admin and ask if they can change your team settings.

If the user you’re trying to share with is on a Dropbox Business team, ask them to contact their admin to change these settings.

Error: "You don’t have permission to perform this action."

What happened:

This can happen if:

• The owner of the folder you were trying to share doesn’t allow editors to share with other members
• You have view-only access to the file or folder. In these cases you can’t invite other members to this file or folder.

How to fix it:

Contact the owner of the file or folder to make you an editor. If you’re already an editor, ask them to change the setting that allows editors to invite people.

Error: "The file specified was not found."

What happened:

The file you tried to share isn’t in your Dropbox account anymore. This can happen if the file was deleted or removed from Dropbox, by you or by another member of the folder.

When you share a file or folder using Dropbox, the recipient receives an email with a link to the file or folder. The recipient must have a Dropbox account and be signed into that account to view or edit the file or folder. If the recipient doesn’t have a Dropbox account, or doesn’t want to sign in to view it, you can share it with a view-only link instead. Not using Dropbox yet? See how Dropbox makes it easy to send large files.

You can control whether people can edit or can only view your files and folders when you share them and even after you share them. Edits and comments made to a shared file or folder are updated live for everyone they’ve been shared with.

Notes: 

• If you're on a Dropbox Standard, Advanced, or Enterprise team, and you share a folder with your teammates, the folder is automatically added to their Dropbox accounts.
• If you share a folder with an individual Dropbox user, the user needs to manually add the folder to their Dropbox account.
• Anyone who is invited to collaborate in a file or folder can create their own link to share with others.

Other helpful articles:

On dropbox.com

1. Sign in to dropbox.com
2. Hover over the file or folder you’d like to share and click the share icon (rectangle with an up arrow).
3. Type the email, name, or group of the person (or people) you’d like to share with, and click to select them from the results.
   • Note: You can add as many people as you’d like.
4. Select can edit (view, comment, and edit) or can view (view and comment but not edit).
5. Add a note if you’d like, and check the checkbox if you’d like to Post this note as a comment.
6. Click Share file or Share folder.

On the Dropbox desktop app

1. Open the Dropbox folder in File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac).
2. Right-click the file or folder you’d like to share.
3. Click Share.
4. Click Mail.
5. Click inside the To: line and type the email, name, or group of the person (or people) you’d like to share with, and click to select them from the results.
   • Note: You can add as many people as you’d like.
6.  Click inside the Subject: line and type the subject of your email.
7. Add a message if you’d like.
   
8. Click Send message. 

Note: The person or group will receive an email with a link to the file or folder.

On the Dropbox mobile app

You can share a file or folder on the Dropbox mobile app via link or email. You can also save files directly to your device. Learn how to share files on the Dropbox mobile app.

Why can I only share with a link Dropbox?

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