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How can other users upload to my account without them getting space warnings?
Hi, I have a Dropbox Plus account with lots of free storage. I recently went on a diving trip with a group of friends and have created a shared folder in my account to which they all have access so that we can share photos and videos. However, a number of them are having trouble uploading their images to the folder and are getting “insufficient space” warnings. Is this because they don’t have Dropbox Plus and only have standard accounts with insufficient storage? If so, is there any way around this so that we can put all the images in my folder and everyone can access them to view and download them?
You're spot on bobjudson!
Note that a Dropbox account's quota is calculated based on the total contents of the account, which includes shared folders. A Dropbox account can't sync more than its quota, so a 2 GB account can't sync more than 2 GB, including the space taken up by shared folders. Because every member of a shared folder can add and modify the files in the shared folder, the shared folder takes up space in each member's account. This policy exists to prevent people from giving themselves unlimited space by stacking Basic accounts and shared folders.
The best way to mitigate this now is create a file request from your end (as you're the one with more space as I understand it) and have them upload their files through that. Our file requests feature enables a requester (you in this case) to have files uploaded to their Dropbox account by other individuals without impacting the submitters quota.
If you then like to share the folder without impacting their quota, you can share a link to the folder, instead as it allows users to view or download a one-way, read-only copy of the folder.
If any of you wants to remove a shared folder from their account without affecting other members, they can remove their access to it as described in the Help Center article below: https://www.dropbox.com/help/files-folders/unshare-folder
I hope this information helps and please let me know if you have any questions.
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- Walter
Dropbox Community Moderator
You're spot on bobjudson!
Note that a Dropbox account's quota is calculated based on the total contents of the account, which includes shared folders. A Dropbox account can't sync more than its quota, so a 2 GB account can't sync more than 2 GB, including the space taken up by shared folders. Because every member of a shared folder can add and modify the files in the shared folder, the shared folder takes up space in each member's account. This policy exists to prevent people from giving themselves unlimited space by stacking Basic accounts and shared folders.
The best way to mitigate this now is create a file request from your end (as you're the one with more space as I understand it) and have them upload their files through that. Our file requests feature enables a requester (you in this case) to have files uploaded to their Dropbox account by other individuals without impacting the submitters quota.
If you then like to share the folder without impacting their quota, you can share a link to the folder, instead as it allows users to view or download a one-way, read-only copy of the folder.
If any of you wants to remove a shared folder from their account without affecting other members, they can remove their access to it as described in the Help Center article below: https://www.dropbox.com/help/files-folders/unshare-folder
I hope this information helps and please let me know if you have any questions.
Hi Walter, thanks very much indeed - that's super helpful and very clear. Much appreciated.
Hi, I have more or less the same problem. My partner tries to upload big files to my Dropbox Plus. He gets the warning that he does not have enough space on HIS Dropbox. What could I tell him to make him do this right? I have already invited him to share the actual folders
- Walter
Let me re-iterate that in this case, you'll need to use our File requests feature (open up a file request from your end and have them upload using the file request from their end) as shared folders do take up space on each member's account since they have edit rights .
- https://help.dropbox.com/files-folders/share/create-file-request
- https://help.dropbox.com/files-folders/share/received-file-request
Let me know if you have any more questions!
- Rich
Super User II
And just to add ...
geirgeir wrote:
My partner tries to upload big files to my Dropbox Plus. He gets the warning that he does not have enough space on HIS Dropbox.
Your partner isn't uploading files to your Dropbox. He's uploading them to a folder on his Dropbox, which happens to sync to your Dropbox as well.
