Can't seem to properly share a folder of photos

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wa4ywm wrote:

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Also, when I hover over the icon to the right of the "Share" dropdown it says the user "..hasn't added to their dropbox yet" and the icon is grayed out. Why do they need to create a dropbox if all I want to do is share the folder? And why would they need to add anything to a dropbox? I want this to be as simple to use as possible.

 

Thinking that maybe sharing with an invitation is overkill I wondered if I could share just by sending them a link. ...

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Hi wa4ywm,

😀 I suspect you count 2 different things as a single thing. There are different ways to share something. One of them, of course, is to share a link to whatever you want to share (file or folder). Another one (and something definitely different) is to share the file or folder between accounts, that will let syncing between accounts without any user interaction. When you share using link, the person can have or not an account (it's optional), but when you share the file or the folder themself then receiver must have account (the share comes up between accounts). According your description, you may have shared using both ways together. 🙂😉 Decide what you want and remove the other thing.

Good luck.

I had posted a similar item earlier. I had one response which didn't answer my questions.

The subject line says it all. I am sharing a folder of photos with Can View selected. However, the recipient can edit the folder. Why????

The recipient receives an email with an Add Dropbox selection. Why would they need to add a Dropbox if I all I want to do is have them share a folder? This complicates the situation.

Am I completely misunderstanding something? I seem to be doing everything detailed in the instructions.

HELP!!

Hi wa4ywm , thanks for bringing this to our attention.

Just for clarification are you sharing a link to a folder, or are you sharing a folder directly to their account?

This will help me to assist further!

I have tried 2 different things.

One: I click on the Share dropdown. The box that is displayed says "Share this Folder, Only people invited Can view". I enter their email and click on "Share folder". They receive an email with an "Add Dropbox" selection. When they click on this they are taken to the folder and can edit.

Two: I have sent a link in an ordinary email. This link takes them to the folder which they can edit.

Note: My settings under "Link for Viewing", "Who has access" is "Only people invited".

Hey wa4ywm, sorry to jump in, but can you confirm that you're using these steps to share the link to the folder you mentioned?

If you have already added them to the folder as a member, you can remove their access as outlined here. 

I am going to ask a question in what I hope is a direct manner so that I can get a direct answer.

I wish to be able to send a link to a folder to be used only by people I invite. How can I provide them access without going through the Share Folder process?

So far the only way this seems to work is if the person creates an account when presented with the Add Dropbox icon in the email sent to them when I click Share Folder in the Share this Folder dialog. I would like to avoid having them create a account - this just complicates everything.

This has turned into a VERY frustrating experience.

Hey wa4ywm, what you need to do is share a link to the folder.

You need to keep in mind though, that the link will need to be a "can view" one specifically.

So far, I understand that you're sending a "can edit" one instead, so you'll need to follow these steps.

That way, your recipients won't need to add the folder to their account. They won't even need an account to access the folder.

I hope this helps!

Hannah,

I have been following the steps you refer to. I send the link to a person. The person is listed under "Who can access" in the "Share this folder" dialog.

When the person clicks on the link in their email, Dropbox displays a screen saying "You don't have access". ???

Hi from me as well, wa4ywm!

Can you send us a full screenshot of what they see on their end? 

From what you describe, it’s possible that they’re trying to access a shared folder instead of a shared link (which are two different things).

Nancy   Here is the screen shot you requested.