Need to see if your shared folder is taking up space on your dropbox 👨💻? Find out how to check here.
Forum Discussion
Solved
Dropbox changed my sharing link with the same file name!! Can I add a file to an old dropbox link?
Hi There, I'm hoping someone can help with this issue.
I uploaded a dropbox link to an awards entry portal. It's a link to a video. Just before the deadline, I updated the file in my Dropbox. The same name. I just dropped it into the folder on my desktop and presumed the shared link would not change.
I've just checked my entry (which cannot be edited) and the link I submitted says 'file has been deleted'. When I create a shared link from the updated file, it's a different link!!!
I always thought the link would not change if the file name did not change.
My question now is.
Can I somehow add the updated file to the old Dropbox link. i.e. the link that says 'file has been deleted'??
I would greatly appreciate any help on this. A lot of work went into the file.
PS I've already contacted the awards people to request that my links are updated. But they may refuse.
Hello,
I think what he is trying to explain is exactly what happened to me above. When you use the dropbox desktop app on your computer to replace a file with the same name, it deletes the LINK, thereby breaking the link which you may have already shared publicly in multiple places. Big headache.
This never used to happen, but with recent Mac OS updates it happens quite frequently. Therefore, now I only replace files in Dropbox via my browser, never on the desktop app. This ensures the link remains intact and only the file changes.
Molly
21 Replies
Uploading a file to Dropbox via a browser works for me too--the link to the original file is applied to the replacement file. If the file has the same name as the one you want to replace, Dropbox overwrites it without warning, which is what I wanted to happen anyway.
If instead you upload the replacement file with a different filename, and then rename it in the web browser, Dropbox will not overwrite it, but will append a (1) to the filename. Not what you want! So first navigate to the folder location of the file you want to replace, and under the search field at the top of the page select upload (or click the 3 vertical dots) and choose the file from your computer that is named exactly the same as the file you want to replace. Then the link from the old file will now work to download the new file (at least that works for me as of 2024-04-16)
To avoid the hassle of uploading the replacement file in the web browser, link a folder that the file is inside of, instead of linking the file itself. Then it won't matter what files you put inside of the folder - the folder will contain whatever files are present at the time someone uses the folder link.
Last hint: I always change the end of the Dropbox link to <=1> instead of <=0> (not including those <> brackets). Then the linked item will download immediately instead of someone having to visit a Dropbox web page.
