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How can I get people to access an account, and to edit a file on my account?
I'm brand new here and looking to do something very basic and simple. But have no clue what I am doing.
I'm with a group called NAPS (Nebraska Association of Nebraska Santas). Yes a group of about 30 Santas. It's just a social club. We get together once a month, have meal and talk about Santa stuff.
I'm looking to set something up for the group where we can place a few documents for everyone in the group to access. Membership roster, meeting minutes, etc.
So far, I've started a free account (we have no dues, so we have no money). I want to set the account up so the default is that everything is read only, with a couple of people that have edit access. Also, to be able to change a single document to edit access to all.
Also, trying to figure out once we send out emails, pointing to the account. What happens as each person clicks the link? Do they have to se tup an entire account to gain access? (keep in mind, we are a lot of old guys with limited computer experience. I'm trying to keep this as simple as possible)
I've been looking over the documentation and such, but it's overkill. Much more complex than I need, so I'm getting lost in the technical jargon.
Help? (it will help put you on the Nice list :) )
6 Replies
CaraDBXDropbox Engineer
#3 - When I add people, the default setting is "can edit". Is there a way to change the default to 'can view"?
Hi NAPS , yes, you can change your personal default to "can view"! Here are the instructions to change your default What people can do: https://help.dropbox.com/share/set-file-folder-permissions#How-to-manage-your-default-sharing-settings
Thanks for using Dropbox!
Thanks Mark!
I'll have to look into what all is required to set up an account. This is a group of old people and a lot of them "don't like to put to much information on the internet". I logged on using my Google account, so don't recall seeing a set up account process.
- Mark
Super User II
Hi NAPS
#1 - Now any file I dump in to "Stuff" user A, B & C can read but only user D can edit. Correct?
Yes :)
#2 - Can user A, who only has read access, upload a file to "Stuff"?
No. Because they have read-only access. To do that they'd need read-write access (aka Can Edit).
#3 - When I add people, the default setting is "can edit". Is there a way to change the default to 'can view"?
No. Sorry. You could suggest that as a feature, however via Ideas | The Dropbox Community
#4 - I've got the settings on the folder done, I've added some files. So I send out an email to users, A, B,. C, & D
When you add them to the share they'll get an email automatically asking them to set up an account. They must do that to be able to view and edit the files. Without doing that, and accepting the share you've sent, they wont see it.
Just one word of warning on this, however. I assume they'll be free users and as such will be limited to the size of their own account. If you have paid for an upgrade, as an example, this doesn't benefit them at all. So, they will be limited to having access to/seeing and editing no more than 2gb of files in the share - assuming no referral bonuses etc.
I'm more confused and I think it's my fault for not explaining things properly. Also, I have no idea where the title to my post came from. I didn't write that.
#1 - I set up a folder called "stuff" I share by adding people. I add user A, B, C to "can read". I add user D to "can edit". Now any file I dump in to "Stuff" user A, B & C can read but only user D can edit. Correct?
#2 - Can user A, who only has read access, upload a file to "Stuff"? If they can, do they have edit access because they uploaded it or only view access? If only view, is there a way to give user A edit access to that document while it is in the "stuff" folder?
#3 - When I add people, the default setting is "can edit". Is there a way to change the default to 'can view"? Since the majority of the people access these files will only be viewing them. I don't want to take the chance of forgetting to change that when I add someone new.
#4 - I've got the settings on the folder done, I've added some files. So I send out an email to users, A, B,. C, & D. None of them have been on Dropbox before. What do they need to do to view the files? Do they have to set up an account? Does the system recognize their email address and let them in?
I guess that's all for now. Thank you for putting up with me.
- Rich
I want to set the account up so the default is that everything is read only, with a couple of people that have edit access.
The best option would likely be to use two different methods.
Create a folder for the group and add your files to it. Then create a view-only shared link to that folder and give the link to anyone that needs read-only access. They'll be able to view or download the files, but not modify the copy in the folder (if they download their own copy, they can modify that one only).
Next, for those that need edit access, invite them to the folder with edit access. They'll need their own Dropbox account for this. They'll get their own copy of the folder in their account, changes made by any member will sync across all members of the folder.
🎅
- Jay
Dropbox Community Moderator
Hi NAPS, thanks for messaging the Community!
In general, it isn't possible share a Dropbox account with other users, as it would be a breach of the terms of service.
However, you can share files or folders within your Dropbox account to other people. If they have their own Dropbox accounts, they would also have the option to edit the files within the folder, or the file itself if only a single file was shared.
If you need any further assistance, please let me know!
