How does a non-Dropbox user open a file I shared with them?

Thanks so much Andrew! Your answer is more concrete than the non-answers and half answers that I had found.  You’re an angel!

Rich, thanks for the help.  I've never seen what you saw.  Since hardly anyone goes to my website anyway, I don't know how many people have problems.  But for me, in a private window, I can't get around it - I have to either sign in or create an account, which is exactly what I am trying to keep people from having to do.  It's crap.  I'm not paying for a box of chocolates.  The Dropbox instructions are very clear about what is supposed to happen.  But now, with your help, I feel better informed.  Thanks.

Rich wrote:

I wasn't forced to sign in

Sadly, that's just one of the possibilities, not the rule (aka "it works on my computer"). To put this in the words of Forrest Gump's mother, a Dropbox shared link is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.

If you're on mobile, you're first offered to download the app. If the account that shared the file is a business account, Dropbox could ask "Do you collaborate frequently with X? If you collaborate frequently with X, ask to join the team -- or go directly to the file" and then you're presented with the "Ask to join" and "Continue" buttons. If your visit is triggering some of the checks that arstep2​ is triggering, you will be asked to "confirm your identity".

The experience of shared links has been getting worse over time, because Dropbox is using it to push user growth by trying to mislead visitors of a shared link into thinking they have to create a Dropbox account in order to get to the file. That's not cool.

To answer Gazzy​'s original question, sadly the answer would be "instruct them to look for the Download button or 'Open in browser' link and also tell them they are not required to create a Dropbox account in order to get to the file".

Hope this helps,
Andrew (DBoxTips)

P.S. I am a volunteer on the Dropbox forums, freely and happily sharing know-how with other users, not affiliated with Dropbox in any way.

arstep2 wrote:

Try it yourself: ... then click on Travels.

I wasn't forced to sign in. I was asked if I wanted to with a banner at the top, but the photos loaded as soon as I clicked the links.

Me, too.  I've had this problem for years.  I have a shared Dropbox folder, with a link where "anyone with this link can view".  I attached that link to a button on my (public) website, but Dropbox still wants people (non-Dropbox users) to sign in.  I talked to DropBox staff several years ago, and I thought it was fixed, but not any more.  As a test, on my Mac, when I go to my website and try to access the Dropbox folder in a private window, this is the message I get ("To keep Alan's Movies secure, we need to confirm your identity").  This should not be necessary.  Try it yourself:  alanandjan.com, then click on Travels.  Thx.

No worries Gazzy - I'm just glad we cleared this up. 

See you around the Community and take care! 

Thank you so-o much! Most answers I’ve found don’t answer from the stand point of the  “new to dropbox” recipient…and the new or less informed user.  Answers have tended to focus on how to send a transfer or share a file.  The “transfer” process is new to me too… I kind of figured out or stumbled into how to send using a little “early” Dropbox know-how to share the file so I had no idea about what the recipient saw or what they had to do to open the file. The Dropbox Help Center and related info givers on the platform need to make the scenario the focus of it’s answers and education…give the back and forth that explains the whole process for both sender AND receiver— with illustrations too.  I’ve been looking for an answer all day. Thanks again!

I have been trying to get an answer to a simple question that needs answering to the recipient of a transfer of a shared folder or file: When a non-dropbox person receives a shared file or document, how do they open it?  What do they tap or click to “view” (view only)—they do not know Dropbox jargon or practice and I need to know so I can tell them… please help me help them; this used to be simple, but since I’m a returning user, I don’t know the answer.

Hi there, Gazzy​, welcome to our Community!

How exactly did you share content with that person?

Did you directly add them to the file using these steps? If so, then they'd need a Dropbox account in order to view the file.

Did you perhaps share a link with them? In that case, they should be able to preview the content even without a Dropbox account, especially if the shared link has "can view" permissions.

 If you tried shared the content a different way, feel free to clarify.

Let me know more, and we'll take it from there!