Need to see if your shared folder is taking up space on your dropbox 👨💻? Find out how to check here.
Forum Discussion
Solved
Why do shared files count against my space use???
Why are files shared with me counted against my space usage? Is this data counted twice? If someone who is sharing files with me is paying for this space, why should I have to pay as well just to access it? I am out of space, I have no intention of buying more space, and yet, when someone shares some files with me, I cannot access them and I am forced to buy space in order to access them. Why is this?
Thank you.
dualice wrote:
Why are files shared with me counted against my space usage?
Because the files exist in your account.
When you have access to a shared folder, you're not accessing someone else's folder. You're accessing your own COPY of the folder within your account, and you need to have enough space available to hold that folder.
If you just need to view or download files that someone else is sharing with you, ask them to send you a shared link instead. A shared link is a view-only method of sharing and you don't even need a Dropbox account to access it.
144 Replies
Replies have been turned off for this discussion
- Hannah
Dropbox Community Moderator
Hey stevengallagher, while we appreciate your feedback, keep in mind that if you'd like to have edit access on a folder, it needs to be added to your account as well, that's why it takes up your space.
If you just want to access a folder, the owner can send you a 'can view' link instead and if you need to upload files to the folder, they can send you a file request.
None of the above require space or even a Dropbox account.
I hope this helps!
Hey, since someone already paid for the data parking space, why should I pay for the same folder space too? This is just a straight rip-off. Not happy at all.
«If Dropbox doesnt make money they go bankrupt and then there is no service to use» 👉 User shaming isn't necessarily the best way to go on about it 🤣
This is just dumb. No way they're really copying each and every file within that shared folder. That makes zero sense, and is just a method to rip off users of their money! 😠
I uploaded photos to someone elses dropbox account for them but it using up MY data storage - I want them to store it NOT me - It should not effect my account - How do I remedy that?
- Rich
Super User II
mtreeves1968 wrote:
I stored 3.5GB mp4 video in shared folder but when my daughter tried to download file, dropbox said she has to pay to increase her storage on dropbox. I don't understand this. I thought she should be able to download the shared file to anywhere she wants to such as PC or iphone??
If you sent her a shared link and she's just downloading it, she doesn't even need an account. If she's trying to save it to her Dropbox, or if you invited her to a shared folder instead, she needs an account and she needs to have enough available space in her account to hold the folder that she's trying to save to her account.
I stored 3.5GB mp4 video in shared folder but when my daughter tried to download file, dropbox said she has to pay to increase her storage on dropbox. I don't understand this. I thought she should be able to download the shared file to anywhere she wants to such as PC or iphone??
- Rich
tiffany3 wrote:
Huh, so everyone who needs to access a folder needs to pay to store it on their own local system??
If the folder is larger than the amount of available space in their account, yes.
Will this take up space on my desktop hard drive? Or all in the cloud?If you sync the files to your computer, yes, the files will use space on your local drive. You also have the ability to use items like Selective Sync or marking files as online-only so they don't take up local drive space.
I'm a google drive user and having to upgrade a dropbox account just so I can edit some of my clients' files is a bit mind-boggling.Google has other sources of revenue that they use to subsidize their cloud storage service and usually operate it at a loss as a means to bring people into their ecosystem. In fact, Google posted their very first profit for cloud services in Q1 this year. Dropbox has no other sources of income with which to prop up their storage service.
Huh, so everyone who needs to access a folder needs to pay to store it on their own local system?? Will this take up space on my desktop hard drive? Or all in the cloud? I'm a google drive user and having to upgrade a dropbox account just so I can edit some of my clients' files is a bit mind-boggling. And thanks for your quick reply above.
