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guy2's avatar
guy2
Explorer | Level 4
7 years ago
Solved

How to share a folder with external users?

I am the admin of our business account and want to achieve the following folder/permissions structure.  Unfortunately I can't figure out how to do this with Dropbox.  (All users need to be able to ed...
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  • Daphne's avatar
    Daphne
    7 years ago
    Hey there guy2,
     
    Thanks for taking the time to explain exactly what you want to achieve here! To do this you will need to have the folder within a Team folder to be able to have different access levels in the folder structure. You can either create a new team folder or move the current shared folder into a team folder.
     
    Then, what I would recommend would be to create a Group from within your Admin console. You’ll need to add the team members you want to give access to the top level here (so TM1 and TM2), you won’t be able to add the external members in the group here but not to worry.
     
    Then you will need to manage the folder from within the admin console here. If the folder is currently shared with the group “Everyone at [Team name]”, you’ll need to remove this group from the folder by clicking the “Can edit/view” to the right of the group name and choose “Remove” from the menu. Now you will share the folder with the new group created and also add in the external users you want to give access to the top level folder (EU1 and EU2).
     
    Once you’ve done this, you can simply go to the sub folders and add in any external users to the correct folders. They will only be able to see that folder and it’s contents and nothing above that. 
     
    I hope this clarifies the steps for you but please don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any other questions or need some more clarification - Thanks!
guy2's avatar
guy2
Explorer | Level 4
7 years ago

Thanks for clearing that up!   The logical next question is: how do i use this 'new' Team Folder?  Doing it the sub-folder within a sub-folder way in order to have the ability to share with externals seems like a workaround.   The 'new' Team Folder might be less confusing for the end users.   

Daphne's avatar
Daphne
Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
7 years ago
Hey guy2,
 
It’s possible that you will have the option to update to a team shared workspace from your Admin console. You’ll need to go to the Settings tab from the left panel and then the option for “Early access” near the top.
 
The option would be called “Update to a team space”, and you’ll see the option to Enroll in this. I will suggest to read up a little about the team shared workspace first before doing so, there will be an option to “Learn more” before enrolling in this.
 
I’d also like to note that the way the external user would see the folder wouldn’t change at all, since they will see the folder you share with them (regardless of its location within your team folder) as the “top level” folder in their account like how a shared folder appears. The only difference would be how you and your team will see the folder.
 
Let me know if you have any other questions about this - Cheers! 
  • guy2's avatar
    guy2
    Explorer | Level 4
    7 years ago

    Thanks for that clarification, didn't realize it was an early access feature.   Unfortunately I only see 'New Desktop Dropbox App', no others... i'm guessing this means our business doesn't have the option to use this feature until it moves out of early access?

    "I’d also like to note that the way the external user would see the folder wouldn’t change at all, since they will see the folder you share with them (regardless of its location within your team folder) as the â€œtop level” folder in their account like how a shared folder appears.".  Yes.. I can think of situations where you'd not want the external user to know the internal folder structure. 

    Howerver, although this sounds like a benefit, being able to see the parent folder is can be useful because it gives context to the folder they in fact are allowed to access.  It sounds like this means we have to name that folder as if it was standalone so the external folks know what they are looking at.  (Imagine naming it 'Photos' or something generic... if the external user had folders shared with them from other people named in a similarly generic fashion they'd have a hard time knowing which is which). 

    Actually, maybe you have a solution for that.  How does one differentiate between two or more folders that had been shared with them that are the same... ie. if i have a bunch of people sharing a folder named 'Photos' with me, how do I tell which is which without the benefit of seeing (but not accessing data in) their parent folders?

     

    • Daphne's avatar
      Daphne
      Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
      7 years ago
      Hey there guy2, apologies for the tardy reply here it seems I didn’t receive a notification of your reply!
       
      It seems that this option just isn’t available for your account yet, these early access features can sometimes still be in testing before being released to all users.
       
      In terms of the folder name, you’re indeed right there that the external user would just see the folder name as it is when you share it with them. Potentially you can change the name of the folder  on your end before sharing to add some additional context for the external users, which could probably be the best option to avoid confusion between you and the user.
       
      The other option is that the external user will be able to rename the folder on their end, which won’t reflect on the folder in your account. After a folder is shared, the recipients of the folder can rename the top level folder and this will only reflect for their own account. 
       
      So we could share a folder, with you naming it “Shared with Daphne”, and me renaming it “Shared with guy2”. This won’t affect how the shared folder functions and this also hopefully clarifies your last question too. If the recipient has a collection of shared folders all with the original name being similar, they can change the top level folder name to something more memorable. 
       
      Of course, if the name of a folder within the shared folder is changed, this will reflect for the other members as it’s a change made within the shared content itself.
       
      Let me know if anything isn’t quite clear there, hope you have a great weekend ahead - Cheers!
      • guy2's avatar
        guy2
        Explorer | Level 4
        7 years ago

        Ok that's great, answered all my quesitons and now many things are much clearer.  Thanks for all your patience, time, and help! =]

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