Get the best out of your Dropbox account at work as a Team Member or Admin. 👩‍💻

If you use Dropbox for business we want to make sure you get the most out of your plan. Whether you’re a team member or a team admin, knowing what your role lets you do (and what doesn’t) can save you a ton of time and headaches. 

First things first, are you a Team Member or an Admin?

If you’re not sure whether you’re a team member or an admin, here is how to find out: 

1. Sign in at dropbox.com using your work email.
2. Click your avatar (Profile pic or initials) in the top-right hand corner.
3. Select Admin Console from the dropdown

Note: If you see the Admin Console option, you have admin access; if you don’t, you are a team member.

If you are an admin, you may have specific admin rights (like managing users, security or billing). To check this: 

1.  In the admin console go to members
2. Find your name and check the admin role column
3. To understand what each role includes check it out here

As a Team Member: What You Can and Can’t Do

Depending on your team set-up, you might see or be able to do slightly more or less than what is listed here. Don’t worry, it’s not personal, it just means the admin sorted things to keep everything running as smooth as possible. If in doubt give your admin or team lead a nudge. 

What you can do:

• Access your Dropbox from anywhere - web, desktop app, or mobile app.
• Upload, rename, and organise files and folders.
• Share files or folders with others, set view/edit permissions.
• Use team folders if you’ve been granted access.
• Comment on files an keep track of any updates.
• Scan and upload documents using the mobile app.
• Enable camera uploads on mobile for automatic photo backup.

What you can’t do:

• Add or remove users from the team.
• Change admin settings or view activity reports.
• Restructure team folders unless given explicit permissions.

More guidance is available here in the Dropbox Team Member Learning Guide.

As an Admin: What You Can and Can’t Do

Just a heads-up – not all admins have the same powers! What you can do will depend on the specific admin role you've been given.

What you can do (depending on your admin role):

• Invite or remove team members.
• Assign admin roles to other users.
• Create and manage team folders, control folder-level permissions.
• Set security policies – such as two-factor authentication device approvals.
• Monitor team activity through logs and reports.
• Manage billing and subscription details (if you're the Billing Admin).

What you can’t do:

• View every file by default – Admins don’t have automatic access to user content unless it’s shared with them or in shared/team folders.
• Act outside your assigned role – For example, a Reporting Admin can’t manage billing or user permissions unless given that access.

Need Admin Access? 

If you believe you should have admin permissions (e.g. to manage users, oversee content, or configure settings), you’ll need to speak to an existing admin on your team. 

To find out who the admins are: 

1. Go to to the admin console (if you can see it)
2. Click Members
3. Look under the Admin role column, This shows who holds admin rights and what type they have

If you do not have access to the admin console: 

As a regular team member on a Dropbox Business/Teams account, you generally cannot directly see a list of admins from your own account interface. The ability to view admin roles is typically restricted to those with admin privileges who can access the Admin Console.

To know who your admins are, you can:

• Ask your team or IT department: They can tell you who the admins are.
• Look for admin communications: Sometimes, admins send out team-wide messages or manage shared folders, and their names may be visible in those contexts.
• Check for admin labels: In some cases, when viewing shared folders or team spaces, you might see labels or notes indicating who manages them, which could hint at admin roles.

Hint: Look back in your emails and see who invited you to the team - they will be a Team Admin.

To wrap things up, knowing the difference between team members and admins in Dropbox can really help everyone work better together. When you understand your role and what you can do, it makes collaborating and sharing resources a breeze.