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Enable create and rename folders/files on MacOS Dropbox application for admin users
After a recent dropbox update, at the top level, admin users are unable to create and rename files on their desktop dropbox application for Mac users (OS version: Sequoia 15.3.2).
This slight change has made it more of a hassle to use the desktop app, it makes it appear obsolete to be honest. My team needs a number of folders to created frequently as we get new cases quite frequently. After the new update, as the admin user, I have to navigate to my web browser in order to create a folder and then come back to my desktop app to add all the relevant documents into that folder. If I make a mistake in the name of the folder, I can't change the name of the folder I have to go back to web browser, find the folder and then change it from there.
It is such that even as an admin user on my computer, when I go to unlock the folder at the top level to give me read and write access, it automatically switches back as it is something that has been enabled from the software and not the user end.
I could see the justification for having this restriction for non-admin users but for admin users whose job description requires the creation and modification of top level files, it has added an additional step in work flow that is cumbersome.
In the past, all these could be done directly from the desktop app.
I would like to request that the feature be put back as it was. The new change is not user friendly at all.
10 Comments
Hello m_edina_2025
This is a nice proposal. Is this a Dropbox Business account? If so, could you check the value of âTop-level content managementâ setting in Admin console > Settings > Content?
I am wondering if it is set to âEveryoneâ or âAdmin onlyâ.
Thanks,
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.
Hi DBoxTipsâ
First of all, thank you for even offering a suggestion.
It is a Dropbox Business account. I followed your instructions and currently the setting for âTop-level content managementâ is set to 'Everyone'.
Do you think setting it to 'admin only' will have the desired effect in terms of what I am looking for?
Just to share with you, the update that caused this change is really making a quite simple and effective workflow cumbersome and frustrating.
Anyways, I am welcome to any additional potential solutions that you could offer.
Thank you,
Here is what I would do. I would try switching between the two ("Admin only" and "Everyone") and let the change get propagated to the Dropbox app on the desktop. The way Dropbox implements this on the desktop is via local folder permissions.
So first change it to "Admin only", quit Dropbox on your Mac and start it again. After Dropbox finishes starting, I would go to the Dropbox folder in Finder and try to create a folder.
Then change it back to "Everyone", quit Dropbox on your Mac and start it again. When Dropbox starts, as part of the startup it gets the settings for "Top-level content management" from the Dropbox servers and it should then update the local folder permissions for the Dropbox folder accordingly. I would go to the Dropbox folder in Finder and try to create folder.
Could you give that a try and see if it makes any difference? Additionally, could you hover on the Dropbox icon in the menu bar and let me know the version of Dropbox? I will try using that same version and my Dropbox Business account and see if I could reproduce the issue that you are seeing.
Thanks,
Andrew (DBoxTips)
Was just directed to this thread as we have also found this change to be frustrating.
Our workaround has been to create a makeshift root folder inside the Dropbox root. Since these restrictions donât apply to subfolders, we can keep working the way we need to â but it really makes me question the reasoning for the root folder restrictions in the first place if it is still easy to modify all the contents of the root folders.I am with you on this Val Burkeâ. It is creating so much hassle for my workflow after this permissions change.
As an example, I am the admin user in my office so I have the responsibility of creating case files for all of our new and ongoing cases. Sometimes in a day, I have to create multiple top-level case files and each time I have to travel back to the website create the folder and then come back to actually transfer the documents on my local computer as it is a smoother uploading process than using the web portal. It is such a frustrating experience so far that I am really hard pressed to see the need to the change given that I am an admin user and not a team level user.
I am really hoping this would get enough traction for Dropbox to undo the change because otherwise I feel that I am in for a very frustrating ongoing experience.
I had hoped to see this get more traction but I also understand how it has not as I did not find it when first looking this up.
That said I am surprised the Dropbox staff have not made a note of it as there are many threads in the forums about this change with all users finding it very frustrating with many looking at Dropbox alternatives.
If you find having to go to the website all the time to create, delete, rename, or share links, I would suggest creating single folder in the Root folder and work inside of it as you can once again use Dropbox in folder as normal.
