Will moving the file that a shared link points to break the original link?

[LeeDee]

Quick question: If you add a single file, say an mp3, then get a link for it, but later move that file into a newly created folder, will that break the original link?
If so, this is why I miss the Public Folder, all those loose files get sort of messy. Is there an alternative I may not know about?

[Walter · Accepted solution]

Hey there @LeeDee  - how are you today?

Moving or renaming a file will not affect the shared link that you generated. This means that anyone who has access to the shared link will still be able to access the file if you move it to a different location in your Dropbox folder or if you rename the file.

I hope this clarifies matters and please let me know if you have any further questions. 

PS: The Public folder's functionality has been removed since 2017 - you can read below for more information: https://www.dropbox.com/help/files-folders/public-folder 

[LeeDee]

Well that's just perfect. Now I can organize all those loose, single files. No Public folder needed. All this time and I didn't even know thinking organizing in folders would break my shared link. Self-face palm.

Thank you very much, Walter!

[Walter]

Glad to hear this helped @LeeDee - should you ever come up with a Dropbox question, please let me know.

In the meantime, thanks for using Dropbox and have a lovely day/night ahead!

[JoaoH]

I'm wondering whether a Link to either a File or Folder I've shared with a Client changes, if I rename or move this File or Folder anywhere on Dropbox?

[Jane]

Hey @JoaoH, I’ve moved your post here, in order to ping you on our previous discussion above that should answer your question. Please have a look at the pointers posted here at your convenience & let me know if you have any follow-up inquiries. 

Thanks for getting in touch on the Community & enjoy the rest of your day until we talk again! 

[Davis L.]

I tried this myself, being curious at your question. The last part of  the dropbox link is actually your file name. 

I removed an 's' on my file  AFTER I  shared a dropbox link. Interestingly, although my link has an 's', the URL still worked! Also, the entire URL containing my filename removed that 's' like I renamed it. 

[Rfranks]

Currently, I have a shared excel spreadsheet with over 300 hyperlinks, each one taking me to a DB document. If I were to rearrange my documents and move them into folders and subfolders, is there a way to do this without breaking the linked path? 

[Daphne]

Hey @Rfranks, thanks for posting!

I've just moved your post here, as you have a similar question to the OP. When you have the chance, please take a look at the info Walter provided above. 

Let me know if you have any questions!

[Rfranks]

Thanks Daphne,

Once of our users either moved/deleted a folder and even though we recovered it, now all of the links are broken. When I try to generate a shared link for an existing document, it now has a completely different pathway to the one that we had saved previously. Im worried that this might happen again if someone tries to move a folder after we update all of our URLs with the new ones.