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How to share a folder with external users?

How to share a folder with external users?

guy2
Explorer | Level 4
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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 edit. ) 

Top Level Folder (editable by team member 1, team member 2, external user 1, external user 2)

  • Sub-folder 1
  • Sub-folder 2
  • Sub-folder 3
  • Sub-folder 4 (also editable by external user 3, external user 4)
  • Sub-folder 5
  • Sub-folder 6

Simply put: a couple of people on my team and a few externals need access to a top level folder.... and a couple of other external users need access to only a sub-folder.  

What is the best way to achieve these folder/permissions between my team members and external users??

Thanks

 

13 Replies 13

guy2
Explorer | Level 4
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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 “top 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
Dropbox Staff
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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!

Daphne
Community Moderator @ Dropbox
dropbox.com/support


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guy2
Explorer | Level 4
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Ok that's great, answered all my quesitons and now many things are much clearer.  Thanks for all your patience, time, and help! =]

Daphne
Dropbox Staff
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Hey @guy2,
 
I’m very happy to hear that things are all cleared up now, it was my pleasure to assist! If there’s any other questions that you have then please don’t hesitate to reach out to us here.
 
Have a great day - Thanks!

Daphne
Community Moderator @ Dropbox
dropbox.com/support


Heart Did this post help you? If so, please give it a Like below.
:arrows_counterclockwise: Still stuck? Ask me a question!
:pushpin: Tips & Tricks Find new ways to stay in flow or share your tips on how you work smarter with Dropbox.

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