Downloading shared folder not in zip format

[Dianehelen]

Can a folder of files be shared and not download as a zip file, but just as a folder, as it was uploaded to Dropbox as?

Seems Drop box  creates a share link for a folder and compresses it to zip so when sharing the link, the person downloading it gets a zip file that needs to be extracted.

Thanks for any answers on this

Diane

[Mark · Accepted solution]

A zip file is the only way that you'll be able to download it and keep its structure without downloading each individual file.

[Walter]

Hey @Dianehelen,

Thanks for reaching out about this. 

Keep in mind that sharing and downloading are two different things. You can share a folder using the any of the available options as described here . 

If the other party does not use the desktop app to sync the folder in question to their account/device(s) and try to download it via a website , the download of any folder is going to result in a zip file. 

In addition, note that, currently, it isn't possible to download folders that contain more than 10,000 files or are larger than 20 GB via the web interface.  You can always read more about this here .  

If a user needs to download a folder larger than this, the best way to do so is by adding the files to their Dropbox and allowing them to download to their computer using the desktop application. 

Once the other party clicks the "Add to my Dropbox" option, these files will be added to their Dropbox account and will immediately begin syncing down to your linked computer(s).

I hope this helps clear things up Diane but let me know if have any further questions. 

[Dianehelen]

thats what I kinda thought, thanks for the verification. So I guess drop box automatically zips a shared folder, when it needs to be downloaded by someone it was shared to right?
Thanks

[Rich]

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@Dianehelen wrote:
I guess drop box automatically zips a shared folder, when it needs to be downloaded by someone it was shared to right?

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You can't download a folder through a browser, and that's nothing to do with Dropbox. Unless you're using a download manager, your web browser only handles single files. To get around that, Dropbox zips the content of a folder into a single file for download. This holds true for any folder you wish to download, whether it's shared or not.

[Cant_think]

It's kind of annoying when I upload the folder and I download it onto my desktop. Then the folder turns into a zip file. I would like to know if there is a way to turn this feature off.

[Jane]

Hey @Cant_think, I believe that this conversation here should help you gain a bit of insight regarding your initial inquiry & that’s why I moved your post under this thread, just so as to point you to the explanations posted above. 

While I appreciate the time you devoted to write us your thoughts on the matter, I'd like to ask you to check out what has been discussed here at your convenience & let me know if you have any follow-up questions or observations. Thanks for getting in touch on the Community & enjoy the rest of your day until we talk again!

[hansolocambo]

Working solution :

1/ The Dropbox account owner needs to share the folder.

2/ Open JDownloader2

3/ Copy the shared folder link (Ctrl+C, to the clipboard).

4/ JDownloader will then find the folder and all of its content

5/ You can now download all of the content locally, not zipped.