How to Share Folders on Dropbox

Two Methods:On DesktopOn MobileCommunity Q&A

This wikiHow teaches you how to share a Dropbox folder with another person via email. Sharing a Dropbox folder with another person will allow them to view and edit the folder's contents from their own Dropbox account. You can share Dropbox files with people on both the Dropbox website and the Dropbox mobile app.

Steps

Method 1

On Desktop

1. 1

   Open Dropbox.

   Go to

   https://www.dropbox.com/

   in your browser. This will open your Dropbox account if you're logged in.

   • If you aren't logged into Dropbox, click Sign in in the upper-right side of the page, then enter your email address and password.

2. 2

   Click Files. It's a tab on the left side of the page. Doing so will open a list of your Dropbox files.

3. 3

   Select a folder. Click the checkbox to the left of a folder that you want to share. The folder will be selected.

4. 4

   Click Share. It's a button on the right side of the folder's name. Doing so opens a new window.

5. 5

   Enter an email address.

   Type the email address of the person with whom you want to share the folder into the text field near the top of the window.

   • You can add multiple email addresses by pressing the Space key between email addresses.

6. 6

   Select an editing level. By default, the person with whom you share your folder will be able to view and edit its files. If you just want them to be able to view the folder's contents, click the Can edit drop-down box, then click Can view in the drop-down menu.

7. 7

   Enter a message if you like. You can enter a message for your recipient (e.g., instructions on how to use the files in the folder) in the main section of the window, but doing so is optional.

8. 8

   Click Share.

   It's a blue button at the bottom of the window. This will share your folder with your recipient. If they have a Dropbox account, they'll be able to open it in their account.

   • If your recipient doesn't have a Dropbox account, they'll need to create an account first.

Method 2

On Mobile

1. 1

   Open Dropbox.

   Tap the Dropbox app icon, which resembles an open box on a blue or white background. This will open your Dropbox Home page if you're logged in.

   • If you aren't logged into Dropbox, enter your email address and password to log in.

2. 2

   Tap Files.

   It's a tab at the bottom of the screen. Doing so will open a list of your files and folders in Dropbox.

   • On Android, this tab is on the left side of the screen. You may first have to tap ☰ in the upper-left corner of the screen to view it.

3. 3

   Find a folder. Look for the folder that you want to share with someone.

4. 4

   Tap ⋯.

   It's below the folder that you want to share. Doing so opens a menu.

   • On Android, tap ⋮ to the right of the folder instead.

5. 5

   Tap Share. This option is in the menu. Tapping it opens a pop-up window.

6. 6

   Enter an email address.

   Tap the "To" text field near the top of the screen, then type in the email address of the person with whom you want to share the folder.

   • You can add multiple email addresses by tapping the Space key between email addresses.

7. 7

   Select an editing level. By default, the person with whom you share your folder will be able to view and edit its files. If you want your recipient to be able to view the files but not edit them, tap Can edit, then tap Can view and tap the "Back" button in the top-left corner.

8. 8

   Enter a message if you like. If you want to add a message (e.g., instructions on what to do with the folder),

9. 9

   Tap Send.

   It's in the top-right corner of the screen. Doing so will share the folder with your selected recipient. If they have a Dropbox account, they'll be able to open it in their account.

   • On Android, you'll tap the paper plane icon here instead.
   • If your recipient doesn't have a Dropbox account, they'll need to create an account first.

Tips

• Dropbox will allow you to store up to 2 gigabytes of information for free, after which point you must pay a monthly fee for additional storage (or delete files to make room).

Warnings

• Once a folder is shared with Can edit permissions, recipients can download and use the files in the folder as they please.

Article Info

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