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File sharing that's simple, stress-free and quick

Dropbox makes it easy to share files securely and effortlessly in real time.

Share a link to any file in your cloud storage and control who can view and edit shared files – all in one place and included as standard with your Dropbox account.

A view of files saved in a Dropbox folder directory that can be shared with specific users
Share any file or folder easily, with anyone

File sharing with Dropbox is quick and simple. By just sharing a link, you can send anything – from photos and videos to zipped folders and large CAD files – to anyone, even if they don’t have a Dropbox account.

Easily share links and files from anywhere, using your phone, tablet or computer. And unlike email attachments, you don’t have to worry about file size limits – share files as large as your cloud storage space quota, starting at 2 GB and up.

User creating a link to a file to share online
Get real-time updates on changes to shared files

No more manual checking – find out exactly when someone has made changes to a file you’ve shared.

With cloud file-sharing services from Dropbox, you’ll immediately see who’s added, edited, deleted, renamed or moved an online file. Any changes made to a shared file will be automatically updated and synced for all recipients.

Shared file synchronisation and activity notifications come as standard with any Dropbox plan.

User notified of a shared file change and opening the file
Organise shared folders

Dropbox cloud storage is a great place to help teams get organised and add files to one central location. It’s easy for team members to see where everything is, and which files are the most recent – and in need of immediate attention.

  • Shared folders: Working on a file-heavy project with several team members? Shared folders give everyone rich workspaces where they can get coordinated by uploading content, sharing files, adding folder descriptions and assigning to-dos. And any edits you make within the folder will be immediately synced to other members, for quick and easy collaboration in real time.
  • Groups: With Dropbox, you can easily upload files and share materials with relevant parties by creating a group, adding a list of members and inviting the group to shared folders.
User adding an image file to a shared file
Control what you share
Collaborative file sharing just got easier. 
  • Manage folder permissions: Ensure secure folder sharing with multiple folder permissions. Choose if you want to give recipients editing or view-only access to your folder and manage your sharing options.
  • Sharing options and controls: Sending a file as an email attachment can put your data’s security at risk. With Dropbox, you can easily share a link to a file or folder that is limited to view-only access. Plus, you can add password protection to a shared link, set a link expiry date and disable downloads.
  • Granular folder permissions: Share a specific subfolder without giving access to the entire folder it lives in. Give your vendors access to just one ‘Final Images’ subfolder, for example, located inside your larger ‘Graphic Design’ folder.
User selecting edit access when sharing a folder

Frequently asked questions

File sharing is the public or private sharing of digital information or resources. Common ways to share files include the web, removable USB drives, FTP servers or peer-to-peer networks. The most convenient method used today is online or cloud file sharing or file transfer, a way to grant access to files and content from one user to another over the internet. Dropbox can be used as a cloud file sharing system and an online backup storage service.

It’s simple to send or share files from Dropbox with anyone you want – and they don’t even need a Dropbox account. Create a shared link from your Dropbox desktop or mobile app for iOS or Android and share that link via chat, text or email. Anyone with the shared link can view and download the file.

Sharing a Dropbox folder with anyone you want is easy. Create a shared link to the folder you want to share and then send the shared link via email, chat or text to whomever you like. Anyone with the link can view and download the content of the folder you’ve shared.

You can share files and folders with anyone you like, including people without Dropbox accounts for file storage. Simply send them a shared link to the file or folder via email, chat or text.

To share a link to a file or folder in your Dropbox cloud storage, simply hover over the file or folder you’d like to share and click the share icon (a rectangle with an up arrow). From here, you can select the access permissions you’d like recipients to have, create a link to your file or folder and copy it for sharing.

See more features

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Cloud storage

Keep all your files safe with powerful online cloud storage

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Send large files

Send large files of any type to anyone, worry-free

Sharing a folder with a teammate

Share folders

Share folders with the whole team, safely and securely

Toggling the sharing permission for a shared file

File permissions

Safeguard your work with powerful file permissions