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Forum Discussion
Best way to share a non-user specific link to a file?
Hi all,
I'm looking for input on the best/future-proof way to share a Dropbox link to a file inside a shared Dropbox folder.
Currently, the members of this shared Dropbox folder will ...
Hi blake03,
Thank you for your question and for your clear description of your use case. I am a Product Manager at Dropbox for our Sharing Platform team. Our team works on the underlying technology that powers the link sharing you're using. The behavior you describe, and which Hannah confirmed, is correct. For files, the shared links are currently user-specific.
Now, in most cases, as you've said, this works fine. However, we are listening to our users and are always seeking to making Dropbox even better - especially when it comes to the ease and reliability of sharing. In cases where that original user loses access to the content, disbands their account, etc. that original link would break. That isn't a great experience. So we're fixing it!
In the future, all of your shared links will be tied to the content - instead of the user - which will eliminate this scenario. In fact, some content types, like folders, already function this way - give it a try!I hope that helps and please continue to provide feedback in our community! It's a valuable way for those of us working on our products to keep in direct contact with our users.
Jason
Hannah
Dropbox Staff
Dropbox StaffHey blake03, thanks for posting your question to the Dropbox Community!
At the moment, shared links can only be created on a user level and can only be user-specific.
I will, however, pass your feedback along to our team about this.
If you have any other questions, please let us know!
JasonSilverDBXDropbox Product Manager
Hi blake03,
Thank you for your question and for your clear description of your use case. I am a Product Manager at Dropbox for our Sharing Platform team. Our team works on the underlying technology that powers the link sharing you're using. The behavior you describe, and which Hannah confirmed, is correct. For files, the shared links are currently user-specific.
Now, in most cases, as you've said, this works fine. However, we are listening to our users and are always seeking to making Dropbox even better - especially when it comes to the ease and reliability of sharing. In cases where that original user loses access to the content, disbands their account, etc. that original link would break. That isn't a great experience. So we're fixing it!
In the future, all of your shared links will be tied to the content - instead of the user - which will eliminate this scenario. In fact, some content types, like folders, already function this way - give it a try!I hope that helps and please continue to provide feedback in our community! It's a valuable way for those of us working on our products to keep in direct contact with our users.
Jason
