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Forum Discussion
My client is asked to log-in to access my shared file
Hi There, I'm trying to get files to a client urgently for a press deadline. I shared a link to files—the usual way—and my client clicked the link from his email but he was asked to log-in. He said...
johniwhite wrote:
I suspect (hope) that this is just a temporary glitch on Dropbox though.
It's not a glitch. It's the way you're sharing the file.
If you use option 1, you're inviting someone to a file and a Dropbox account is required. It's an invitation to a specific individual, and to verify that they are who they're supposed to be, they have to sign in to an account using the same email that you used to send the invitation.
Option 2 creates a Share Link that anyone can use to access the file and a Dropbox account IS NOT required. Anyone that has the link can access the file. The ymay be prompted to create an account, but it's not necessary to access the file.
Thanks for the replies.
I just had a go at sharing the file (not folder) with myself at another email address, and tried to access it with the emailed link in a browser that's signed out of Dropbox—in a web browser on a desktop PC.
Yes, I'm presented with a screen saying "Join Dropbox to view this file" (ridiculous) and asking me to either:
- Sign up with Google (why Google?)
OR
- Fill in a form to sign-up
OR
- Sign-in
(my client mustn't have noticed the 'Sign-in' links)
Anyway, those are my ONLY options. No option to skip this stuff. So, without an account, you cannot view a shared file.
This is ridulculous! I may have to sell my soul to Google and try their 'Drive' instead. Nearly everyone (more fool us) has a Google account.
John
Yep, Google make it easy. No need to sign-up or sign-in to view a shared file on Google Drive.
(Google B------s)
I suspect (hope) that this is just a temporary glitch on Dropbox though.
John
- Rich
Super User II
johniwhite wrote:
I suspect (hope) that this is just a temporary glitch on Dropbox though.
It's not a glitch. It's the way you're sharing the file.
If you use option 1, you're inviting someone to a file and a Dropbox account is required. It's an invitation to a specific individual, and to verify that they are who they're supposed to be, they have to sign in to an account using the same email that you used to send the invitation.
Option 2 creates a Share Link that anyone can use to access the file and a Dropbox account IS NOT required. Anyone that has the link can access the file. The ymay be prompted to create an account, but it's not necessary to access the file.
Saying it over and over doesn't make it true. No matter what you say, DropBox does suffer from a glitch in sharing. Without changing a single property of the file being shared, my students were suddenly told the link was to a file that had been deleted. I navigated to the folder, right clicked the file, got a new dropbox link, and pasted into the page. Now any time I click that file it says sign in required. There is no by passing it to get to the file either, it is simply prohibited from viewing until sign in. The really stupid part (and why this is clearly a glitch) is that every other file in the same dropbox account that is linked in the same way works fine. That is, NONE of them require any login. It is just this one file and it has nothing to do with me sharing a folder as you keep suggesting. I realize that may be many people's problem but you are not actually reading these replies if you keep posting the same bull**bleep** solution.
Thanks very much for your help Rich.
John
This is not what I am seeing. Not sure how to attach a screenshot. Thanks.
- Walter
Dropbox Staff
Hey Derek W.5, you should be able to add a screenshot through the camera icon (insert photos option) within your reply box.
While we're at it, could you confirm you're following these steps to share your files?
