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Forum Discussion
Password Protect Folders/Files Not Working
Hi,
I have the business account so should be able to set passwords for files and folders when I share them. I attempted to do this with a file - I went through the steps to set a password and shared it to the email address of a colleague.
They clicked the link in the email they received ("go to folder") and it took them to log in. Which they did. Dropbox asked them to add the folder. Which they did.
HOWEVER, when they clicked on the folder it opened without any password being asked for. There was also a password protected file inside the folder. They could also open this without being prompted for a password.
Please can you advise as to why this is happening and how to rectify it.
pduk wrote:
I have the business account ...
Do you have a Dropbox Business account, or a Basic/Plus/Professional account that you're using for business purposes? You can see the exact plan that you have on the Plan page. Basic, Plus and Professional accounts are considered personal accounts.
They clicked the link in the email they received ("go to folder") and it took them to log in. Which they did. Dropbox asked them to add the folder. Which they did.This sounds like you shared a folder with your colleague. A shared folder cannot be password protected and there's no way (using Dropbox) to password protect the content of a shared folder. Since a shared folder is shared to a specific individual and a Dropbox account is required, there's no need to further protect it with an individual password. Only the people you specifically share it with can access it.
A share link can be password protected, if you have a Professional or Business account. Basic and Plus accounts (Plus, formerly known as Pro) do not have this feature unless they were grandfathered in when Professional accounts were made available (about 7 months ago). A Dropbox account is not required for the recipient, so they wouldn't be required to log in before they could view the content.
Note that the password on share links is really a false sense of security, in my opinion. Share links can easily be passed on to another person (or posted online) along with the password, and you would never know it. If you need to ensure the security of a file or folder (and even that isn't 100% secure since anyone could just copy the content to a new folder and re-share it), then you should use a shared folder and invite the specific individuals that require access to the content.
- Rich
Super User II
pduk wrote:
I have the business account ...
Do you have a Dropbox Business account, or a Basic/Plus/Professional account that you're using for business purposes? You can see the exact plan that you have on the Plan page. Basic, Plus and Professional accounts are considered personal accounts.
They clicked the link in the email they received ("go to folder") and it took them to log in. Which they did. Dropbox asked them to add the folder. Which they did.This sounds like you shared a folder with your colleague. A shared folder cannot be password protected and there's no way (using Dropbox) to password protect the content of a shared folder. Since a shared folder is shared to a specific individual and a Dropbox account is required, there's no need to further protect it with an individual password. Only the people you specifically share it with can access it.
A share link can be password protected, if you have a Professional or Business account. Basic and Plus accounts (Plus, formerly known as Pro) do not have this feature unless they were grandfathered in when Professional accounts were made available (about 7 months ago). A Dropbox account is not required for the recipient, so they wouldn't be required to log in before they could view the content.
Note that the password on share links is really a false sense of security, in my opinion. Share links can easily be passed on to another person (or posted online) along with the password, and you would never know it. If you need to ensure the security of a file or folder (and even that isn't 100% secure since anyone could just copy the content to a new folder and re-share it), then you should use a shared folder and invite the specific individuals that require access to the content.
I have a business dropbox free trial account. When I send the password protected link of a folder to myself (separate email address). I still don't get the password entry box to access the folder just a sign in dropbox account. Please help!
- Walter
Dropbox Staff
Hey there mrib - sorry to hear you're having issues with your password protected sahred links.
Can you create a new shared link for testing purposes and let me know if you still notice the same behavior?
If you do, please forward me the shared link in question so I can investigate further.
Thanks!
