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skepticalthinker's avatar
skepticalthinker
Helpful | Level 6
2 years ago

Shared link asks viewers to request access. Why does this happen?

Greetings.  I have a shared file set to be viewable by anyone with the link, and I've sent the link to those I want to view the file (see screenshot).  However, when they access the link, Dropbox sta...
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  • JasonSilverDBX's avatar
    JasonSilverDBX
    2 years ago

    Hi skepticalthinker ,

     

    Jumping in here as a Product Manager for Dropbox Sharing to help out Hannah.  Reading through your thread, this is very strange indeed.  You've done everything right and I appreciate your patience in working through what is no doubt a frustrating experience.  The best I can suggest here is to contact support for help.  They'll be able to go through your specific situation and troubleshoot your specific link.  Sharing a View Link with access set to "Anyone" should allow anyone - signed in or not - to access a web based preview of your content, and then from there to take further collaborative action like downloading, asking to join the content, etc.

     

    Jason

Jay's avatar
Jay
Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff

Hi skepticalthinker, thanks for bringing this to our attention.

 

When you shared the link to the users, did you just copy and paste it exactly as the site generated the link?

 

If you view the link in an incognito/private browsing window in your browser, without logging into your account, are you able to view the file normally?

 

This will help me to assist further!

skepticalthinker's avatar
skepticalthinker
Helpful | Level 6
2 years ago

Thanks for your interest Jay.  Yes, I copied the Dropbox-generated link and emailed it to those I wished to share the file with.  After the first one or two requests to approve access, I opened a private browsing window in Firefox to test it, and it took me right to the file.  That’s why I'm confused.

  • Hannah's avatar
    Hannah
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
    2 years ago

    Hey skepticalthinker, sorry to jump in here, but did you initially create the link through our website or through your local Dropbox folder?

    • skepticalthinker's avatar
      skepticalthinker
      Helpful | Level 6
      2 years ago

      Thanks for your interest Hannah.  I always create links (and do all my sharing) via the Dropbox website.

      • Hannah's avatar
        Hannah
        Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
        2 years ago

        Thanks for clarifying, skepticalthinker!

         

        Does the shared link you've created contain this: "rlkey"?

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