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CAMP's avatar
CAMP
Explorer | Level 4
7 years ago

Sharing Folders - is there a limit?

I have only used 53 GB of my 1 TB of space on Dropbox. I've shared several folders with a work colleague but she is now getting messages that her dropbox is full. She does not have a subscription. Is...
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Shared Folders
  • Walter's avatar
    Walter
    7 years ago

    Hey there CAMP - let me clarify this for you!

    In short, yes there is; her own account's quota allowance yet you can share a link to the folder with her and then have her upload the files after she has edited them(if needed) through a file request you'd need to open up from your end.

    Read on for more context and possible solutions :wink:

    Spoiler

    A Dropbox account's quota is calculated based on the total contents of your Dropbox, which includes shared folders. A Dropbox account can't sync more than its quota, so a 2 GB account can't sync more than 2 GB, including the space taken up by shared folders. Because every member of a shared folder can add and modify the files in the shared folder, the shared folder takes up space in each member's account. This policy exists to prevent people from giving themselves unlimited space by stacking Basic accounts and shared folders.

    If you'd like to share a folder without impacting the recipient's quota, you can share a link to the folder, instead which allows users to view or download a one-way, read-only copy of the folder.

    If you'd like others to upload files to your Dropbox account without impacting the submitters quota, you can send a file request  which enables a requester to have files uploaded to their Dropbox account by other individuals. 

    If she just needs a little more space on her own account, you can have her visit the following pages on our website to see how our users can earn bonus space: 

    Finally, if you are interested in sharing a quota pool between multiple users, we do have a Dropbox Business subscription. You can read more about Dropbox Business on our website here:  https://www.dropbox.com/business

    I hope this helps to some extent and please let me know if there's anything else you'd like to ask!

Walter's avatar
Walter
Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff

Hey there CAMP - let me clarify this for you!

In short, yes there is; her own account's quota allowance yet you can share a link to the folder with her and then have her upload the files after she has edited them(if needed) through a file request you'd need to open up from your end.

Read on for more context and possible solutions :wink:

Spoiler

A Dropbox account's quota is calculated based on the total contents of your Dropbox, which includes shared folders. A Dropbox account can't sync more than its quota, so a 2 GB account can't sync more than 2 GB, including the space taken up by shared folders. Because every member of a shared folder can add and modify the files in the shared folder, the shared folder takes up space in each member's account. This policy exists to prevent people from giving themselves unlimited space by stacking Basic accounts and shared folders.

If you'd like to share a folder without impacting the recipient's quota, you can share a link to the folder, instead which allows users to view or download a one-way, read-only copy of the folder.

If you'd like others to upload files to your Dropbox account without impacting the submitters quota, you can send a file request  which enables a requester to have files uploaded to their Dropbox account by other individuals. 

If she just needs a little more space on her own account, you can have her visit the following pages on our website to see how our users can earn bonus space: 

Finally, if you are interested in sharing a quota pool between multiple users, we do have a Dropbox Business subscription. You can read more about Dropbox Business on our website here:  https://www.dropbox.com/business

I hope this helps to some extent and please let me know if there's anything else you'd like to ask!

Walter's avatar
Walter
Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
7 years ago

Hey David (davidmatero) - I just moved your post under this thread as I feel it best addresses your concerns. 

At your earliest convenience, take a look at my reply above and let me know if it helped!

In the meantime, have a lovely day/night ahead guys ( CAMP & davidmatero).

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