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guy2's avatar
guy2
Explorer | Level 4
6 years ago

How to share a folder with external users?

I am the admin of our business account and want to achieve the following folder/permissions structure.  Unfortunately I can't figure out how to do this with Dropbox.  (All users need to be able to edit. ) 

Top Level Folder (editable by team member 1, team member 2, external user 1, external user 2)

  • Sub-folder 1
  • Sub-folder 2
  • Sub-folder 3
  • Sub-folder 4 (also editable by external user 3, external user 4)
  • Sub-folder 5
  • Sub-folder 6

Simply put: a couple of people on my team and a few externals need access to a top level folder.... and a couple of other external users need access to only a sub-folder.  

What is the best way to achieve these folder/permissions between my team members and external users??

Thanks

 

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  • Daphne's avatar
    Daphne
    6 years ago
    Hey there guy2,
     
    Thanks for taking the time to explain exactly what you want to achieve here! To do this you will need to have the folder within a Team folder to be able to have different access levels in the folder structure. You can either create a new team folder or move the current shared folder into a team folder.
     
    Then, what I would recommend would be to create a Group from within your Admin console. You’ll need to add the team members you want to give access to the top level here (so TM1 and TM2), you won’t be able to add the external members in the group here but not to worry.
     
    Then you will need to manage the folder from within the admin console here. If the folder is currently shared with the group “Everyone at [Team name]”, you’ll need to remove this group from the folder by clicking the “Can edit/view” to the right of the group name and choose “Remove” from the menu. Now you will share the folder with the new group created and also add in the external users you want to give access to the top level folder (EU1 and EU2).
     
    Once you’ve done this, you can simply go to the sub folders and add in any external users to the correct folders. They will only be able to see that folder and it’s contents and nothing above that. 
     
    I hope this clarifies the steps for you but please don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any other questions or need some more clarification - Thanks!
  • Daphne's avatar
    Daphne
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
    6 years ago
    Hey there guy2,
     
    Thanks for taking the time to explain exactly what you want to achieve here! To do this you will need to have the folder within a Team folder to be able to have different access levels in the folder structure. You can either create a new team folder or move the current shared folder into a team folder.
     
    Then, what I would recommend would be to create a Group from within your Admin console. You’ll need to add the team members you want to give access to the top level here (so TM1 and TM2), you won’t be able to add the external members in the group here but not to worry.
     
    Then you will need to manage the folder from within the admin console here. If the folder is currently shared with the group “Everyone at [Team name]”, you’ll need to remove this group from the folder by clicking the “Can edit/view” to the right of the group name and choose “Remove” from the menu. Now you will share the folder with the new group created and also add in the external users you want to give access to the top level folder (EU1 and EU2).
     
    Once you’ve done this, you can simply go to the sub folders and add in any external users to the correct folders. They will only be able to see that folder and it’s contents and nothing above that. 
     
    I hope this clarifies the steps for you but please don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any other questions or need some more clarification - Thanks!
    • guy2's avatar
      guy2
      Explorer | Level 4
      6 years ago

      Ok so something like this?.....

      • Team Folder (give acces to Group containing team members)
        • Sub-folder 1 (also give access to exteranl users 1 & 2)
          • Sub-folder 1.1
          • Sub-folder 1.2
          • Sub-folder 1.3 (also give access to external users 3 & 4)
          • Sub-folder 1.4
          • Sub-folder 1.5
      • Daphne's avatar
        Daphne
        Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
        6 years ago
        Hey guy2,
         
        That would work perfectly yes! You can even add the external users to the top level folder also if needed, you will just need to add them manually instead of with the group, as you can only add team members to a group.
         
        Essentially, within Team folders you can add access at any specific folder level and the user will inherit access only to the content within.
         
        Hope this helps - Cheers!

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