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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 ed...
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Team admin
  • 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
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!
    • guy2's avatar
      guy2
      Explorer | Level 4
      6 years ago

      Hmmmm ok, so like this?.....

      • Team Folder (give acces to Group containing team members, manually give external users 1 &2)
        • Sub-folder 1 
        • Sub-folder 2
        • Sub-folder 3 (also give access to external users 3 & 4)
        • Sub-folder 4
        • Sub-folder 5

      I want to clarify because I tried that but it seems I can only add Groups to a team folder... not external users manually.

      • Daphne's avatar
        Daphne
        Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
        6 years ago
        Hey guy2,
         
        In that case, since you won’t be able to add the external users to a group, you may want to go with the previously mentioned structure and add the external users to a sub folder immediately under the top level folder.
         
        Have a great day!
  • Daphne's avatar
    Daphne
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
    6 years ago
    Hey there guy2,
     
    Firstly, apologies for any confusions I caused there. Some Dropbox Business teams have access to a slightly different new team folder structure. In these teams they have a team shared workspace and a personal folder for all personal files. 
     
    From what you mentioned about only being able to add a group to the top level of a team folder lets me know that you aren’t using this new folder structure. In the new structure it would be possible to add the external users and individuals to the top level of the folder. 
     
    It seems I made the incorrect assumption there, so your previous suggested structure (quoted beneath) would be the one you would need to use with your current Business plan.
    • 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
    I hope that clears up the confusion I may have caused, if you have any other questions about these differences I’d be more than happy to clear that up for you.
     
    Thanks! 
    • guy2's avatar
      guy2
      Explorer | Level 4
      6 years ago

      Thanks for clearing that up!   The logical next question is: how do i use this 'new' Team Folder?  Doing it the sub-folder within a sub-folder way in order to have the ability to share with externals seems like a workaround.   The 'new' Team Folder might be less confusing for the end users.   

      • Daphne's avatar
        Daphne
        Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
        6 years ago
        Hey guy2,
         
        It’s possible that you will have the option to update to a team shared workspace from your Admin console. You’ll need to go to the Settings tab from the left panel and then the option for “Early access” near the top.
         
        The option would be called “Update to a team space”, and you’ll see the option to Enroll in this. I will suggest to read up a little about the team shared workspace first before doing so, there will be an option to “Learn more” before enrolling in this.
         
        I’d also like to note that the way the external user would see the folder wouldn’t change at all, since they will see the folder you share with them (regardless of its location within your team folder) as the “top level” folder in their account like how a shared folder appears. The only difference would be how you and your team will see the folder.
         
        Let me know if you have any other questions about this - Cheers! 

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