Why do shared files count against my space use???

[dualice]

Why are files shared with me counted against my space usage? Is this data counted twice? If someone who is sharing files with me is paying for this space, why should I have to pay as well just to access it? I am out of space, I have no intention of buying more space, and yet, when someone shares some files with me, I cannot access them and I am forced to buy space in order to access them. Why is this?

Thank you.

[Rich]

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@KeeganMillar wrote:

The other main file storage platforms manage to do the exact same without conning their clients - One Drive, Google, iCloud.

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The other main file storage platforms can all operate at a loss because they have other divisions where their profits come from. Google has their ad revenue, Apple has their hardware revenue, and Microsoft has their software revenue, all of which back their storage platforms. They operate them this way to draw more people in so they can expose them to their other products. Dropbox only has their file storage revenue.

If you don't need edit access to the files being shared with you, ask the file owner to send you a view-only shared link instead. You'll be able to view and download the files without it affecting your account. You don't even need an account to access a shared link.

[Jay]

Hi @truenet-lhathcock, I've merged your to this thread to keep similar queries together. 

Please could you check the solution at the top for an answer to your query.

[Rich]

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@truenet-lhathcock wrote:

A paid dropbox account has shared their data with me by sending me a link.  ... I cannot see the data without upgrading from my free account to a paid account?

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It sounds like you were sent an invitation to a shared folder, which requires you to have enough available space because you'll have your own copy of the folder in your account. If you only need to view the files, ask them to sent you a view-only shared link instead. You'll be able to view and/or download the files whether you have an account or not.

[tiffany3]

My client is trying to share files with me and my dropbox is telling me I need to pay to upgrade so I can accommodate their LARGE file system. (I've read through earlier threads here and double-charging for people to access the same information is, unbelievably, the DB business model) Nevertheless, I need to access these files so it appears I'll have to pay extra. My question is this: these are SHARED files...we both make changes and edits to the documents and spreadsheets throughout the project. If these are separate COPIES (as pointed out in earlier answers) how do they sync? Do the edits appear on both or our COPIES on each of our accounts? Or do we have to re-upload or reshare somehow after each edit?  Thanks!

[Rich]

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@tiffany3 wrote:

If these are separate COPIES (as pointed out in earlier answers) how do they sync? Do the edits appear on both or our COPIES on each of our accounts? Or do we have to re-upload or reshare somehow after each edit?

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It's all automatic. If you make changes in a shared folder that you're a member of, every member of that share will receive the changed files.

Try not to think of a shared folder like a network drive in a corporate setting, where every person is pointing to the same set of files in the same location on a single server. With Dropbox, your files, including all shares you're a member of, exist in a local Dropbox folder on your device. The files in a shared folder are the same for everyone, but each member has their own local Dropbox folder with their own copy of those files. When you make a change to a file, the Dropbox app syncs that change to the Dropbox servers, the file is updated for each member of the share, and the the Dropbox app on their device syncs those changes down to their local Dropbox folder.

[tiffany3]

Huh, so everyone who needs to access a folder needs to pay to store it on their own local system?? Will this take up space on my desktop hard drive? Or all in the cloud? I'm a google drive user and having to upgrade a dropbox account just so I can edit some of my clients' files is a bit mind-boggling.   And thanks for your quick reply above. 

[Rich]

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@tiffany3 wrote:

Huh, so everyone who needs to access a folder needs to pay to store it on their own local system??

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If the folder is larger than the amount of available space in their account, yes.

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Will this take up space on my desktop hard drive? Or all in the cloud?

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If you sync the files to your computer, yes, the files will use space on your local drive. You also have the ability to use items like Selective Sync or marking files as online-only so they don't take up local drive space.

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I'm a google drive user and having to upgrade a dropbox account just so I can edit some of my clients' files is a bit mind-boggling.

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Google has other sources of revenue that they use to subsidize their cloud storage service and usually operate it at a loss as a means to bring people into their ecosystem. In fact, Google posted their very first profit for cloud services in Q1 this year. Dropbox has no other sources of income with which to prop up their storage service.

[mtreeves1968]

I stored 3.5GB mp4 video in shared folder but when my daughter tried to download file, dropbox said she has to pay to increase her storage on dropbox.  I don't understand this.  I thought she should be able to download the shared file to anywhere she wants to such as PC or iphone??

[Rich]

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@mtreeves1968 wrote:

I stored 3.5GB mp4 video in shared folder but when my daughter tried to download file, dropbox said she has to pay to increase her storage on dropbox.  I don't understand this.  I thought she should be able to download the shared file to anywhere she wants to such as PC or iphone??

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If you sent her a shared link and she's just downloading it, she doesn't even need an account. If she's trying to save it to her Dropbox, or if you invited her to a shared folder instead, she needs an account and she needs to have enough available space in her account to hold the folder that she's trying to save to her account.

• https://help.dropbox.com/storage-space/storage-space

[jasphoto]

I uploaded photos to someone elses dropbox account for them but it using up MY data storage - I want them to store it NOT me - It should not effect my account - How do I remedy that?