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.

[jojopants]

Hi, 

When other people try to share their Dropbox, the size of their files are now MY size of files that I need to pay for.

It ends up being 2 people paying 2 seperate times for the 1 same file. 

I can't get support for a free account. 

People keep trying to send me Dropbox, and it makes me upset because they are sending me costs.

Google Drive only does this one way - the owner of the files, not every side that accesses it.

I am really sad and lost on what to do - and WHY people use this....    

I wish thre was a way that I didn't have to pay for files that other people send me 

[Hannah]

Hey @jojopants, thanks for taking the time to post to the Dropbox Community.

I understand you're having trouble, because a shared folder is taking up space in your account.

This happens when you're given edit access to the folder, which means that you need to add it to your account and this it takes up space.

If you want to access some files without affecting your own space, the person that shared the folder with you, will need to send you a "can view" link instead.

I hope this helps!

[mjg88]

I could not agree more, it's simply a structure for them to upsell storage space.

If a user creates a folder and shares it with you, they're the HOST of those files. That storage shouldn't be deducted from your allocated space.

The main reason I refuse to use Dropbox more often.

[Rich]

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@mjg88 wrote:

If a user creates a folder and shares it with you, they're the HOST of those files.

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But they're not the host. The shared folder exists in your account. You have your own copy of the files so it counts against your storage. It also works this way to prevent people from being able to stack accounts to get unlimited space.

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

[mjg88]

If I upload 100 images to a folder and share them with you, so you can grab a couple then I, the uploader and sharer, are the host.

We may have conflicting opinions but the main reason they do this, is for storage upgrades. 

Google structure theirs properly.

[Rich]

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@mjg88 wrote:

If I upload 100 images to a folder and share them with you, so you can grab a couple then I, the uploader and sharer, are the host.

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That's not how it works. If you share a folder with 100 images in it, the person receives 100 images in their account. They don't get to grab just a couple of them.

If you want it to work that way, send them a shared link instead. They'll be able to browse all of the files, preview them, and download just the ones they want, without affecting their own account (unless they choose to save the files to their own account).

[Great Lakes College]

I've been using Dropbox for years without issue. Recently I had occasion to grant access to a colleague for the purpose of sharing files. He has full permissions. A day ago he received a pop-up message indicating that the storage was full and needed to be increased. Why, when I pay for the account, and I am the admin, would a USER get a message indicating that storage space was used up?

In addition, when I turned to chat support for help, I was told by a very kind and polite young lady that the user has to up the storage capacity at HIS end which made no sense to me at all. He does not have a Dropbox account. So I am now horribly confused and desperately in need of a solution. I've reopened the support ticket but I'm trying to cover all the bases.

[Rich]

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@Great Lakes College wrote:
Why, when I pay for the account, and I am the admin, would a USER get a message indicating that storage space was used up?

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When someone is a member of a shared folder, that folder exists in their own account and takes up space in their account. They need to have enough available space for everything in the shared folder. They're not directly accessing a folder in your account.

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

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... the user has to up the storage capacity at HIS end which made no sense to me at all. He does not have a Dropbox account.

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A person can't be a member of a shared folder without a Dropbox account. You can use a shared link, which doesn't require an account and grants view-only access, but if you invite someone to a shared folder, a Dropbox account is required, along with enough space in that account to hold the data in the folder.

[Great Lakes College]

I'm quite certain that this colleague does not have a DropBox account and has never set one up either deliberately or in response to a request from Dropbox. So is it possible that the notifications he's getting are some sort of scam?

[Rich]

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@Great Lakes College wrote:
So is it possible that the notifications he's getting are some sort of scam?

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Possible, sure. Likely, I doubt it.

How, exactly, did you give them access? Did you invite them to a shared folder, or did you create and send them a shared link?