Share files and folders from Dropbox
Suppose you have files in a folder on Dropbox and want to share the files (or the entire folder) with a client, colleague or friend.
There are a couple ways of doing this. Some make it as simple for the recipient as clicking on a link and viewing or downloading the files. Others turn the whole experience into frustration and failure.
Share from the Dropbox site using your browser
Go to https://www.dropbox.com and log in.
Click Files on the left side of the home screen.
Then, to share a folder:
- Hover the mouse over the folder you'd like to share.
- Click the Share icon that appears to the right of the folder name.
- Click Create a link, then ...
- Click Link settings to control who can view the folder's contents or to set an expiration date on the link. Click Save settings when you're satified with your choices.
- Click Copy link. The link is now on the Windows clipboard.
- Create an email to the people you want to share the files with, paste the link into the body of the email, add a few words to explain what the link is for, then send the email.
To share a file:
Follow the same instructions as above to get to the Files page, then
- Open the folder that contains the file you want to share.
- Hover the mouse over the file you want to share.
- Click the Share icon that appears.
- From there, follow the directions for sharing folders above.
Dropbox can't share multiple files in one go, so if you've got several files to share, it might be simplest to create a new folder, copy or move the files into it, then share the folder.
Share from the Dropbox folder on your computer
The process is pretty much the same as it is from within your browser:
- Open the Dropbox folder on your computer.
- Right-click the folder or file you'd like to share.
- Choose Copy Dropbox link to copy a basic link to the Windows clipboard. From there you can paste it into an email or other message and send it to your intended recipient(s). OR
- Choose Share to open the same dialog as described earlier; there, you can choose detailed link settings and then copy the link for use in an email, etc.
Why not just enter the recipient's address and let Dropbox send the email?
IF you know that the recipent has a Dropbox account AND you know the email address they use to log in to their account, this method is quick and easy, but it will force the recipient to log in to Dropbox to retrieve the files/folder you've sent.
A minor irritation if they remember their log in details, a somewhat bigger nuisance if they have to go look them up.
If you use the wrong email address for them or if they don't have a Dropbox account, they may not be able to log in or may have to create a new account. Remember that many people use multiple email addresses. The email address you have for them may not be the email address they use for Dropbox, so if you let Dropbox send them the link email, it won't work.
None of this is a problem if you use the Create a link option described above. Be kind. Use it instead.