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flof92's avatar
flof92
New member | Level 2
3 years ago

Why can't I add more than 2GB of shared content to my account?

Dear community,
 
A friend of mine has shared a dropbox folder with me and he is paying to have 2TB of storage.
However, we thought that when he shares the folder with me I am also allowed to upload more then 2GB of data into the shared folder (since it belongs to him), however, this does not seem to be the case I cannot upload more than 2GB?
Do you know anything about this? Any potential solutions would be much appreciated!
Best, Florian
  • Здравко's avatar
    Здравко
    Legendary | Level 20

    Hi flof92,

    Shared folder content engage capacity for all sharers, not just to the owner as you have thought. 🤷 Dropbox politics! That's why you capacity gets exhausted quickly. As a workaround, instead of folder share, content owner can provide shared link to let you access the folder and file request to let you (and possibly others) upload files. In such a case only owner capacity gets affected. Not very convenient.. but...

    Good luck.

  • nargess's avatar
    nargess
    Explorer | Level 4

    Hi everyone

    I am a free account user n have 2GB of storage

    My boss increased his space by inviting company employees to 4 GB and shared a file with us.

     

    BUT we  can not add files into that file more than 2 GB Bcuz his shared file has taken over my dropbox space !

    and as i mentioned earlier i only have 2 GB

     

     

    • Rich's avatar
      Rich
      Icon for Super User II rankSuper User II

      nargess wrote:

      My boss increased his space by inviting company employees to 4 GB and shared a file with us. BUT we  can not add files into that file more than 2 GB Bcuz his shared file has taken over my dropbox space !


       

      Because the content of a shared folder exists in your account, you need to have enough available space in your account to hold the share. If the shared folder is too large for your account, you'll either need to upgrade your account, earn more space, or ask your boss to use a shared link instead, so you can view and download the files without adding them to your account.

  • oliver31's avatar
    oliver31
    New member | Level 2

    Hello,

     

    Newbie here!

     

    If someone shares a folder with me, why does it count against my storage limit?

    I don't want the folder/files stored on my end.  I will be using only a portion of the files.

    I just got a new shared folder but can not view it, it says I am over my limit.

     

    Please help

    Thanks

    • Megan's avatar
      Megan
      Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff

      Hi oliver31, welcome to our Community!
       

      I'd be happy to explain. Essentially when someone shares the folder with you, they allow you to add it to your account so you can work together. 

       

      The folder takes up space on the sender's, and the recipient's end. You would therefore need enough space for the folder to be added to your Dropbox account. 

       

      If you want to avoid that, you can use a shared link instead. 

       

      If you have any questions, let me know.

      • oliver31's avatar
        oliver31
        New member | Level 2

        Ouch!

        Paying double for the same file.

         

        Thanks for the clarification, I will be using Dropbox as a one-time project!  I guess my only option is to get a trial

  • ascgetz's avatar
    ascgetz
    New member | Level 2

    Hello,

    My drop box is telling me I don't have enough space when I try to open a shared file that was sent to me.

    Can anyone help me out, thank you

    • Rich's avatar
      Rich
      Icon for Super User II rankSuper User II

      ascgetz wrote:

      My drop box is telling me I don't have enough space when I try to open a shared file that was sent to me.


      When you accept an invitation to a shared folder you're adding a copy of that folder to your own account, so you need to have enough space in your account to hold the entire folder. If you don't have enough space, you won't be able to accept the share.

       

       

      You'll either need to upgrade for more space or, if you only need to view/download the content, ask the owner to send you a shared link instead. You'll be able to view or download the files, but you won't be able to edit or add anything in the folder.

  • Cheyennemtnman's avatar
    Cheyennemtnman
    New member | Level 2

    The person sharing has plenty of space available and I have nothing in my dropbox yet I can not upload a file... 

    but I am getting error message that my dropbox is full

    • Rich's avatar
      Rich
      Icon for Super User II rankSuper User II

      Cheyennemtnman wrote:

      The person sharing has plenty of space available and I have nothing in my dropbox yet I can not upload a file... 

      but I am getting error message that my dropbox is full


      When you accept a shared folder, you get your own COPY of the folder, and you need to have enough space in your account for any files you add to it. It doesn't matter if the owner of the folder has more space. You're still limited to the space in your own account because the folder exists in your account.

       

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