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Forum Discussion
shared links and view only
Is there a way to send someone a shared link and to make that file view only? I want to send some examples of my work to potential employers, but I would prefer that the contents of the file not be e...
- It is: just send them a shared link.
If you are 'testing' the link it will allow editing as Dropbox will realise you are actually opening your own file - No. All it does is stops them editing it.
They are free to download it, take images off it etc. They just cannot edit YOUR version.
dmbguy wrote:
Would the shared link also prevent the recipient from, say, copying and pasting the contents of the file? Or does it just prevent them from editing the actual material in my file on Dropbox?Hello...
Mark has answered your question, however, if you're curious... you can view my example folder so that you'll have a better understanding of what your recipients will see after clicking on your shared links.
HELP CENTER ARTICLES:
ah, terrific. Thank you. Would the shared link also prevent the recipient from, say, copying and pasting the contents of the file? Or does it just prevent them from editing the actual material in my file on Dropbox?
Mark
Super User II
Super User IINo. All it does is stops them editing it.
They are free to download it, take images off it etc. They just cannot edit YOUR version.
They are free to download it, take images off it etc. They just cannot edit YOUR version.
Hi. I realised that sharing a folder/file as view only, still makes it possible for customers to actually download the files.
I see that we are more dropbox customers, that are looking for a true view only option - meaning that files can't be downloaded by the recipients - only searched for and viewed.
Is this a feature you have in the near pipeline?
Thank you.
Regards Tine
- Rich
FRIIS & partner wrote:
Is this a feature you have in the near pipeline?
Dropbox doesn't reveal what features they may be planning for the future. If they were to release such a feature, we wouldn't know of it until it was announced.
It's highly unlikely that they'll change the way this works. It's a feature that has been requested for years with no change, likely because it's nearly impossible to prevent downloading. If something can be viewed on the Internet, it can be downloaded.
- Jay
Dropbox Staff
Sometimes features are revealed on the day, and we see it at that moment here. We can’t see any potential releases, but it doesn’t necessarily mean it’ll never happen.
As Rich said, the moment something is on the web and can be viewed with a URL, it can be copied:
- Right click and view the URL to save it using a third party app
- If right click is disable, the temporary internet files/cache should have a local copy
- Screenshot of the page
- Even a photo of the monitor showing the page
These are just a small amount of ways to download or copy files from the web. Even if Dropbox were to block users from downloading the files, it isn’t 100% guaranteed, unless they build in extra protection that would prevent all methods I know of.
For the time being, there isn't the ability to prevent files in shared links to be downloaded to your machine. I've passed your feedback to the dev team on this matter.[This thread is now closed. If you have a similar or new question, you can ask here.]
