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Forum Discussion
Sharing a file with people without Dropbox accounts
I have a PDF I want to share with people so they can download it, but I don't want them to have to create a Dropbox account (or sign in) to download it.
Is there a way to do this with Dropbox? One help article says yes, another says no. I tested and it made the recipient log in.
If this isn't possible, what services do you recommend? I can't share a large PDF with hundreds of people and expect them to all log in.
Hey novalin, thanks for sending me the steps.
It sounds as if you've shared the file directly, instead of using a shared link. Can you try following these steps and share the link to them via an email or any other means?
They should be able to view the link without a Dropbox account too.
- Megan
Dropbox Staff
Hi novalin, I hope you're doing well!
You can achieve that by creating a shared link of the PDF you want to send to them. They won't need a Dropbox account to view, and download the content.
If you have any other questions, let me know.
Hi. That's what I had done with my original test and the person I tested with hit a log in page.
I also don't see the dropdown in step 3 from your help article. Does it have to be changed from View to Edit for this to work? I'd think View access would allow someone to download, just not edit the file in Drop Box, so I'd think that would work...
couple of questions:
do people i send video or photos to have to have an account?
do the video or photos i send affect my earthlink mail storage capacity?
- Megan
Hi jkarp1010, how are you today?
It depends how you're choosing to share them. Do you use shared links, or shared folders?
In any case, the pictures should first be uploaded to your Dropbox account, therefore count against your Dropbox storage, not your email storage.
If you have any questions, let me know.
I don't know the difference between shared links and shared folders. If I have multiple photos and videos for each person, I'm guessing shared folder? Recipient can just drag videos & photos onto desktop. No editing involved. These are just to share.
I started using Dropbox again after some time not having used it. Now I can't figure out how to simply share a file (multi-media) with friends who do not have Dropbox. Everyone I send a link to gets this error "You don't have access". I read several help articles sent by other members but they've been no help. I'm ready to pull my hair out and cancel my subscription to Dropbox. Something this simple should NEVER be this DIFFICULT. I will appreciate any competent help with this problem. Thanks.
- Megan
Hey MadDog357, welcome to our Community!
Is it possible that you're sharing the URL of the file, instead of creating a shared link? That could be the culprit of the error you mentioned.
Can you confirm that these are the steps you've been following on your end?
Let me know, and we'll take it from there!
how to make all my shared link(files) viewable and downloadable to who dont have dropbox account!
did i missed an update or something? i remember my shared links was viewable to other who dont need to login or has dropbox account
hello. my dropbox is full. someone shared a file with me but I can't see it. I don't want to add it to a folder. i just want to download it. why can't I? Online i read that a person does not have to have an account to access a shared file in dropbox. Is that not true?
- Hannah
Hey Oba Erik, thanks for reaching out to us!
You can definitely access a folder without affecting your Dropbox space.
This is possible if the owner of the folder shares a "can-view" link to the folder, instead of an invitation to add the folder to your account.
You can see the steps needed to create this link here.
