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JimGasperini's avatar
JimGasperini
New member | Level 2
5 years ago

How to stop sharing content someone else shared with me

I am finding it extremely difficult to remove files and folders other people have shared with me from my Dropbox.

For example, I have agreed to share a folder created by someone else. Several people have access to this folder. One of them has placed a folder there containing huge files that I do not need. I would like to delete the sub-folder and its contents from my Dropbox, but when I select to do that I am told that will will delete it for everyone. I have followed various documentation pages and threads, but none of the advice there worked. I am told for example to "select the dropbox next to your name" by a shared folder, but no matter what I do I never get such a dropbox. All I see is that I am able to edit. I see no way to remove my ability to edit.

Meanwhile Dropbox is warning me that I am over my limit and sending constant requests that I upgrade. It seems to me the system is designed like a roach motel - content gets in but can never get out. I would appreciate any advice, even if the only solution is to stop using Dropbox.

  • Hi there JimGasperini, I'd be happy to help out with this!

    As you mentioned, you're trying to remove your access to a subfolder of the main folder that was shared with you right?

    Unfortunately, it's not possible to remove yourself just from a specific subfolder, you would need to remove your access to the whole folder. This is why you're not able to click the "Can edit" option to remove your access.

    What I could suggest is to have your access removed to the shared folder, and then ask the owner to only share with you only the subfolders that you need access to.

    I hope this helps, let me know if you have any other questions!

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

    Hi there JimGasperini, I'd be happy to help out with this!

    As you mentioned, you're trying to remove your access to a subfolder of the main folder that was shared with you right?

    Unfortunately, it's not possible to remove yourself just from a specific subfolder, you would need to remove your access to the whole folder. This is why you're not able to click the "Can edit" option to remove your access.

    What I could suggest is to have your access removed to the shared folder, and then ask the owner to only share with you only the subfolders that you need access to.

    I hope this helps, let me know if you have any other questions!