Dropbox full because of shared folder

I must increase the size of my account in order to upload to their account.

The part you're not understanding is that you're not uploading to their account. You're uploading to yours. If a folder is shared with you, it's in your account. If you upload to that folder, you're uploading to a folder that exists in your account.

Interesting (albeit confrontational & a bit confusing) discussion.

Question: I am attempting to consolidate a few non-paid Dropbox Accounts into a Paid/Pro account. Have done the share / accept invite thing - but one of the freebie accounts indicates "FULL" - & I cannot access the content without upgrading to Pro. (Which I've already done on the aforementioned Pro account.)

Any dropbox savants know how I can access the content of the "Sorry! Full!" account withOUT upgrading to Pro - just need access long enough to share files to Pro account & then delete from non-Pro/free account.

Have submitted to dropbox, but got the "we'll get back to you in 2 or 3 days" reply.

Thanks for a thought provoking jousting match, er, discussion in previous posts.  :-)

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One more: Once I've created "Shared" folder on Pro account - and accept invite via old (free) account - how do I SAFELY retain the files on the Pro account (i.e., insure that they are no longer "shared" - so that I can delete "source" folder on the free/non-paid/non-Pro account?

Advance apologies for the verbosity of this post. I just KNOW there's someone who has the answer(s).

 

Dereck B, Ben L,

When all seems lost, Dilbert always comes to the rescue ;-)

[Image of copyright protected work removed by Moderator. Use the links below]

http://dilbert.com/strip/2015-11-21

http://dilbert.com/

Yes Deve,

Lets hope DB try to understand user problem and comeup with some solution which is win-win for both (DB and their customer).

 

Hi Puneet,

Thanks for all the detailed feedback (and Dave for adding-in). This is definitely a feedback/request I've brought up before based on comments here on our community and I'll be adding with this thread as well.

Thanks again and happy 2016, 

 

It simply makes no sense that a folder someone shares with you counts towards your quota

It does. Its perfectly sensible. It is to stop people stacking accounts and because every single device costs money. Dropbox doesn't just pay for MB of storage but every time your device connects to and from its servers. So more shares = more cost. 

I then upload files to THEIR storage

But that's not what you're doing. You're uploading the files to a folder in your account, which happens to be shared with another account. The data you upload is still in your account.

I just need to use their storage to upload/download.

Then ask them to send you a file request (for upload) or a share link (for download), instead of an invitation to a shared folder. Neither of these options will count against your quota.

I'd like to remind everyone that Dropbox did not always do this. Up until a few years ago shared folders did NOT count against your quota, and everything was wonderful.

Not true. Shared folders have always counted against your quota.

giving someone write access to an existing drive costs them nothing more.

Also not true. Storage is cheap, bandwidth, which you mentioned, is not, and this is where the majority of the costs are incurred. The more data you transfer, the more it costs Dropbox, and you, as a Basic user, pay nothing towards that usage.

Like everyone else I have been drawn to this thread by an internet search because I couldn’t work our why I was over my storage limit with so few of my own files…. Yes, it turns out to be the dreaded “shared folder” syndrome using up my storage space.

 

But I think I have a solution – of sorts.

 

That is, I know that if I “send a link” to my folder then anyone, with or without a Dropbox account can view/download the contained files – although on a “read only” basis.

 

So let’s say that someone has shared their larger folder with me that has used up my space..

• All I SHOULD need to do should be to create  - and save somewhere - a link to that folder,
• Then unattach that shared folder from myDropbox account.
• Then, by clicking on the link, I can still have access to the files – but OUTSIDE my Dropbox account.

 

Question therefore – how, within Dropbox can I do this – please please please do not just say you have to get the original owner to send a new link, it MUST be a facility with Dropbox somewhere!!!

 

Many thanks

Ok thanks - obviously I just have to accept that is the way it is - for now at least.

However, downgrading from a "share" to a "read-only link", does not require any new privileges - you would regard viewing a link as a subset of a full share.

Therefore there is no reason of protocol why this should not be possible to be activated by the recipient of the original share - all that I would be doing is deciding to use only some of the authority delegated by the original sharer.

So please Dropbox, if you are listening, make it easy for your users!

If the data is allocated to all users when the users are editors, why is the data not allocated to all users when users are "readers" only.  They still have access to the files, they can still download those files.  I think DB business model is not meant for sharing of files between users.  Their model was only designed for one user sharing data with themselves.

Google Drive and Microsoft One Drive are different and probably have their limitations too.  I for one don't care for the way Gdrive takes control over your photos so most likely I am going to try out One Drive if DB doesn't give me any more space so I can share photos between my family members.

For those users that upload their phone/PC data for backup purposes or to share the odd photo albums back and forth, DB is NOT the program for you.