What roles and permissions can members of a shared folder have?
Members of a shared folder can have one of three roles—viewer, editor, or owner—with different permissions to take actions in the folder.
For Dropbox Basic users, all members of shared folders you own are automatically editors, and their roles can't be changed. For Dropbox Pro and Dropbox for Business users, owners of a shared folder can choose whether other members of the folder are viewers or editors.
Read below to learn more about each role.
Note on restoring files: Users with view-only permissions on files they do not own cannot restore files or folders. If a restoration is needed, contact the owner of the shared folder to submit a restoration request.
1. Viewer
Viewers have the most limited role. They can only:
- View folder contents
- View the members of the shared folder and their roles
- Leave the folder
- Email members
Viewers will be able to tell that they have view-only permissions because of the lock icon on the shared folder. This will appear on the web, mobile app, and desktop application.
Viewers can also check the members list in the shared folder's options to see their role.
2. Editor
By default, members added to a shared folder are editors. Editors can:
- View folder contents
- View the members of the shared folder and their roles
- Leave the folder
- Email members
Plus:
- Edit folder contents
- Invite and remove members (except the owner)
- Change the roles of other members
- Cancel invites and reinvite members
Note that there are some situations where the editor role is more limited:
- Editors who don't have Pro or Business accounts can't change other members to viewers.
- An owner can choose not to allow editors to invite and remove members or change the roles of other members.
- For shared folders owned by someone on a Dropbox for Business team, only editors on the team can invite and remove members or change the roles of other members.
3. Owner
The owner is the team member who creates a shared folder. Owners can:
- View folder contents
- View the members of the shared folder and their roles
- Leave the folder
- Email members
- Edit folder contents
- Invite and remove members
- Change roles of other members
- Cancel invites and reinvite members
Plus:
- Unshare the folder
- Make another member the owner
- Determine who can be invited to the folder
- Determine who can manage membership of the folder
