Dropbox: Shared Folder Name Discrepancies/Differences

Summary

This article explains why one person may notice a different name of a shared folder than another person in U-M Dropbox.

Body

Environment

U-M Dropbox, Dropbox shared folders

Issue

I notice that a shared folder in Dropbox has a different name than my colleagues' for the same folder. Why is this happening?

Resolution

A shared folder that is renamed in Dropbox only renames that person's view of the folder and will not change the name for other collaborators shared on the folder. (This is not the case for subfolders within a Team Folder. If someone renames a subfolder in a Team Folder, it is renamed for everyone who has access to it.)

Important: A shared folder will always be shared with the name that it originally had, even if you rename it and then share it with someone else.
E.g., You create an "Accounts Foundation" folder and share it with Person A. Then you rename the folder to "Accounts and Bills," and you share it with Person B. Person B will receive a folder called "Accounts Foundation" because that was the name when the share was first created for Person A.

To share with a different name, there are two methods to try. Attempt the first one before moving on to the second.

  1. Unshare the folder completely (removing everyone), rename it, and then re-share the folder with the same collaborators.
  2. Create a new folder, name it as you want, and then re-share it with the same collaborators.

Dropbox Help Center articles:

Additional Information

Need additional information or assistance? Contact the ITS Service Center.

Details

Details

Article ID: 10074
Created
Mon 4/24/23 3:35 PM
Modified
Wed 10/22/25 10:58 AM

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