How to Protect a Dropbox Folder with a Password? [8 Simple Reasons]

Unaware of files and folder protection in Dropbox? You have reached the right destination.

Millions of people around the world use cloud storage devices like Dropbox. We use Dropbox to store photos, videos, audio files, and PDFs.

I have used Dropbox for more than a year. Initially, when I tried to protect files and folders I had some difficulties, but I discovered the simplest ways to protect files and folders. I’ll explain what I have experienced down below.

If you are one of the proud Dropbox users and don’t know about the security feature, then this is the right time to know about the best features of Dropbox.

Check out the following practical methods for password-protecting folders in Dropbox.

• Why should Dropbox folders be password protected?
• Can I give let others access password-protected files?
• Set password to files in Dropbox
• Set expiration for the shared link
• Set up 2-factor/2-step authentication
• Disable downloads for the shared links
• Limit access to shared links to members of our team
• Set passcode in iPhone on Dropbox

Why Should Dropbox Folders be Password Protected?

Generally, we provide passwords against unauthorized persons accessing our mobile, computer, and personal information. The stronger our password the more protection for our files and folders.

To keep our data secure, Dropbox provides end-to-end encryption features for complete security. It is the best security feature of Dropbox that protects our data from cyber attacks and malware threats.

Many Dropbox users worry sometimes that maximum information will lead to leakage of information. However, we should consider password protection for folders in Dropbox to avoid threats.

Continue reading this article to know more about the protection of files and folders in Dropbox.

Can I give Let Others Access Password-Protected Files?

Obviously yes. We can set a password for all our folders in Dropbox and easily share the links with our friends, family, or anyone. For this, we should use the share features of Dropbox. And also, we can share our password-protected PDFs with anyone by using this feature.

Set Password to Files in Dropbox

Check every below step to set passwords to the files in Dropbox, so our files and folders will be in safe mode. Let’s go ahead with the article.

Step-1

Go to the Dropbox website in browsers such as chrome, firefox, and safari and sign in to the Dropbox account by giving the proper credentials.

Step-2

Move ahead to files that we want to set passwords for. Keep the mouse pointer beside the files as we can see in the picture below (rectangle with an arrow). The share option will appear. Click on that to do next.

Step-3

After hitting the share option, the page will appear with Share this file, hit the Settings option to proceed next.

Step-4

Next, we can move to the next step of the page is the “Link setting”. Select Only people with Password option.

Step-5

Go to Set a password and type the password as per our wish to use to protect the shared link and click Save settings.

Click on that option to put a password and share that only with the respective people. Since I am using Dropbox plus I am unable to see the options so if you are using Dropbox professional or Business plan you can see the options, follow the steps I have given and do the step-by-step method.

Set Expiration for the Shared Link

Another possibility for securing our Dropbox files and folder is to set an expiration date for the shared link in Dropbox. Setting an expiration date for shared links gives you more control over your shared data. Let’s check the below steps to make it simple.

Step-1

Like the previous steps, go to the Dropbox website in browsers such as chrome, firefox, and safari and sign in to the Dropbox account by giving the proper credentials.

Step-2

Move ahead to files that we want to set an expiration for files. Keep the mouse pointer beside the files (rectangle with an arrow) so the share option will appear. Click on that to do next.

Step-3

After hitting the share option, the page will appear with Share this file, hit the Settings option to proceed further.

Step-4

Go to the Expiration option, and toggle that option to ON so we can set the expiration date, and time to a shared folder and save. Since I am using Dropbox plus, so I am unable to show you the next image, if you are using a Business plan you can see the next process.

Note – By setting an expiration date for our shared links for the folders in Dropbox.com or the mobile app, our recipients will be able to access only the shared link until it gets expired. The link will be deactivated after the expiration date.

I trust the above method is helpful to set expiration in folders in Dropbox.

What happens if I share the link with someone, accessing it after the expiration date?

They’ll see an error that says, “This link is expired.” If someone visits a link after it expires.

Set up 2-factor/2-Step Authentication

The next method for securing our folder is by setting up 2 step authentication method. Let’s check the below steps.

Step-1

Follow the above procedure and sign in to the Dropbox account.

Step-2

Go to an avatar or profile picture in your Dropbox account and click the Settings option to go ahead.

Step-3

After tapping the settings icon, the next page will appear as a “Personal account” select the “Security” option below so that we can see “Two-Step verification” and enable ON to move next step.

Step-4

Once we enable Two-step verification, it will ask us for confirmation to Get started to proceed to the next step.

Step-5

In this step, we have to give a password for the verification so that it will take us to the next step to get OTP to do the process.

Step-6

The next step is sending security codes to our mobile or authenticator app to verify the Two-step verification method.

Step-7

Now, we can give our phone number to do the final verification, so that every time we will receive a verification message to the number we gave here. Click Next to verify finally.

Hope you understand the above details step by step method to do Two-step verification process.

Disable Download for the Shared Links

The next option is Disable download for the shared links.

Customers with Dropbox Professional, Standard, Advanced, and Enterprise accounts can disable downloads for a shared link on dropbox.com or the Dropbox mobile app.

Important note: Disabling downloads for the shared link means we can prevent people from downloading the contents of a shared link via Dropbox. However, this does not preclude users from saving the content in other ways.

Step-1

Open Dropbox and sign in to the Dropbox account.

Step-2

Head to the file or folder and click the share icon (rectangle with arrow up) to disable downloads for the shared links.

Step-3

Click on share options and we will see the setting icon tap on that and select Link for editing or link for viewing. Below we can see the options such as Disable downloads enable ON or toggle it ON to do the process.

By the above method, we can disable downloads from the shared link.

Limit Access to Shared Links to Members of Our Team

Step-1

Go to the Dropbox website in browsers such as chrome, firefox, and safari and sign in to the Dropbox account by giving the proper credentials.

Step-2

Move ahead to files that we want to set passwords. Keep the mouse pointer beside the files we can rectangle it with an arrow so the share option will appear. Click on that to do next.

Step-3

After hitting the share option, the page will appear with the Share this file, hit the Settings option to proceed next.

Step-4

Next, we can see the page as shown in the below image is the “Link for viewing”, below that we know who can access it besides the “Only people invited” option will be available. Click on that option to limit Access to Shared links to Members of our team.

Hope you understood the above method in a simpler way.

Set Passcode in iPhone on Dropbox

Step-1

Open Dropbox in the mobile app and sign in to your account.

Step-2

Go to the Account setting in your Dropbox profile.

Step-3

Tap passcode ON to give the password number.

Step-4

Enter and give the password to enable the passcode for dropbox so that files and folders will be protected.

This will be the simple method to do in the iPhone to give a passcode for Dropbox.

Conclusion

We come to an end in this article. I trust this article will be helpful to protect files and folders in Dropbox.

I have covered everything related to the protection of files and folders in Dropbox. Try the above method to check for your convenience which suits you best.

The above methods are most likely to work depending on the plans you upgrade. However, if these do not work, you can always try other methods to protect files and folders in Dropbox.

You may also like:

• How to Make Your Dropbox Sync Faster? [6 Simple Ways]
• How to Unshare a Dropbox Folder? [8 Effective ways]
• How to Change Email on Dropbox? [6 Defined Ways]
• How to Create a Dropbox Link? [6 Methods]
• How to Upload and Download Music on Dropbox?
• How to Edit Files or Folders from Dropbox? [6 Practical ways]
• How to Invite Someone to Dropbox? [5 Effective Methods]
• How to Clear Dropbox Cache? [5 Efficient Approaches]
• How to Turn off Notifications in Dropbox?