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Shorten link not working

Hi there! All of a sudden, the shorten link feature in my public folder is not working - not that the link won't work - it won't shorten it anymore.

Any help would be appreciated - thanks!

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Rich

The shorten link functionality in Dropbox has been deprecated and will likely not return. They have been heading in this direction for a while now, having first started removing the feature from other parts of Dropbox a couple years ago. This was one of the last remaining locations where it still functioned.

As Olivia stated, you will want to look at other services that provide that functionality. Bit.ly and Goo.gl are among the most popular.

All comments

Cyrus D.

I have experienced the same (shorten link not working). Also, when you click the cancel button nothing happens too.

Jonathan R.32

Yes, me, too!

Ed B.25

I noticed this started about 4 days ago. I'm glad I am not the only one experiencing this problem. Dropbox please fix this,

Jonathan R.32

Still broken!

Kuuno P.

Same problem here...

Martyn D.3

I'm getting that problem too. I hope Dropbox isn't going the same way as Mailbox went.

Rob D.19

Multiple browsers tried - no link shortening, no cancel button working.

Rich

Can you post a screenshot? I'm curious where you're doing this because Dropbox started phasing out the ability to create shortened links years ago. One of the last places that still allowed it was when posting a share link to Twitter. I haven't seen any other reference to shortened links in at least two years.

Rob D.19

Sure thing, Rich. Just trying to share a PDF from my Public folder and shorten the URL. I worked around it using Google's link shortener but here you go anyway:

Rich

Ah, Ok. The Public folder is the reason I didn't see it (I rarely use mine anymore). Creating a share link elsewhere does not provide an option for shortening the link.

And, I can confirm the same now. It's not working for me either. You (and everyone else!) should contact Support by opening a ticket.

Open your ticket here: https://www.dropbox.com/support
Track your ticket here: https://dropbox.zendesk.com

Replies take approximately 1 - 3 business days with Pro users getting priority (longer for Basic users).

Rob D.19

If the feature is being phased out, is it even worth opening a ticket?

Rich

Yes. If it was still available this long after they original removed the option elsewhere, perhaps they decided to leave it active in that location. In that case, you should open a ticket so they're aware.

Rob D.19

Ticket created. I'll update the thread as needed for others affected.

Jackie M.19

I'm adding myself to this thread so I'm in the loop when this is corrected.

Stefan K.17

Also adding myself to thread . The shortcut function is one I use every day - I consider it vital . Have also created ticket .

Brendan D.1

Got this response to my ticket - just to keep this thread updated:

I've passed your report along to our engineering team who will endeavor to fix it.

As there is now a report with our engineering team, due to how our ticketing system works, we will need to close this support ticket. We will reach back out with any further information or questions.

Sverre T.

Is the problem related to the most recent release of dropbox? Will it help to install the release prior to this problematic malfunction - that I heavily base my dropbox work on. Yesterday, I created a new sub folder and moved some stuff into it. The previous links were then broken and cannot be recreated due to this.... Not impressed by either...!

Sverre T.

Now I have got into problems due to this shit. First tried to revert to release 8.xxx.21, which had the same shorten link misbehaviour. I then decided to remove release from program uninstall. When I reinstall 8.xxx.19 I have lost my access to the a/c. I'm really pissed off now...

Jonathan R.32

Btw, I think this relates only to the public folder - which I think no longer exists on new versions, is that correct?

Jonny S.1

Same problem here, it seems quite a few people still want this feature. It's how I send links to clients, I'd rather not have to shorten the link in bit.ly - get this sorted Dropbox!

Joshua D.4

same problem here. Please fix this feature.

Marcos G.4

What happened to the Dropbox's developers ?

Isn't it taking too long to be fixed ou, at least, explained?

Rob D.19

Zero updates to my ticket from 12 days ago. Only acknowledgement was a generic "self-service" return mail from the Zendesk ticket system about a day after I created the ticket.

Jeff B.37

Monday * Sept. 12th * Still not working ...

bestdesi t.

+1 (not working)

David C.196

I really use this feature quite often --- The Google URL shortener won't shorten Dropbox links....goo.gl

John T.37

Same here too. I use this feature lots. The only way I can exit the page is to use the back button on the browser

Rob D.19

Another week of silence on my ticket.

Rich

Btw, I think this relates only to the public folder - which I think no longer exists on new versions, is that correct?

Correct. The Public folder is a deprecated feature, replaced by share links which can be created to any file or folder and not restricted to a single location. Newly created accounts (after October 2012, I believe) don't have a Public folder, and only Pro or Business accounts have the ability to create one (and I wouldn't expect that to last either).

Leonard O.1

The problem persists, and DB support seems to be unconcerned. To make matters worse now I can't even get a public link from the web site. The only way I can get a public link now is by opening my desktop DB folder and right-clicking on a file. This is not acceptable, perhaps it is time to return to Box.