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cannot create shared link to a folder

Hello I just uploaded a folder of files to my Dropbox that I want to share. Problem is that when I got to that folder (and yes it has sync'ed so all is well there), and I click on Sharing. It gives me the option to "Create Link", but when I click on "Create Link" it does nothing. No link or anything. I tried it both Firefox and IE, and it still did it. And I have the lastest versions of both browsers with up-to-date patches.

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Jane

Hey there (@Rawku), based on your description, I’d suspect an underlying syncing issue; let me send you some pointers below & I’ll follow-up on the results you’re getting on your end!

As an initial step, can you make sure that you’re running the latest stable version of the application on your Mac/pc (61.4.95), you’ve made all OS updates & you’re not using Symlinks? It’s also advisable to make sure Dropbox is syncing correctly on your menu bar, as below:

Spoiler

That essentially means that once you hover your mouse over the Dropbox icon, you’ll see the syncing status (eg. Up-To-Date, Indexing &c). You can also have a look at the overlay icons on your device :arrows_counterclockwise:/ :white_check_mark:. Do they appear as expected?

If you suspect that something isn’t working correctly, I’d like to point you towards third party apps that may be obstructing our updates in the background (eg. some users have reported that the application "Boxifier"blocks the installation from being carried correctly). To my mind, you could troubleshoot the syncing issue you’re facing by re-installing our app (& you can reference the steps outlined below to get going with that):

Spoiler

Stop Dropbox (If needed) by clicking the Dropbox icon in the system tray at the bottom of your screen. >Click on the :gear: icon in the Notifications panel and select "Quit Dropbox".
Uninstall Dropbox: [Note: If Dropbox was installed by a Windows administrator in Program Files, you will need admin permissions to remove the application.]> Click on the Start button on the bottom left of your screen, and select "Control Panel" (Windows 7), or type Control Panel at the Start screen or start menu, and click on it (Windows 10, 8 ).> Click "Uninstall a Program". >Select Dropbox from the list of programs and click "Uninstall".
When the uninstall finishes, reboot your computer. This will make sure the uninstall is complete.
At that point, I’d suggest disabling any Security/Antivirus programs & give our offline installer a try: https://www.dropbox.com/downloading?plat=win&type=full (Windows)

(Note: If you’re working on a Mac, you may follow this set of steps below.)

Spoiler

Stop Dropbox (if needed) by clicking the Dropbox icon in the menu bar on the top of your screen. >Click on the gear icon in the Notifications panel and select "Quit Dropbox".
Delete the Dropbox application from the Applications folder. You may need to provide your computer password in order to perform this action.
Reinstall the Dropbox desktop application following these steps:
Disable any Security/Antivirus programs & download our offline installer: https://www.dropbox.com/downloading?plat=mac&type=full (Mac)
Open the Dropbox .dmg file and double click the Dropbox icon. Dropbox should appear in your menu bar.

You may give my suggestion a go whenever you find some spare time & please do let me know how you get on with that on this discussion here. Thanks again for posting us on the Dropbox Community on the matter!

All comments

Jane

Hi @ry1633,

Can you please try in incognito mode as well? Does this occur with all files or with a specific one?

There might be an add-on that interferes, so trying in incognito and clearing your cache might help.

Can you please let me know, since it might need to be a specific case, that has to be looked into via email.

Thanks,

JaneA

ry1633

what is incognito mode and how do I use it? Never used that in Dropbox before.

ry1633

never mind. I tried it in Private Mode in Firefox after clearing my cache and it still didn't work. Also disabled all add-ons and that also did not fix my problem.

Jane

Hi @ry1633,

The incognito mode in chrome is the same as the private mode in Firefox.

Have you tried it using the "chrome" browser?

Also, can you please try sharing the link through your desktop? You can find relevant instructions here:

https://www.dropbox.com/help/167

Thanks,

JaneA

ry1633

Creating a shared link doesn't work for me in Chrome either. The link you told me to try didn't work for me - went to a 404 Not Found page.

Jane

My apologies for the frustration. The fulstop cannot be processed. Can you go here instead: https://www.dropbox.com/help/167 and see whether you can do that from your desktop?

ry1633

I have the desktop app installed but when I right click a folder in my Dropbox (from my desktop) I do not have a menu option that says only "Share". I have "Share With" but that takes me to a Windows dialog box.

Rich

You have it installed, but is it running? Can you see the Dropbox icon in your system tray (Windows) or menu bar (Mac)? If not, the Share... option will not be available. Also, the Share... option is only available on files and folders that are located inside the Dropbox folder. Files or folders outside of Dropbox will not have this option. You would need to move them into Dropbox and allow them to sync first.

Also, the link that Jane was attempting to post is listed below. I've also fixed it in her replies.

https://www.dropbox.com/help/167

bdbell

I have this same problem. I am attempting to share Dropbox links for specific subfolders and not for specific files. I have replicated the problem as follows on a Mac in both Chrome and Safari:

- Navigate to a subfolder (mine are still subdirectories of Public)

- Bar at top says "Not Shared".

- Click on the "Share" button

- Press the "Create a link" button

- Nothing happens

For folders, the Crtl-Click / Right-Click option only shows "View on Dropbox.com" unless you are at the very top-level Dropbox folders, then the option to "Copy Dropbox Link" is visible. There are lots of options available for specific files in all locations but not for folders themselves. This seems like a issue with the code change pushed out with the changes to Public folder.

bdbell

UPDATE - I realized that I think this has everything to do with the changes to the Public folder (at least in my case). I created a new base directory and new subdirectories under that new directory, and I was able to share the subfolders in the same way as expected.

ry1633

Yeah it must be a problem with the Public folder. I made a different folder and copied everything I formerly had in the Public folder into that new folder. Now sharing and sharing links works like charm.

CamQTR

Yes, I get the same results. In the past, I could create links to folders and files beneath the Public folder. Suddenly can not do it anymore. I repeated your experiment, created a new folder from my dropbox Home, and copied folders to that new folder, now Links works okay beneath the new folder, but not beneath the original Public folder.

Ummm, hey, tech support, I know it's not a pleasant task, but maybe it's time to go back to the programmers and say, "What did you do?"

Mark

I suspect its probably something to do with the Public folder being depreciated in March (i.e. it will become a standard folder and no longer have ANY WORKING links in it) for free users and Sept. for paying.

Rawku

Hi Dropbox

I use your 'create a shared link' about 20 times a day. Now when i right clik on my desktop app it doesnt give me that option.

Can you explain?

Jane

Hey there (@Rawku), based on your description, I’d suspect an underlying syncing issue; let me send you some pointers below & I’ll follow-up on the results you’re getting on your end!

Spoiler

Stop Dropbox (If needed) by clicking the Dropbox icon in the system tray at the bottom of your screen. >Click on the :gear: icon in the Notifications panel and select "Quit Dropbox".
Uninstall Dropbox: [Note: If Dropbox was installed by a Windows administrator in Program Files, you will need admin permissions to remove the application.]> Click on the Start button on the bottom left of your screen, and select "Control Panel" (Windows 7), or type Control Panel at the Start screen or start menu, and click on it (Windows 10, 8 ).> Click "Uninstall a Program". >Select Dropbox from the list of programs and click "Uninstall".
When the uninstall finishes, reboot your computer. This will make sure the uninstall is complete.
At that point, I’d suggest disabling any Security/Antivirus programs & give our offline installer a try: https://www.dropbox.com/downloading?plat=win&type=full (Windows)

(Note: If you’re working on a Mac, you may follow this set of steps below.)

Spoiler

Stop Dropbox (if needed) by clicking the Dropbox icon in the menu bar on the top of your screen. >Click on the gear icon in the Notifications panel and select "Quit Dropbox".
Delete the Dropbox application from the Applications folder. You may need to provide your computer password in order to perform this action.
Reinstall the Dropbox desktop application following these steps:
Disable any Security/Antivirus programs & download our offline installer: https://www.dropbox.com/downloading?plat=mac&type=full (Mac)
Open the Dropbox .dmg file and double click the Dropbox icon. Dropbox should appear in your menu bar.