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Cannot rename or move a folder that has been shared - should this be possible?

A co-worker of mine is having challenges with folders that have been shared with him by a vendor. Sometimes the name of the folder is too vague, and he would like to rename the folder with the date for clarification. Every time he tries to rename the folder, it won't work. Is this not a feature that is offered, since he did not create the folder in the first place?

Also, when he is added to a folder, is it not an option for him to drag that folder into another folder within his Dropbox account? When this folder has been shared by a vendor, he gets an error message when attempting to do this. However, if it is a folder that has been shared with him as part of our Dropbox Team (I'm an Admin), then when he tries to drag the folder elsewhere, it makes a second copy of the folder.

Hoping for insight, please. If these options are not possible, it would be good to know. Thanks in advance for your help!

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Jay

No worries, if you have any further queries, feel free to message back.

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Jay

Hi @Susan D.11, thanks for bringing this to our attention.

Are you certain that this is a normal shared folder that they are adding to their account?

Are they on the Dropbox Business team as you? Is the sharer also part of a different Dropbox Business team?

This will help me to assist further!

Susan D.11

Hi, @Jay - as far as I know, it is a normal shared folder that my co-worker has received from the outside vendor. He is able to download files from it, add files to it, but he cannot rename the folder itself.

My co-worker and I are on the same Dropbox team, yes, but this outside vendor would be either on a Dropbox team of his own or an individual user - not sure.

Jay

They should be able to rename and move the folder on their account.

What specific error do they get when attempting to do so? Is it only that user who gets this error? Are they doing this from the Dropbox site, or via the Dropbox folder (if they have the app installed)?

Susan D.11

@Jay apologies for the delay - my co-worker has been very busy. He has yet to try this on the website itself; his experience has been with the Dropbox app on a Mac. The same error message pops-up regardless of whether he is trying to rename the folder or drag the folder to another folder (below):

Can't move "Folder from Vendor" to "Folder Name here"

This folder can't be moved out of a team folder.

I don't know if this provides any insight or if you really need to know if he sees this on the website as well. No one else at the office has told me they are experiencing this issue. Thanks for your help!

Jay

If the shared folder is within a team folder, then it can't be moved out of the team folder.

Are the other users able to move shared folders out of team folders?

Susan D.11

OK - so if the vendor has shared a folder from THEIR team folder structure to my co-worker, he cannot rename that folder or move it anywhere else. Is that what you mean?

Susan D.11

@Jay I worked with my co-worker, and he WAS able to rename and move the folder on dropbox.com - hooray! So, if he needs to do this moving forward, he will do so on the website itself. Just strange he cannot do this within the Mac Desktop app (unless you know of a workaround)? Thank you for your help!

Walter

Hey @Susan D.11, sorry to jump in, but could you check if top level editing is enabled for the team since you're an admin of the team?

Susan D.11

Hi, @Walter - I cannot see that option in "Content." Is there a new location for this? See screen grab below: Screenshot 2023-07-27 at 10.47.29 AM.png

Jay

This option would only be available if you're using the new team space.

Is the co-worker who moved the folder an admin or a member? Do they have edit access to the team folder itself?

Susan D.11

I don't believe we are using the "Team Space" function. The person who moved the folder that was shared with him by a vendor is a Member of the Team, not an Admin. By doing this on the website, he has found a workaround, so I believe he should be OK moving forward. Hopefully, this is a functionality that can be added one day to the app. Truly appreciate your help!

Jay

No worries, if you have any further queries, feel free to message back.

ironcove

How do you STOP a person from RENAMING a Folder? Is this possible where you can lock the name of the folder? My caps are an emphasis and not yelling.

Jay

Hi @ironcove, it depends on the type of folder you're referring to. Is this a normal shared folder (or subfolder in a shared folder), or a team folder if you're in a Dropbox Business team?

ironcove

So I am NOT able to rename a Team Folder, which is the desired effect. However is there a way to enforce no renaming of subfolders of a Team Folder like this error message?

Screenshot 2023-08-22 at 2.09.51 PM.png

Walter

Hey @ironcove, sorry to jump in, but I was wondering if restricting top-level editing would work for what you had in mind.

Could you have a look here and let us know if that would do the trick?