That's correct, uploading to the Dropbox site directly onto the same file is guaranteed to keep the link active.
Letting the file save in Explorer/Finder and then syncing 'might' keep the link, depending on how the save is created, so it isn't guaranteed to keep the link.
@Laurence28 wrote:If i change my document the link i send with whatsapp is not correct anymore. How can i fix this
You need to make sure that you overwrite the original file without deleting it. If the file is deleted, the link will become invalid.
It's important to know that some applications, while saving over an existing file, will first delete the original before saving the new version. If this happens and Dropbox is fast enough to sync that deletion, it will break the link.
If whatever application you're using works this way, the safe way to save over an existing file while maintaining the link would be to save the new version elsewhere and then manually move it into the folder, replacing the original. Doing it this way should prevent the original from being deleted before the new version is in place.
Hi @Laurence28, sorry to jump in.
From what I understand, you’ve created a shared link on Dropbox, you’ve pasted it on WhatsApp, then you edit the document on Dropbox, which causes the shared link to break. Is this right?
What type of file is this about? How are you editing it, after creating the shared link?
Finally, can you send a screenshot of any errors your recipients are receiving?
Hey @Laurence28, so just to clarify, it's not that the link is not working or giving you an error, it's that it shows you the old content, instead of the new/current one, correct?
Is this what you see when you copy and open the link from a different browser or a private browsing window too?
If you copy and open the link on your browser and not within Whatsapp, what do you see, Laurence?
I have this exact problem. I want to share a link to a file, but also I want to update that file occasionally. How can I do that and keep the original link?
I'm shareing a .wav file. I'm a songwriter and make different versions of the song, but don't want a link to the song to expire. I've tried replacing the file in my dropbox folder on my computer, that doesn't work, the shared link breaks. I've also tried uploading the new file to another folder on Dropbox, then replacing the old file by moving it into its folder, but that doesn't work either. Including a screenshot as to what the reciever of link sees if I change the file (same name though). Thanks
Hi @Snaggy, generally, saving the file in Explorer/Finder should work to keep the shared link active. However, depending on the app you're using to save the file, this could result in a momentary deletion of that file, thus deleting the link, and then the file being recreated as new again.
The only method guaranteed to keep the link the same is to upload the file (with the same name) onto the Dropbox site in the exact same location as the previous file. This will overwrite the file and keep the shared link and the version history.
OK, uploading the file (with the same name) via a browser on the Dropbox site, in the exact same location as the previous file works. Yay!
Replacing the old file with the new one on my computer, and letting my computer (and Dropbox app) upload it, doesn't work.
Is that correct? So the only way to do it is via a browser going to dropbox.com?
Thanks!
Thanks so much for clearing that up for me! Cheers
