Dropbox file request: how it works, limits and alternatives

A Dropbox file request is a link that lets anyone upload files into a folder you choose in your Dropbox account, whether or not they have a Dropbox account themselves. It is available on all Dropbox plans, with a size limit of 2 GB per file on Basic, Plus and Family and 250 GB per file on Professional, Essentials and the business plans.

This guide covers how to create one, what the person uploading sees, the limits that catch people out, and when a different tool is the better fit. Every Dropbox detail below comes from the Dropbox Help Center as of October 2026. Dropbox changes its plans and features, so check the linked pages before you rely on a limit.

How to create a file request in Dropbox

Dropbox documents these steps on dropbox.com:

1. Log in to dropbox.com and click File requests in the left sidebar.
2. Click New request.
3. Enter a Title and, if you like, a Description that tells people what to upload.
4. Under Folder for uploaded files, keep the suggested new folder or click Change Folder. You can also set a naming convention for that folder.
5. On Professional, Essentials, Business, Business Plus, Standard, Advanced and Enterprise, tick Set a deadline to choose a date and time and whether to allow late uploads.
6. Add a password if you want one. Dropbox reminds you to share it with the people you are asking for files.
7. Click Create, then type the email addresses or names of the people you are requesting files from. To share it yourself, click Copy next to Share a link instead.
8. Click Share.

Dropbox then emails you a confirmation and sends you an email notification whenever a file is uploaded. Team members also get the option to copy an Email to Dropbox address, which lets people send files as attachments straight into the folder, up to 20 MB per email. Dropbox advises sharing that address only with people you trust, because anyone who has it can upload.

If you are on a team and your admin has turned off file requests and Email to Dropbox, you will not be able to create a request.

What the person uploading sees

According to Dropbox's guide for uploaders, they open the invitation email or link, click Add files, pick files or folders from their computer or from Dropbox, and click Upload. They may be asked for their name and email address so you know who sent the files. A green check mark confirms the upload.

They do not need a Dropbox account or to be signed in to one. If they upload the wrong file, they can use the same request again, and both versions reach you.

Deadlines have a few quirks worth telling your senders about:

• The deadline is shown in the requester's time zone.
• Someone who receives a forwarded invitation will not get reminder emails.
• Senders are not emailed if you change the deadline.
• If you allow late uploads, files sent after the deadline are accepted but marked as late.

Dropbox file request limits by plan

Dropbox lists the password option without a plan restriction. Two of these limits cause most support questions.

Storage. Every uploaded file uses space in your account. If you run out, the sender sees an error saying you do not have enough Dropbox space. Check your free space before asking for large files.

File size. On Basic, Plus and Family, the Dropbox file request size limit is 2 GB per file, and the sender sees a message asking for files under 2 GB. Dropbox suggests a shared link for anything larger.

Where the files go and how long they stay

Uploads land in the folder you picked. Dropbox states that this destination folder is private by default. You can choose a shared folder when you create the request, or share the files later.

After that, they are ordinary files in your Dropbox. They follow the same sync, sharing and deletion rules as everything else in the account. A file request has no setting that deletes uploaded files on a schedule.

Deleting a file does not remove it immediately. Dropbox keeps deleted files for a recovery period of 30 days on Basic, Plus and Family, 180 days on Professional, Standard, Essentials and Business, and 365 days on Advanced, Enterprise, Education and Business Plus. You can permanently delete files sooner, although a team admin may have limited that ability.

Managing a request after you send it

From File requests on dropbox.com you can:

• Edit an open request to change the title, description, password or destination folder, and on eligible plans the deadline.
• Close a request when you want to stop receiving files. People with the link cannot upload until you reopen it.
• Reactivate a closed request.
• Delete a closed request so it no longer appears in your account. A deleted request cannot be reopened.

Team admins can turn file requests on or off for the whole team from the Admin console, and turning them off deactivates existing requests. Only admins on Advanced, Business Plus and Enterprise can sign in as a team member to close their request.

A checklist for running a file request with personal documents

If you use Dropbox file requests to collect IDs, payslips or bank statements, these habits close the most common gaps:

• Create a dedicated destination folder that is not shared with anyone.
• Add a password and send it through a different channel from the link.
• Set a deadline if your plan allows it, and close the request when the job is done.
• Write in the description exactly which documents you need, so people do not send extras.
• Decide in advance where the documents will be kept long term, if anywhere, and who moves them.
• Put a calendar reminder to delete the files, then permanently delete them if your policy requires it.
• Remember that anyone who can open the folder, or any synced device, can copy the original files.

When to use something else

Dropbox file requests are a good choice when you already use Dropbox, the files are large, or the uploads are working files you will edit, share and keep. Photographers, video editors and agencies collecting assets fit this well. Dedicated document intake tools often accept much smaller files. Sunset Docs, for comparison, accepts 20 MB per file.

The fit is weaker when the files are sensitive personal documents that you only need for a short check. In that case, the risks come from what happens after the upload: originals sitting in a general storage account, syncing to laptops, and staying there because nobody remembered to delete them.

A temporary intake inbox is built around that problem. With Sunset Docs, for example:

• Every document gets a deletion date when it arrives, from 1 hour to 90 days on every plan, and it is deleted automatically. Encrypted backup copies expire within 30 days rather than instantly.
• Your team sees watermarked page images in the browser, not the original file, unless the owner allows original downloads.
• Opens, prints, downloads and deletions are recorded in an activity log.
• Senders use an upload link or a dedicated email address and need no account.

There are real trade-offs. Sunset Docs accepts up to 10 files per submission, 25 MB in total, in PDF and common image formats only. It is not a place to keep records, collaborate on files or receive video. A watermark discourages and traces reuse but does not prevent a screenshot or a photo of the screen.

A simple rule: if you will keep and work on the files, Dropbox is the natural home. If you only need to look at them and then be sure they are gone, a temporary inbox fits better. Our comparison of Dropbox file requests and Sunset Docs sets the two side by side.

Questions

Can I create a Dropbox file request on the free plan?

Yes. Dropbox says file requests are available on all plans, including Basic. The limits are 2 GB per file, no deadline option, and uploads count toward your storage.

Does the person uploading need a Dropbox account?

No. They can upload through the link without signing in. If they do have an account, they can sign in and pick files from their own Dropbox.

Can uploaders see the other files in my folder?

Dropbox states that the destination folder is private by default. It only becomes visible to others if you choose a shared folder or share it afterwards, so keep it separate from shared folders.

What happens to uploads after I close the request?

Closing only stops new uploads. Files already received stay in the destination folder until you delete them, and then remain recoverable for your plan's recovery period unless you permanently delete them.

Why does the sender get an error when uploading?

The usual causes are a file over your plan's size limit or not enough storage in your account. Dropbox also suggests the sender try another browser or a private window.