Dropbox file requests: how they work and when to use something else

How Dropbox file requests work

Everything below comes from Dropbox's own help pages on file requests and requesting files from others.

• Who can create one: customers on all Dropbox plans. On a team, an admin can turn file requests off.
• Who can upload: anyone with the link. Uploaders do not need a Dropbox account; they choose files, enter their name and email, and upload.
• What uploaders see: only the upload page. They do not see other people's files in the folder and cannot browse your Dropbox.
• Where files land: in a folder you choose, which is private by default. Files count against your storage, and uploads fail if you run out of space.
• Deadlines: Professional, Essentials, Business, Business Plus, Standard, Advanced and Enterprise customers can set a deadline and decide whether to allow late uploads.
• Password: optional. You share it with the uploader yourself.
• Notifications: you get an email whenever a file is uploaded.

How to create a file request in Dropbox

1. Sign in at dropbox.com and click File requests in the left sidebar.
2. Click New request, then add a title and, if you like, a description.
3. Check the destination folder under Folder for uploaded files, or click Change Folder.
4. Optionally set a deadline (Professional, Essentials and team plans only) and a password.
5. Click Create.
6. Enter the email addresses of the people you are asking, or copy the link with Share a link instead, then click Share.

To edit or close a request later, open the Opened tab, click the request and choose Save or Close request.

Dropbox file request size limit

The limit depends on the plan of the person who creates the request, not the uploader.

When a temporary intake inbox fits better

A file request solves collection. It does not decide what happens next. The files become ordinary Dropbox files, available wherever that folder is synced or shared, and kept until someone deletes them. That is fine for photos, drafts and project deliverables. It is less suitable for documents you only need to look at once:

• ID copies checked for a rental application or a new client.
• Payslips and bank statements for an affordability check.
• Signed contracts or tax forms you review and then file elsewhere.

For those, Sunset Docs works as a temporary inbox. Senders use an upload link, a QR code at your counter or a dedicated email address. Your team sees watermarked previews in the browser, and each document is deleted on its date, including originals, previews, keys, file names and sender details. Deletion keeps running even if a trial ends or a payment fails.

When Dropbox is the better choice

• Large files. Video, design files and archives over 20 MB.
• Files you will keep. Project material that belongs in your long-term storage.
• Collaboration. Files your team edits, shares and syncs.
• Existing workflow. If your team already lives in Dropbox and documents are not sensitive, a file request adds no new tool.

What Sunset Docs does not do

It does not store files permanently, sign documents or replace a document management system. It cannot stop someone photographing a screen; the watermark discourages and traces reuse. Health or other special-category data, criminal records, children's data, full card numbers, passwords and private keys are not supported by default. Encrypted database backup residuals expire within 30 days, not instantly.