Dropbox is a pretty good cloud storage provider with several types of accounts. The basic plan comes with 2GB of space to store all your files and synchronize across multiple devices. If you often share files through this cloud storage, here is a simple trick that will let you update a shared file on Dropbox without breaking its URL or link.
Many people use Dropbox to share files, documents, and more. For example, you are working as a team, and you want to share a document that you have updated. At such times, there are two different methods to do that. First, you can share two different links for two different files. Second, you can use this trick to replace the file without changing the shared URL. The second method seems very useful when changing the file frequently. Instead of creating a separate link for different files, you can try out this trick.
Update a Shared File on Dropbox without breaking its link
When you create a sharing link on Dropbox, it offers a permalink like this:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/unique_id/photo.jpg?dl=0
Each time you create a new sharing link, the unique_id gets changed. That means, that if you delete a file from a specified location, and upload the updated file with the same name to the same directory, the unique_id will be changed. Hence, the first shared link will show a 404 error.
To avoid this issue, you need to replace the file without deleting. That means renaming the updated file with the same name as the current file that is already uploaded to Dropbox. You need to change the name before uploading it to Dropbox.
If you upload two separate files with the same name and extension, the existing file will be replaced with the new one, but the shared link will be unchanged. That means your existing shared link will not show any 404 error.
It is important to note that when you replace a file on Dropbox, the old file gets deleted instantly. You will not be able to find that old file in the Recycle Bin. If you need to keep the old file, it is recommended that you download it before replacing it with the new file. The extension of the new file should be the same as the existing file. Otherwise, it will act as a link to two different files.
Let us know if this works for you.
How do you replace a file without changing the link?
To replace a file without changing the link on Dropbox, you can go through the steps mentioned above. In simple words, you need to rename the existing or already uploaded file to the same as the old one. Otherwise, a new unique ID will be created automatically to mess things up.
Can shared Dropbox files be edited?
Yes, if you are the owner of a file, you can allow others to edit a shared file. For that, you need to provide that person the sufficient permission to allow the editing. Like Google Drive and OneDrive, it is also possible to edit a shared file on Dropbox.
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