Sharing Files and Folders

Sharing and Security

Box allows you to control who has access to your files and folders, what they can do with them, and for how long.

Be careful about what privileges you give and who you give them to! This is particularly important for sensitive information. Tufts recommends giving the fewest privileges necessary for an item, and only to people for whom it is absolutely necessary. For recommendations on sharing files and folders that contain sensitive information, see the Security Tips page.

Remember that the permissions set for a folder will automatically apply to all of the subfolders and files it contains.

Finally, changes that are made to shared files and folders affect everyone that has access to it. This is particularly important when someone deletes an item. For more information, see the page on Deleting and Restoring Content.

This page covers how to share files and folders. For a demonstration, watch the Box Sharing and Collaboration video.

Ways to Share

Box gives you two ways to share your files and folders. You can invite people or you can provide a shared link. There's an important difference between these two sharing methods.

  • Inviting people - Inviting people on an individual basis gives you have more control over who has access to your content. You can also decide what level of permissions invitees have, including whether or not they have editing privileges. Be careful about who you let edit your content.
  • Shared link - Enabling a shared link gives people another way to access your file or folder. They will be able to see its contents and, optionally, download files. For individual files, you can also give people editing access through a shared link.

An example of a file sharing window is Box is shown below.

Sharing window in Box

 

How to Share

Files and folders can be shared via invites or shared links. Note that when inviting people, Editor is the default permission level. The sharing settings applied to a folder will also apply to all of the content (subfolders and files) that it contains! 

Settings can also be configured for folders on an individual basis. For more information, see the Additional Folder Settings page.

1. Find the file/folder you’d like to share on tufts.box.com and move your mouse over it so that the option buttons appear.

Share button

2. Click on Share. A window will appear.

3. In the Invite People box, type in the name of the person you want to share the file/folder with. Box will suggest names from the Tufts Directory as you type. Click on the person you want to invite. Repeat as necessary.

adding a collaborator

4. Click on the dropdown arrow next to Invite as Editor. By default, people who you invite will be given Editor permissions on files and folders, but this can be changed. The permission levels available for files and folders are shown below.

 

Permission Levels for Files:

Editor or View selection

 

Permissions Levels for Folders:

Folder Permission Levels

 

5. Add a personalized Message (optional).

6. Click Send.

1. Find the file/folder you’d like to share on tufts.box.com and move your mouse over it so that the option buttons appear.

2. Click on Share. A window will appear.

3. Click on the Shared Link slider to turn it ON. A shared link URL will be generated for you.

Be careful about what you share and how! For items that contain sensitive content, access and permission settings should be adjusted. See the section below on Adjusting Shared Link Options.

4. Share the link using one of the two options below. 

  • Click Copy to copy the shared link URL to your clipboard and paste the link wherever you plan on sharing it (eg. email, website, etc.).
  • Send the shared link directly from Box by clicking on the Send Shared Link button (Send Shared Link button).
Shared Link option

 

Adjusting Shared Link Options

1. Click on the People with the link dropdown arrow. You can select one of the following options:

  • People with the link – Anyone who has the link can access the file/folder.
  • People in your company – Anyone with the link and a Tufts login can access the file/folder.
  • Invited people only – Only the specific people you have invited as collaborators to the file/folder or a parent folder can access the item via the link.
link access options

2. Click on the Can view and download dropdown arrow. Select whether you want people with access to be able to view the file/folder only or view and download content. For individual files, you can also select "Can edit" to give people editing access through the link.

Shared link privileges

3. Click on Link Settings. A new window will appear with the following options:

  • Link Expiration – Set a date on which the link will expire and access will be cut off.
  • Password Protect – Set a password which people have to enter in order to gain access.
  • Non-private custom URL – Create a custom URL path for the shared link. The custom URL must be unique across Tufts University. 
  • Allow Download – Decide if you want people who have access to be able to download content.
  • Direct Link (files only) – A copy of the link that will give people direct access to the file download.
Link settings

4. Click Save.

 

From the File List

1. Select a shared folder in the file list. A list of collaborators will appear on the right-hand side of the window.

Folder Sharing Details

2. Click on the options button next to a collaborator's name.

3. Select a new permission level for the collaborator or remove them from the file/folder.

From the Share Window

1. Move your mouse over file/folder you’d like to manage.

2. Click on the Share button. A pop up will appear.

3. Click on Shared with toward the top right of the pop up. A list of people who have been invited to the file/folder and their permission levels will appear. 

4. Click on Manage All to edit.

Collaborator Window

5. On the page that appears, find the person whose permissions you’d like to manage.

6. Click on the Permissions dropdown next to the person’s name.

7. Select a new permission level or remove the person completely from the file/folder. Changes will be saved as you go.

Collaborator Permissions

When Box Drive is installed on your computer, you can initiate the sharing process right from your computer's file manager.

Be careful about using Box Drive to enable a shared link to a file or folder. It is better to enable a shared link through tufts.box.com, which will allow you to specify your desired sharing settings as described above. Shared links that are enabled through Box Drive will automatically be publicly accessible (available to anyone with the link) with view and download privileges.

Getting a Shared Link from Box Drive

1. Open your computer’s file manager (Finder on a Mac or Explorer on a Windows PC).

2. Navigate to the file/folder that you’d like to share.

3. Right click on the file/folder.

4. Move your mouse over the Share button.

5. Select Copy Shared Link. The link for the item will be copied to your clipboard.

6. Paste the link wherever you plan on sharing it (email, website, etc.)

 

Managing Collaborators from Box Drive

1. Open your computer’s file manager.

2. Navigate to the file/folder that you’d like to share.

3. Right click on the file/folder.

4. Move your mouse over the Share button.

5. Select Manage Collaborators. You will be brought to tufts.box.com.

6. Manage collaborators as described in the Managing Collaborators and Permissions section.

Note: As always, be careful what you share, who you share it with, and the permissions you give them!

  • Invitations to Collaborate - You CAN invite non-Tufts email addresses (e.g. Gmail, etc.) as collaborators to Box files and folders. In order to work with that content in Box, the person will need a Box account. If they don't already have a Box account, they can set up a basic one for free!
  • Shared LinksYou can use shared links to give people access to a file or folder. To do this for non-Tufts people, the shared link will need to be set up as publicly accessible ("People with the link").