Dropbox refers to a cloud storage service that lets you save files online and sync them to your devices, WordPress site, WooCommerce store, etc.
You can use Dropbox links to share individual files or entire folders with others without sending large attachments. When people click on the links, they’ll access those files or folders in read-only mode.
With the shared links, everyone, even those who don’t install Dropbox, can view your files until you delete or unshare them. However, there comes a time when you need to make your shared files inaccessible without manually deleting or unsharing them.
Understanding your demand, Dropbox currently supports you to add expiration dates to shared links. In other words, people who had access to your files won’t be able to view them after a specific time.
Such a useful feature, isn’t it?
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Let’s see how to get the feature activated.
- How to Set an Expiration for a Dropbox Shared Link
- Make Money from Dropbox Link Expiration
- How to Set Dropbox Link Expiration for WooCommerce Products
How to Set an Expiration for a Dropbox Shared Link
To use this functionality, you must register and pay for a Dropbox Pro account. Then, take the following steps to make your Dropbox shared links expire:
- Go to Dropbox’s official website and sign in to your account.
- Pick a file/folder you want to share. You can also select multiple files/folders by checking the left-hand boxes.
- Right-click the file/folder or click the ⋯ icon at the right-hand corner, then select Share → Share with Dropbox.
4. In the Share this file pop-up window, press the Settings button.
5. Click to toggle the Expiration option to On.
6. Determine the date on which you wish the link to expire.
7. Hit the Save button to apply the expiration date to the link.
Once finished, you can send the link directly from Dropbox to anyone via email, or copy and paste it to them. When the link expires, the people you shared the link with will no longer be able to access the file. To share that file or folder again, you must create a new shared link.
Make Money from Dropbox Link Expiration
Yeah, you heard it right!
You can earn an income from the Dropbox shared link expiration.
We’ll throw light on the method.
The link expiration comes as an effective solution in case you sell digital products such as ebooks, templates, tools, etc. Since you can set an expiration date for your product, users must pay to reach it longer.
For example, a member pays for a monthly license. After a month of use, the license will expire and he has to pay to continue using the product.
To benefit from this method, integrate Dropbox with an e-commerce platform to showcase your products and make transactions first. Simply put, you’ll be able to display and sell products stored on Dropbox in your online shop.
We highly recommend integrating Dropbox with WooCommerce, the most popular and easy-to-use platform for building an online store.
Ready to sell digital products hosted on Dropbox via WooCommerce? Follow the guide below.
How to Set Dropbox Link Expiration for WooCommerce Products
Before getting started, you have to create an App Key and Access Token for your Dropbox account. This information will be applied to the Dropbox integration process.
After that, you need to:
- Install and activate the PDA Dropbox Integration.
- In the WordPress admin dashboard, navigate to Prevent Direct Access Gold → Dropbox.
3. In the Settings menu, add the App Key and Access Token you’ve created to connect Dropbox with WooCommerce. Then set the default expiration time for the Dropbox shared links to your liking.
4. Press the Save Changes button.
5. Head over to Products in the admin menu, and create a new or edit an existing WooCommerce product.
6. Scroll down to the Product data section and check the Downloadable box.
7. In the Downloadable files field, click the Choose from Dropbox option to insert Dropbox files to WooCommerce.
8. Set the product’s Download limit and Download expiry time according to your preferences.
9. Hit on Publish or Update to save your changes.
10. In the admin dashboard, select WooCommerce → Settings.
11. Go to the Products tab and click Downloadable products.
12. Choose Force downloads or Redirect only in the File download method drop-down menu.
13. Hit the Save changes button to finish.
Notes: Once the shared link expires, you can’t download the file although you could still see its preview through the Dropbox UI.
Set Dropbox Link Expiration for Better File Sharing Now!
Setting the expiration date for a Dropbox shared link takes just a few simple steps. With the assistance of this feature, securing your digital products is no longer a big problem.
You can take advantage of the link expiration to protect your digital products and maximize your online store’s profits.
We’ve shown you a detailed guide on how to achieve that without missing a single step. We hope that you find it helpful.
Besides link expiration, there is another powerful way to secure and manage your Dropbox files: tracking downloads in Dropbox.
You may be interested in how to integrate Dropbox with WordPress.
