Dropbox Transfer sends a copy of your files to anyone through a link, and the person receiving it doesn't need a Dropbox account. As of October 2026 the size limit runs from 2 GB on the free Basic plan up to 250 GB on Business Plus and Enterprise, and transfers on Basic, Family and Plus expire after 7 days.
Here's the catch. On Basic you get 2 GB per transfer and a fixed 7 day expiry, and you can't add a password or choose your own expiry date. Passwords, custom expiry, logos and backgrounds only come with Standard, Professional, Education, Essentials, Business, Business Plus, Advanced and Enterprise. So if you're sending a signed contract from a free account, nothing sits between the link and whoever ends up holding it.
What Dropbox Transfer is for
Dropbox describes Transfer as the way to send files you don't need to collaborate on, such as a finalised contract or a long video file. That's the difference from sharing a folder. A transfer is a delivery: the recipient gets a link, downloads what you sent, and you're not working on the same files afterwards. It's available to every Dropbox user, including people on the free plan.
If you're weighing it up against the tools built only for sending big files, my roundup of WeTransfer alternatives puts Transfer next to the other options.
Size limit and expiry on every plan
The plan you're on decides three things at once: how big a single transfer can be, how long the link lasts, and how long Dropbox keeps the files after it expires.
| Plan | Max size per transfer | Link expiry | Deleted from Dropbox servers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | 2 GB | 7 days | 30 days after expiry |
| Family | 50 GB | 7 days | 30 days after expiry |
| Plus | 50 GB | 7 days | 30 days after expiry |
| Standard, Professional, Education, Essentials, Advanced, Business and the Dropbox Transfer plan | 100 GB | You choose, 30 day default | 180 days after expiry |
| Business Plus and Enterprise | 250 GB | You choose, 30 day default | 180 days after expiry |
There's one way round the cap without changing plan. If you've bought the Dropbox Replay Add-On, your transfer limit goes up to 250 GB. That's worth knowing if you're a video editor on a 100 GB plan who already pays for Replay to collect client feedback.
The 95 GB folder problem
A 100 GB limit doesn't mean a 99 GB folder will go through cleanly. Dropbox warns that folders very close to 100 GB, from around 95 GB upwards, can run into upload problems when they have deeply nested structures or thousands of files. Its advice is to keep each folder to 80 to 90 GB, or to split the job into several transfers.
In practice that means a big project export full of subfolders is the thing most likely to stall. Zip it into a few chunks, or send the raw footage and the project files as separate transfers, and you're far less likely to watch an upload fail near the end.
Expiry and deletion aren't the same thing
This is the part most people miss. When a transfer expires, the link stops working for your recipient, but the files don't vanish from Dropbox that day. On Basic, Family and Plus they're deleted from Dropbox servers 30 days after expiry. On the higher plans that's 180 days after expiry.
If you want a transfer gone straight away, delete it yourself. Dropbox says a transfer you delete is removed permanently at once, so there's no getting it back. That's the right move for anything confidential once you know it's been downloaded, and the wrong one if there's any chance you'll need to resend it.
What the paid plans add to a transfer
| Feature | Plans that get it, as of October 2026 |
|---|---|
| Custom expiry date | Standard, Professional, Education, Essentials, Business, Business Plus, Advanced, Enterprise |
| Password on the link | Same plans as custom expiry |
| Your logo and background on the download page | Same plans as custom expiry |
| Website and social media links on the download page | Professional only |
The branding options matter more than they sound. If you deliver work to clients, a download page with your logo looks like part of your service rather than a generic file link. Adding your website and social links is a Professional-only extra, so a team on Business gets the logo but not the links.
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How to send a Dropbox Transfer
- Open Transfer in Dropbox.
- Add the files or folder you want to send, keeping big folders under 80 to 90 GB.
- Set an expiry date and a password if your plan allows it.
- Send the link by email, or copy it and paste it wherever you talk to the recipient.
Dropbox's help centre also covers viewing the transfers you've sent and received, and there's a separate guide for admins who manage Transfer for a team, so you can keep track of what's gone out and what's still live.
My verdict on Dropbox Transfer
I'd use it if you already pay for Dropbox and you send finished work to clients, because the password, custom expiry and your own logo come with the plan you've got. I'd think twice on the free Basic plan for anything sensitive: 2 GB, a fixed 7 day link and no password is fine for a few photos, not for contracts. If you're deciding whether the free plan is enough for everything else you do, here's my guide on whether Dropbox is free.
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Frequently asked questions
Does the recipient need a Dropbox account to download a transfer?
No. The recipient gets a shareable link and doesn't need a Dropbox account.
What is the Dropbox Transfer size limit on the free plan?
Basic accounts can send up to 2 GB per transfer, as of October 2026.
How long does a Dropbox Transfer link last?
On Basic, Family and Plus a transfer expires after 7 days. On Standard, Professional, Education, Essentials, Business, Advanced, Business Plus and Enterprise you can set a custom expiry, with a 30 day default.
When are expired transfers deleted?
On Basic, Family and Plus, 30 days after expiry. On the higher plans, 180 days after expiry. A transfer you delete yourself is removed permanently at once.
Can I password protect a Dropbox Transfer?
Yes, on Standard, Professional, Education, Essentials, Business, Business Plus, Advanced and Enterprise. Basic, Family and Plus don't get passwords.
