A behavior change rolled out to the Dropbox /shares API call today. The endpoint now consistently returns a link to an HTML preview page, where users can preview the file and find a download option. Previously, the call typically returned a direct link to the file's contents.

The updated behavior now applies to all files, including those shared from a user's Public folder. This means the link returned from /shares should no longer be treated as a direct link to the underlying file data.

Developers who use the call to generate shareable links for their users are unaffected. The change only impacts those who rely on the response being a direct link to the file's binary content.

Transition Timeline

The plan for this change was first communicated by email to all developers using /shares before February 1. For developers who began using the call after that announcement, the old direct-link behavior is being grandfathered in temporarily. These developers will retain the prior direct-link response until April 15, giving them additional time to migrate to the new preview-page behavior. For all other developers, the new preview links are available immediately.

Questions or concerns can be directed to [email protected].