Dropbox Direct Link: How dl=0, dl=1 and raw=1 Work

A Dropbox shared link can behave in three different ways depending on the parameter at the end of the URL. dl=0 opens the normal Dropbox preview, while dl=1 asks the browser to download the file.

raw=1 is different. It skips the normal preview and asks the browser to render supported content, but Dropbox still sends the request through an HTTP redirect. A normal browser usually follows that redirect automatically, while another application may not.

These parameters are useful when the file should stay in Dropbox and you only need to change how its shared link behaves. They do not change the file itself or remove the normal Dropbox permissions and traffic limits attached to sharing.

Quick answer

Use dl=0 when you want someone to open the normal Dropbox preview.

Use dl=1 when the file should download instead of opening in the preview.

Use raw=1 when you want supported content such as an image to render through the browser. Dropbox documents that raw=1 causes an HTTP redirect, so an application using the link must be able to follow redirects.

If the link will be used as an important public website asset, also consider Dropbox's sharing permissions and bandwidth limits rather than checking only whether the URL works once.

The normal Dropbox sharing link

A normal Dropbox shared link often ends with:

?dl=0

Example:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/example/photo.jpg?rlkey=example&dl=0

This opens the normal Dropbox viewing experience rather than asking the browser to download or directly render the file.

That is useful when the recipient should preview the document, image or other supported file through Dropbox. It may not be the right link for an HTML image field or another place that expects the actual media response.

Force a download with dl=1

Change the final Dropbox behaviour parameter from dl=0 to:

dl=1

Example:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/example/report.pdf?rlkey=example&dl=1

Dropbox documents dl=1 as the parameter for making the browser download the shared file instead of displaying it normally.

This works well for a download button, ZIP archive or document that the recipient is expected to save. It is the wrong choice when you want the file to display directly inside the page.

Render supported content with raw=1

When the file should appear in the browser rather than inside Dropbox's normal preview, change the behaviour parameter to:

raw=1

Example:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/example/photo.jpg?rlkey=example&raw=1

Dropbox says this bypasses the preview page and allows the browser to render supported file content. The important detail is that raw=1 still causes an HTTP redirect.

That redirect is normally invisible when you click the link in a browser. Problems can appear when an application, importer or script expects the first URL to return the file immediately and does not follow redirects.

So raw=1 is better understood as "render this shared file through Dropbox" rather than as a completely separate permanent raw-file endpoint.

[!NOTE] Why the redirect matters: A Dropbox raw=1 URL may open perfectly when you click it because the browser follows the redirect automatically. The same address can fail inside an API, import field or third-party application if that system does not follow the redirect.

Quick parameter comparison

When changing the link behaviour, change the existing dl value or use raw=1 rather than adding several competing behaviour parameters to the same URL. Leave the other required parts of the shared link unchanged.

Which Dropbox link should you use for an image?

raw=1 is the Dropbox parameter to try when an image stored in Dropbox needs to display through the browser rather than open inside the Dropbox preview.

<img src="https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/example/photo.jpg?rlkey=example&raw=1" alt="Photo">

Test the exact URL inside the website or application where you plan to use it. A browser may follow Dropbox's redirect without any visible problem, while another platform may handle that redirect differently.

Why a correct raw=1 image can still stop working

Changing the parameter does not remove the other conditions attached to a Dropbox shared link.

The image can stop working if the owner removes access, the file is deleted, the shared link expires or Dropbox temporarily interrupts sharing. An application can also fail even while the file remains available if it does not follow the raw=1 redirect.

Traffic is another important factor. Dropbox applies daily bandwidth limits to shared files, so a link that works during testing can still become temporarily unavailable after receiving much more traffic than expected.

Dropbox direct links have bandwidth limits

When another person views or downloads a shared Dropbox file, that traffic counts towards the account's sharing bandwidth. This matters if a raw=1 image or downloadable file is placed on a public website where many visitors may request it.

Dropbox currently publishes these daily limits:

• Basic accounts and trials: 20 GB per day and up to 100,000 downloads.
• Plus, Family, Professional, Essentials, Standard and Business: 1 TB per day with unlimited download count.
• Advanced, Business Plus and Enterprise: 4 TB per day with unlimited download count.

If the limit is exceeded for the first time, Dropbox says sharing activity and affected links or file requests are normally paused for 24 hours. Repeated issues may lead to longer suspensions.

This does not mean Dropbox is unsuitable for ordinary sharing. It means a working raw=1 URL should not automatically be treated as unlimited public website delivery.

Dropbox already has useful shared-link controls

A raw=1 parameter changes how the file is delivered. It does not bypass the permissions on that shared link.

Dropbox can limit a shared link to anyone with the link or to members of a team. On Professional, Essentials, Standard, Advanced, Business, Business Plus and Enterprise plans, Dropbox also supports passwords and expiration dates for shared links. Eligible plans can disable downloads as well.

If a password is required, the link has expired or the owner removes public access, changing dl=0 to raw=1 will not make the file openly available.

Also remember that disabling downloads through Dropbox does not prevent someone from saving the visible content through another method. Dropbox itself makes this limitation clear.

Can Dropbox host an HTML website with raw=1?

No. Dropbox explicitly says shared links do not render HTML content as a normal webpage. An HTML file can remain in your Dropbox account and be shared, but raw=1 does not turn Dropbox shared links into website hosting.

So raw=1 can help render supported media such as an image, but it should not be used as a workaround for hosting an HTML website.

Dropbox is still the better place for many working files

Dropbox is built around storage, synchronisation and collaboration. A team may already use it for shared folders, source documents and files that several people edit or access from different devices.

There is no reason to move those files simply because one public copy needs another delivery workflow.

A business can keep its working files in Dropbox and use a separate hosted copy only when an image, PDF or media file needs a public URL with different publishing controls.

Check what a Dropbox URL is actually returning

A Dropbox URL can work when you click it and still fail when another website or tool tries to fetch it. raw=1 makes this particularly relevant because Dropbox documents that the request is redirected before the file is served.

Media2URL Link Doctor follows the request and shows the HTTP status, redirect path and final content type. This can tell you whether the address eventually reaches the expected image, PDF or other media file.

CORS information is useful when browser scripts or a canvas-based tool need direct access to the file. For audio and video URLs, byte-range testing can also show how the server responds to partial requests used during media seeking.

Link Doctor does not change Dropbox permissions or repair a link that Dropbox has disabled. It simply shows what the reachable address is doing.

Move a Dropbox file into a managed media library

Sometimes raw=1 solves the whole problem. The file can stay in Dropbox and the shared link can continue doing its job.

A different situation appears when the public copy should no longer depend on the Dropbox shared link. Media Migration can work with supported accessible source URLs and available cloud-storage sources to bring permitted files into a Media2URL workspace.

For a Dropbox source, the link still needs to return a file that the migration workflow can access. A Dropbox password, team-only permission or disabled public link is not something the migration process should bypass.

Once a supported file has been imported, the Media2URL copy becomes a separate hosted asset. The original Dropbox file stays where it is unless you remove it yourself.

Duplicate checking can help with larger migrations, while available source mapping can keep the old address beside the new Media2URL URL when existing records need to be updated.

Only move files you own or have permission to host elsewhere.

Dropbox link compared with Media2URL output

raw=1 changes delivery, not the image itself

Changing dl=0 to raw=1 changes how Dropbox returns the shared file. It does not ask Dropbox to create a smaller image, another crop or a WebP/AVIF version.

If a separately hosted Media2URL image needs several website layouts, supported URL transformations can request another width, height, fit, crop position or quality while the stored source remains unchanged.

This is only useful when you actually need responsive image variants. If the original Dropbox image already works in one place and the traffic is modest, there may be no reason to create another workflow.

A practical example: a catalogue behind a QR code

Suppose a company shares its catalogue through:

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/example/catalogue.pdf?rlkey=example&dl=0

Customers opening that address see the Dropbox preview.

Changing the last parameter to dl=1 makes the document download. Changing it to raw=1 asks the browser to render the supported file after Dropbox redirects the request.

That may be completely fine when the catalogue rarely changes.

A different problem appears after the same URL has already been printed inside a QR code, brochure or product package and the business wants a separate publishing workflow for the public copy. A managed asset can then be useful because the published copy can be updated through its supported replacement and version controls without treating every revision as another unrelated file.

Final answer

Use dl=0 when you want the normal Dropbox preview, dl=1 when the file should download and raw=1 when supported content should render through the browser. Dropbox documents that raw=1 still uses an HTTP redirect.

For ordinary file sharing, storage and team collaboration, Dropbox is often exactly the right place to keep the file.

The extra checks become important when a shared link is used like public website infrastructure. Dropbox applies daily sharing-bandwidth limits, and sharing can be temporarily interrupted when those allowances are exceeded.

If the file needs a separate public-hosting workflow, keep the working source in Dropbox and create another hosted copy rather than forcing every public requirement through the shared-link parameters.

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Guide review note: This guide was reviewed on August 19, 2026 against Dropbox's current documentation for shared-link rendering, forced downloads, bandwidth limits and shared-link permissions. Dropbox can change plan limits or link behaviour, so check its current help documentation when a public workflow depends on a particular allowance.