Collaborators Access

👋 Hi ​@María Páramo, welcome to the Box Community! 

Thanks for your question. The easiest way to manage this in Box is to start at the parent yearly folder.

In Box, folder permissions usually inherit downward (waterfall model). That means if someone is a collaborator on the parent folder, they will typically also have access to all subfolders underneath it. So, if you remove collaborators from the parent yearly folder, that will remove their inherited access to the subfolders as well.

The main thing to watch for is direct access added at the subfolder level. If someone was invited directly to a subfolder, that access can remain even after they are removed from the parent folder. Shared links can also still provide access depending on how they were configured.

To review access efficiently:

• Check the collaborator list on the parent yearly folder first.
• Remove anyone who should no longer have access there.
• Review important subfolders to see whether any users were added directly.
• Check for shared links that may still allow access.

If you’re an admin and need to review this at scale, the Admin Console can be the fastest option, especially for external or unmanaged users. You can review a user’s folder collaborations there and remove access as needed.

How to verify access:

• For a specific folder in the UI
  Open the folder and check the Sharing tab / right-hand sidebar. Box shows the list of collaborators there, and you can expand the list and filter by name.
   
• Best way to review many users efficiently
  If you are an admin and especially if you are concerned about external or unmanaged users, the most efficient admin-side review is user-centric:
  • Go to Admin Console > Users & Groups.
  • Open the External User or Unmanaged User area.
  • Open a user record.
  • Review the Folder Collaborations section.
  • From there you can remove access from one or more folders.

That approach is efficient when your main concern is: “Which outside people still have access anywhere in this year’s folder tree?”

Thanks, and let us know if you have any other questions.

Hello, I might not have explained my self well enough. 

My issue is that I have many folders with sub-folders and after each year I would like to archive the Year folder and then remove access to all people in parent or sub-folders so I am trying to find an efficient and quick way to do so. 

What can be a solution? 

If I create a folder clean and move all my yearly archive folders, those inherit the access and I want just simply to remove all access to past years folders. 

Can you guide me on this? 

THank you María

Thanks for your response. As you correctly identified, moving a folder into another folder causes it to inherit the destination folder's collaborators. So if you want to archive folders without inheriting unwanted access, the best recommendation is to:

• First remove all collaborators from the year folder.
• Then move it into your archive folder.

This ensures the moved folder only picks up the (minimal or no) collaborators of the archive destination.

Also for reference, Box does not have a built-in, one-click graphical user interface (UI) feature that allows standard users to remove multiple collaborators from multiple folders simultaneously. However, depending on your role and requirements, there are several efficient alternative methods and workarounds available to achieve this.

I’ve outlined the recommended and the most efficient solutions for your use case below:

✅ Remove collaborators directly from the Year Folder (most straightforward)

Since collaborators are managed at the folder where they were invited, you can remove them directly from the Year folder before archiving it:

1. Open the Year folder you want to archive (e.g., “2025 Folder”).
2. In the right-hand sidebar, click the Sharing tab to view all collaborators.
3. Click on a collaborator’s name, and under Permissions, select Remove.
4. Repeat this for each collaborator. Once the folder is “clean,” you can safely move it into your archive folder without carrying over unwanted access.
    

✅ Use the Box Admin Console (most efficient for Admins)

If you have Box Admin or Co-Admin privileges, you can manage and remove collaborations across multiple folders much faster:

• For Managed Users:
  Go to Admin Console > Users & Groups > Managed Users > Click the user’s name > Scroll to Folder Collaborations > Click Edit > Select the archive folders and click Remove Access.
• For External Users:
  Go to Admin Console > Users & Groups > External Users > Double-click the user’s name > Scroll to Folder Collaborations > Click Edit > Select the archive folders and click Remove Access.
   

✅ Bulk Removal via Box CLI or API (for large-scale automation)

For large-scale or automated bulk removals across multiple folders and users, you can use Box's developer tools:

• Box Command Line Interface (CLI): You can run the box collaborations:delete command programmatically using a CSV file containing a list of Collaboration IDs to remove them in bulk.
  • https://github.com/box/boxcli/blob/main/docs/collaborations.md
• Box API: Developers can use the DELETE /collaborations/{collaboration_id} endpoint to programmatically delete multiple collaborations.
  • https://developer.box.com/reference/delete-collaborations-id/

✅ For future reference: Set collaborator auto-expiration (proactive & future-proof)

To automate this process for future years, you can set an expiration date for collaborators when you first invite them. See Managing Collaborators > Collaborator Auto-Expiration to learn more.

1. When inviting collaborators to a yearly folder, set an expiration date (e.g., December 31st of that year).
2. Box will automatically remove their access when that date arrives.

• Note: This is configured via Admin Console > Enterprise Settings > Content & Sharing > Invited Collaborators Expiration Settings (must be enabled by your admin). Auto-expiration applies to individual collaborators, not Groups.

If you need further assistance, please submit a ticket to our Product Support. Thank you!

Hello, I think the Admin Console option is worth trying… 

I tried to find: Go to Admin Console > Users & Groups > Managed Users > but I dont have that option

I see the developer consol but not sure if it is the same or what I need. 

Thanks for bringing this up ​@María Páramo. The Developer Console is where users create or configure applications and work with Box APIs.

If you do not see the Admin Console, you'll need to contact your organization's primary Box administrator and request Co-Admin access. This will allow you to view and manage the settings and changes applicable to your co-admin role.

For more information, please refer to the following support articles:

• Understanding Administrator and Co-Administrator Permissions
• Granting And Modifying Co-Admin Permissions
   

As always, feel free to reach out if you have any other questions or concerns.