The complex steps for renaming a Dropbox shared folder

If you have a folder shared with colleagues on Dropbox and you want to rename it for everybody, you can't. I explain why not at the bottom of this post. To change the name for everybody, you must create and share a new folder with the new name. Here are the full steps so you don't forget anything:

How

1. Create a new folder. Before you share with anybody, give the new folder the desired new name.
2. Share the new folder with your colleagues.
3. Move all the files from the old folder to the new folder.
4. Remove all your colleagues from the old folder.
5. Delete the old folder.

Why?

And why can't you rename for everybody? Well, take the case that you are sharing a folder named "Support". What if one of your colleagues already has a folder named "Support"? Both Dropbox and your colleague need the freedom to create and keep an independent name for every root share folder.

This does not apply to files and folders below any root share folder. You can rename them at will, and it will rename them for everybody. Giving you this ability was important enough to Dropbox that for a long while you could not share any file or folder below a root share folder as anything but a link.