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Forum Discussion
How to automatically upload from my desktop a new file in an existing Dropbox folder
On my Desktop I have a Dropbox folder created during Dropbox install. It contains a folder (Test) that I copied from my C: drive (C:/Test). The folder and the files in the folder have synced to my Dropbox storage. Now I added a new file to the C:/Test folder. Why does the new file in C:/Test not get automatically synced to my Dropbox storage? (Note: I have seen references to a Dropbox feature that automatically uploads new Photos, but I have not found how to do this with new Files). Thank you!
bobsarasota wrote:
Now I added a new file to the C:/Test folder. Why does the new file in C:/Test not get automatically synced to my Dropbox storage?
That's not how it works. Dropbox will only sync files that are placed in the Dropbox folder. You made a copy of Test and put it in Dropbox. That copy is not linked to the C:\Test original in any way. It's just another copy that you placed in your local Dropbox folder.
The Dropbox folder is a regular folder like any other. It exists on your computer and takes up drive space. Any data you put in the Dropbox folder will sync with your account online, and to any other devices where you've installed Dropbox. It doesn't sync files between the Dropbox folder and other locations on your drive.
- Rich
Super User II
bobsarasota wrote:
Now I added a new file to the C:/Test folder. Why does the new file in C:/Test not get automatically synced to my Dropbox storage?
That's not how it works. Dropbox will only sync files that are placed in the Dropbox folder. You made a copy of Test and put it in Dropbox. That copy is not linked to the C:\Test original in any way. It's just another copy that you placed in your local Dropbox folder.
The Dropbox folder is a regular folder like any other. It exists on your computer and takes up drive space. Any data you put in the Dropbox folder will sync with your account online, and to any other devices where you've installed Dropbox. It doesn't sync files between the Dropbox folder and other locations on your drive.
Thank you very much! That response was not only quick, but your explanation was easy to understand. I guess I never properly knew how Dropbox worked. I can see an opportunity for a software product that would compare the Dropbox contents with the contents on my hard derive and autocopy from C: to the Dropbox folder to keep them in sync. Do you know if such a product exists? Also, I read somewhere on the Dropbox site about a feature that automatically uploads new photos when they are added to the hard drive. Can that feature be modified by the user or simulated in some way to allow non-photo file types to be automatically uploaded to Dropbox? Thanks again for sharing your knowledge. -Bob
