Forum Discussion

dukeeastwood's avatar
dukeeastwood
Helpful | Level 7
3 years ago

I need to copy (not move) a Dropbox folder to an external hard drive.

Very simple.. Can you COPY dropbox folder to an external hard drive? And when I mean COPY, I mean make a COPY... as in making a backup of the entire dropbox onto a large external har ddrive.  If so...
desktop
Calvin2DBX's avatar
Calvin2DBX
Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
3 years ago

Hey dukeeastwood,

 

Thanks for getting in touch!

 

Yes, exactly as Rich mentioned, you can copy Dropbox folders,  just like any other folder on the computer.

 

You will need to be able to fit them "Offline" to do that, so it's a good idea to check how big they are on Dropbox, first.

 

Next, have you got the Dropbox desktop application installed?

 

With the app installed, you just go to the Dropbox folder on your computer, right click the item you want to copy, and set it as "Offline" — check the sync staus to see when it's finished downloading, and you can copy and paste it in your external drive.

 

Give it a try and let me know how you get on!

  • dukeeastwood's avatar
    dukeeastwood
    Helpful | Level 7
    3 years ago

    How do I specify the location I want the files to download to?

     

    This app looks like it needs A LOT of work...

     

    like for instance... selecting "offline" is how you Download a file? Doesn't seem like the word "offline" should be used for that... very confusing

    • Jay's avatar
      Jay
      Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
      3 years ago

      Hi dukeeastwood, you can copy the files to a folder using your file explorer on your machine, and choose where to move the files.

       

      When using the Dropbox desktop application, files are not necessarily on your machine, depending on your plan and OS. Marking files as available offline means that they are physically downloaded to your computer, so that you can then open them normally. 

      • dukeeastwood's avatar
        dukeeastwood
        Helpful | Level 7
        3 years ago

        WHERE IS THE FILE??????????????????????

         

        I MAKE IT "AVAILABLE OFFLINE" OKAY... BUT WHERE IS THE FILE???????????????????????????

         

        IF IT'S AVAILABLE OFFLINE WHERE IS THE FILE LOCATED ON MY COMPUTER... I NEED TO KNOW WHERE IT IS... I NEED TO KEEP TRACK OF THE FILES DUE TO THEIR SIZE, TO MOVE THEM AROUND... THE DELETE THEM AFTER I MOVE THEM.... THIS APP IS THE WORST I'VE EVER SEEN IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

         

        I HAVE LARGE FOLDERS TO DOWNLOAD... WHY CAN'T I START BY TELLING IT THE LOCATION I WANT THE FILES TO BE MADE AVAILABLE OFFLINE AT!!!!!!!!!!! WHO MADE THIS APP??????????????????????????

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