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Forum Discussion
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...
Jay
Dropbox Community Moderator
Dropbox Community ModeratorHi 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.
BUT WHERE ARE THE FILE??????????????????
I did a test... i made one small file available offline... i copy it to a folder on my desktop... THEN when i try to delete that file, i get a warning box asking me IF I WANT TO DELETE IT FROM THE DROPBOX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
NO!!!!!!!!!!
NO!!!!!!!!!!!
NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HOLY ****... it's like dropbox doesn't understand the basic idea behind backing up files!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If I'm making something available offline... if I'm making a copy of something........... I WANT A ****ING COPY... I DON'T WANT THAT TO HAVE ANY LINK TO THE BACKUP ON DROPBOX!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT IS THIS????????????????????????
- Calvin2DBX
Hi dukeeastwood,
I appreciate you're frustrated, so let's help you understand exactly what to do, and where.
- Click the Dropbox app, near the time/date in the corner of your Desktop
- In the app window, click the folder icon NOT the web icon
- It will take you to exactly where the files are saved on the computer
From there, copy the file as you would any other file, and paste it wherever you like.
If it helps, think of the word "online" as meaning "on the internet", so "offline" here means it's on your computer, too. That is why you need to make it "offline" before you copy it. Does that make sense?
You don't need to delete it in Dropbox after you copy it. Just right click the file and make it "online" again. It will stop using space on your computer.
Let me know how you go!
i hate this app...
would it KILL dropbox...
TO LET ME DOWNLOAD MY OWN FILES IN A LOCATION I WANT TO DOWNLOAD THEM AT?????????????
Instead I have to "make available offline" which effectively copies the file directly over itself... THEN I have to copy and paste the file? So it has to take up TWICE as much space just so I can have a copy of it instead of allowing me to download the file where I want it the first time??!!!!!
WHO THERE THOUGHT THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA?????????????????
DO YOU NOT SEE HOW THIS MAY BE A PROBLEM WITH LARGE FILES? WITH LARGE FOLDERS????????????????????????
Complete and utter incompetent design. I'm so angry I want to cry....
I think it's time to look for another online storage company.
- Calvin2DBX
Hi dukeeastwood,
Where did you choose for Dropbox to download the files when you set up the app?
If you want to change it, you can see the app preferences.
Go to the Sync tab, and use the Move option and set the Dropbox folder to live somewhere else.
No no no... you continue NOT to listen... so here's yet ANOTHER problem...
if you online something and then copy and paste it... say 1 tb.... it STILL will take hours to paste that much data.... meanwhile if this app was designed by people with working BRAINS... the ability to download something INTO a location would save that time...
In all seriously... what is the phone number for dropbox offices?
I need to contact directly... I'm so sick of you people acting like what I'm saying doesn't make any sense.
I will fly to where you are and explain this to you if I have to.
