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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...
Calvin2DBX
Dropbox Community Moderator
Dropbox Community ModeratorHi 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.
Really it doesn't matter... dropbox shouldn't be COPYING something JUST to be able to download it...it's stupid... JUST DOWNLOAD THE FILE
If I want to backup 13 TB of data , HOW CAN I DO THAT? It would require this pile of garbage app to copy 13 TB of data... taking up 13 TB of space that cannot be used JUST to "offline" the files... THEN I would have to cop and paste 13 TB of files USING another 13 TB of space... 26 TB and two copies of the files just to have one separate copy of those files.
I swear... how does no one there see the problem with this??????
How hard is the concept of "download to selected folder"?????????
This app is basically worthless because of this... it's absolutely infuriating. I Don't see how people aren't complaining about this EVERY SINGLE DAY! And I don't see how the support seems to not understand why this is the worst workflow imaginable for a storage backup company.
This is one of the greatest cases of incompetence I've ever seen in my life. I don't see how dropbox is in business.
- Calvin2DBX
Hi dukeeastwood
Sorry if I'm still missing something, but just a thought:
- Use the steps I gave you to move the Dropbox folder, to a hard drive that can fit what you want to work with, i.e. 13 TB of data
- Let the files download fully (make them "offline")
- When it's done, sign out of the desktop app.
After you sign out from the app, you'll have all the content you made offline in one place that you chose, no duplicates, and no chance of anything being deleted in Dropbox.
Let me know what you find.
