Can we have more folder options like custom folders or sub-folders to add to Computer Backup?

[helenavelikaja]

Right now, the automated backup option in Dropbox allows me to sync my Documents, Desktop and Downloads folders. By far the biggest - and most important - folder on my computer is the Music folder though. I can imagine for other people it's Pictures. Could we have a way to automatically backup those folders too?

To be really ambitious: would we be able to clone our computer on Dropbox? I used to have an Apple Time Machine that allowed you to do just that. If your computer broke down or was stolen, you could buy a new one, let it download the clone, including not just your documents but your applications and presets too, and you'd be good to go!

Please let Dropbox be the new Time Machine.

[Emmet]

This idea is currently being worked on by our internal team, and is already available for external drive backups. External Drive Backups are available to all of our users. You can find out more about computer backups in our Help Centre.

Computer backup is currently being worked on by our teams. If you are interested in participating in beta testing new features to our backup solutions, you can find out how to opt in here. 

[tulburg]

For me, its my ~/Developer folder. I don't use the desktop (clean) or documnet (icloud instead) or download (junks from the internet) which are the defaults now.

[acebankcard]

There's a way to do this on Windows, I wrote a detailed and easy to follow tutorial on it but forum moderator(s) took it down.

[gvdias]

@acebankcard Is it the trick using symlinks? I read Dropbox doesn't follow dymlinks anymore.

[Pirx]

That's correct, it doesn't (and it never fully supported those in the first place). And, doing the symlinks in reverse (target inside one of the supported folders, link in an arbitrary loaction) defeats the purpose of the entire exercise, and causes additional headaches (at least in Windows). Long story short, there is no way to productively use the feature in many cases. That's what we call a "misfeature"…

[fabsjunge]

For me being able to back up just the pictures and videos folders would be amazing. Those are currently just used to store pictures from vacations in the past and while I back them up to an external hard drive for safekeeping having them in dropbox would be another layer of not losing precious memories.

Also for me the contents of those doesn't change much except for large additions once every few months (though none lately).

[acebankcard]

@gvdias @Pirx No it's not symlinks but if you're not interested in the method then good day. Also figured out how to sync from a single external drive, you just have to set the proper directory for Dropbox during installation.

[KreKom]

For Dropbox Backup I suggest the option to backup also other subfolders, like Pictures, Music and Public from the user's home folder.

Currently one can only select the folders Desktop, Documents and Downloads.

[Darutarn]

Please add the option to choose which folder to backup... I should have gone with the Test Version first. This backup ist pretty useless this way. 

[Baruch E.1]

Moving the default locations of the user's folders (Documents, Desktop, Downloads etc.) is a very common practice especially with hybrid disks, where the SSD disk houses the OS and HDD houses User's libraries. Dropbox only backs up user's libraries when they are in the default location C:\Users\username. So when a user moves the libraries to an alternate location (D:\), even when the Dropbox library in the same alternate location, an error message results. This way Dropbox automatic backup options prevent backing up these folders

Can this be solved? Shouldn't be difficult? Otherwise keeping the 2 TB storage capacity plan for annual (not quite symbolic) fee is ludicrous

Thank you

[Darketower]

I just came here for this exact same dilemma. All of my Windows data directories have been moved from their default locations (Documents, Downloads, etc) to my 😧 drive, where my Dropbox folder is also located. However, there's no way to change the Dropbox Backup settings to scan alternate directory paths.

This is either a very odd oversight, or born from the same skewed logic that only lets the Dropbox install on my tablet run on its internal storage (instead of the SD Card).