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Re: How can I move files to a specific folder in Dropbox when using file explorer?

How can I move files to a specific folder in Dropbox when using file explorer?

support114
Explorer | Level 4
Go to solution

I found that Dropbox was making my Pc's and laptops unusable because synching dropbox content to them meant that Dropbox files were still using all the space on my hard drive! So now I am stopping the synching altogether and trying to just use the browser access to stop my hard drive becoming clogged up.

The problem I have now is that as I download files to my hard drive downloads folder i now need to use the File explorer "Move To" shortcut but I am only offered the Root folder on Dropbox called "Dropbox" I cant choose the folder in dropbox i want to use!

Worse still using the Chrome browser to access my dropbox I can't find any way to move the newly uploaded files out of the root "Dropbox" folder into the actual folder I wanted to save the files into!!

There has to be a better and easier way of doing this - any guidance gratefully recieved!!

1 Accepted Solution

Accepted Solutions

Celeste
Dropbox Staff
Go to solution

Hey there @support114, let's see what we can do about this!

When you say you stopped syncing, do you mean that you entirely unlinked that device from the account, or did you unsync content through the selective sync setting of the Preferences

The Dropbox folder acts like any other folder in your file explorer, so you can move content around as you would normally (by copy/cut-pasting or dragging files to the desired destination folder).

To move a file to the desired folder within your Dropbox account on the desktop, that folder needs to be selected to sync on the device. 

To move a file on the website: 

  1. Go to your Files page.
  2. Click the '...' to the right of the file's name.  
  3. Click 'Move' from the drop-down menu that appears.
  4. Select the destination folder.
  5. Click on the blue 'Move' button that pops up to finalize the action. 

Alternatively, you can upload the content directly to the preferred folder on the website, by opening said folder and then clicking on 'Upload files/folder' from within it. 

Let me know if this helps - thanks!


Celeste
Community Moderator @ Dropbox
dropbox.com/support


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View solution in original post

3 Replies 3

Celeste
Dropbox Staff
Go to solution

Hey there @support114, let's see what we can do about this!

When you say you stopped syncing, do you mean that you entirely unlinked that device from the account, or did you unsync content through the selective sync setting of the Preferences

The Dropbox folder acts like any other folder in your file explorer, so you can move content around as you would normally (by copy/cut-pasting or dragging files to the desired destination folder).

To move a file to the desired folder within your Dropbox account on the desktop, that folder needs to be selected to sync on the device. 

To move a file on the website: 

  1. Go to your Files page.
  2. Click the '...' to the right of the file's name.  
  3. Click 'Move' from the drop-down menu that appears.
  4. Select the destination folder.
  5. Click on the blue 'Move' button that pops up to finalize the action. 

Alternatively, you can upload the content directly to the preferred folder on the website, by opening said folder and then clicking on 'Upload files/folder' from within it. 

Let me know if this helps - thanks!


Celeste
Community Moderator @ Dropbox
dropbox.com/support


Heart Did this post help you? If so, give it a Like below to let us know.
:arrows_counterclockwise: Need help with something else? Ask me a question!
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:arrows_counterclockwise: What do you think about the Community? Fill out our survey here!

support114
Explorer | Level 4
Go to solution

Perfect thank you, the key step i was missing was to do the move operation from the "files" folder instead of the "Dropbox" folder which no only allowed the "move" command but also allowed me to bulk select with checkboxes and move multiple files at one time. 

I am sorry i dont know which method i used to stop Dropbox clogging my machines up for certain but I think it was Smart select because i still see the dropbox "folder" in file explorer its just the contents are no longer 100% synched - I had no choice but to do that because having all the dropbox contents synched made all pcs and laptops unusable due to having no disk space left.

Celeste
Dropbox Staff
Go to solution

Hi @support114, thanks for the update - glad to know I was able to help!

In regards to the syncing, it does sound like you used the selective sync feature, which allows you to un-select folders from syncing locally through the app's Preferences. 

If you would like to un-sync content, but also keep a visual of your files' structure, you can look into our Smart Sync feature as well.

Smart Sync allows you to have content online-only so that it does not take up computer space, but also see it in the Dropbox folder on the computer (with a gray cloud icon on it, instead of a green check-mark).

You can activate Smart Sync via the General tab of your app's Preferences

Let me know if I can help with anything else - and have a great week ahead!

 


Celeste
Community Moderator @ Dropbox
dropbox.com/support


Heart Did this post help you? If so, give it a Like below to let us know.
:arrows_counterclockwise: Need help with something else? Ask me a question!
:pushpin: Find Tips & Tricks Discover more ways to use Dropbox here!
:arrows_counterclockwise: What do you think about the Community? Fill out our survey here!

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