Can You See When Documents Are Uploaded Into Dropbox
Dropbox is simple. It's just a folder on your reckoner that syncs everything you put in it up to the deject. Before Dropbox, file sharing and sync was geeky and disruptive, so it's no wonder that it chop-chop became the de facto cloud storage platform after it launched in 2007.
Keep your Dropbox organized, automatically
But if you've only added files to your /dropbox binder over the past few years, and haven't dug into Dropbox.com or its mobile apps, you lot might be in for a surprise. Backside Dropbox'southward simplicity are sophisticated tools that let you back upwardly your photos, edit documents online, scroll dorsum time, and secure your files from prying eyes.
While information technology'due south far from the only way to sync your files, the hidden features put Dropbox a footstep ahead of the residuum. Here are 14 of the best features you may have never noticed in Dropbox before.
View whatever file without installing extra software
Dropbox's file preview tool is actually one of its more handy features. If you desire feedback on an Adobe Illustrator file, and the rest of your squad doesn't have Illustrator installed, no problem: Dropbox tin preview dozens of file types online, so the merely software you need is a browser. Merely open Dropbox in your browser, then browse to the file you want to preview.
You can read total PDF documents, flip through PowerPoint presentation slides, preview Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator designs, and watch full-length videos right from Dropbox.com. There's a zoom tool to dig in deeper—especially handy for larger blueprint files—and even a print button to make a hard copy.
Dropbox won't allow you preview every file, but usually if Dropbox shows an icon or thumbnail for a file online, yous can click it to see a full preview.
Share screenshots quickly
Tired of taking screenshots, dragging them into Dropbox, and then copying the share link?
At that place'southward a quicker manner: all you need to exercise is enable Dropbox's screenshot-sharing feature on your Mac or PC. Open your Dropbox app preferences (click the Dropbox icon in your menu bar, click the gear icon, then select Preferences), select the Import tab, and check the Save screenshots using Dropbox box.
Now, merely accept screenshots every bit normal, and Dropbox volition salve them to /dropbox/screenshots and copy a share link to your clipboard automatically. You tin can paste the link into your chat app, email, or wherever else y'all desire to share it.
Add comments to files
Sharing a Dropbox binder is pretty straightforward: you can correct-click on whatsoever binder or file, and either invite someone to join your folder or just share a link to the file. Dropbox'southward commenting feature, which not everyone notices, lets you hash out your changes to a file.
You lot tin can find this characteristic on the spider web and mobile version of Dropbox, and in the desktop app (not your system file browser, the bodily Dropbox app). Select whatsoever file, or open up it in the preview tool to see the sidebar with the comments. Type out your comments, and add together your colleagues' names with an @ symbol to mention them in a comment. They'll get a notification in Dropbox or their e-mail inbox, and you lot'll see the comments appear in existent-time as they're added.
It's an easy way to go on the conversation almost your files in the same place, so nothing gets lost. Plus, as you work on the file together in Dropbox, the online preview will update so everyone always sees the latest version.
Use selective sync to salvage local space
With online previews and Part file editing online, you might detect that you lot need fewer of your Dropbox files really stored on your calculator. If you need some extra space, you tin use Dropbox's Selective Sync to store only your most important files on your calculator.
Merely open your Dropbox preferences, select the Account tab, then click the Change Settings … push button beside the Selective Sync entry. There, you tin can select the folders and files yous desire to sync to your estimator. Everything else will stay online, where y'all can still view and annotate on it.
It's an especially handy trick if you're using Dropbox to dorsum upwardly your photos, videos, and other larger files. You lot tin upload them to Dropbox, then once they're finished syncing, just remove their folders via Selective Sync.
Support your entire Desktop and Documents folders
Dropbox used to sync merely the files in your Dropbox folder, but these days it tin can also back up your Desktop, Downloads, and Documents folders, if you lot want to. Open up your Dropbox settings, then caput to the Backups tab and click the Backups option. Y'all'll be asked which folders you want to sync.
It's an easy way to support files that otherwise aren't synced to Dropbox, and yous can besides utilise it to automate your Desktop folder.
Favorite files to view offline on mobile
When you lot're on the get (i.eastward., using a mobile device), you lot might need admission to specific files even when an internet connection is nowhere to be establish. Dropbox sync will continue all your of import files on your desktop and laptop only fine, just on a mobile device, Dropbox relies on your internet connection to download files as y'all need them.
Merely for must-have files, Dropbox includes a favorites feature in its mobile apps. Simply find the files yous need to view offline, tap the three dots beside it, then choose the Make bachelor offline choice. Dropbox will download the file to your device, and y'all can view them when your mobile device isn't online.
Note that the complimentary version of Dropbox can only marker individual files, not entire folders, for offline access.
Access previous versions
At that place's a large difference between Salve and Save Equally..., every bit anyone who'southward accidentally overwritten an important document tin tell you.
Dropbox has your back with its Version History feature. Whenever you realize you lot've messed up a file, just right-click on the file and select Version History. Or, if you deleted a file and want to bring information technology back, find its parent folder in Dropbox.com and click the View Deleted Files button at the pinnacle.
Either style, you'll get a listing of the older versions of your file, where y'all can restore the correct version in a click.
For example, if you shared your resume via Dropbox link, but noticed a typo, you could restore an earlier version even after hitting send; your potential new employer will encounter the corrected document, not the i you sent at showtime.
Dropbox saves changes to your files for xxx days for free accounts; Dropbox Professional person and Business organization accounts can access 180 days of history.
Remotely delete your files on stolen devices
You lot wake up on a Saturday morning and realize that yous left your phone in a cab last nighttime (we've all been there). In your panic, you realize that your phone was logged in to Dropbox—which, besides some embarrassing selfies, has sensitive info that you wouldn't desire anyone to get their easily on.
Don't panic. Dropbox still has your back with several features to keep your data condom. Commencement, with any Dropbox account, you lot can add a Pivot to your Dropbox mobile app. That style, if you practise lose your telephone, someone will need to hack your phone password and your Dropbox PIN earlier they can get to your files.
If you have a paid Dropbox account, there's another selection: y'all tin can remotely wipe your Dropbox files from whatever device that's been synced with Dropbox, as long as information technology's still online. Just open up your Dropbox.com account settings, select the Security tab, and click the trash can icon beside the device you lost—you volition encounter the option to remotely delete the files after you practise and so.
If you're worried about online hackers, you can add together two-gene verification to your account, and then an attacker would need to know your password plus the security code that'due south sent to your phone to access your account. Information technology might not help if your phone gets lost, just it could protect your files if your password ever gets leaked online.
Discover everything you're sharing
Ever wondered if you've accidentally shared the incorrect file in Dropbox? That'd exist almost as bad equally losing your phone in a cab, but thankfully Dropbox has a quick way to run across everything yous've shared. Merely open Dropbox.com, and select the Shared button in the left sidebar.
You will see all of your shared folders and files, along with the time they were last modified. Note that this shows both shared folders you've added to your Dropbox and folders that you have access to but haven't added. From here, y'all can see who tin access the folders, and remove or add together contributors as y'all like. The Links screen, in the elevation bar, will show you every file or folder you lot've shared individually with a link. You lot can then see when y'all shared it, or delete the sharing link and take that embarrassing photograph offline.
Dorsum upwardly all your pictures to Dropbox
Now that you're a bit more than confident with your Dropbox security, why not take advantage of your Dropbox storage and apply information technology to back upwards your pictures?
The Dropbox mobile app tin can exercise that with your phone pictures, and the desktop app tin can automatically grab photos from whatever camera you plug in. But open up your Dropbox settings, select the Import tab, and Dropbox tin automatically import new photos from cameras and SD cards y'all connect to your computer. On mobile, head to the settings and make sure Camera uploads is enabled.
Customize your Dropbox notifications
If you're sharing and commenting on a lot of files, Dropbox'due south email and button notifications can get overwhelming. Don't worry: you can get things under control.
First, let's change your email notifications. Head to Dropbox.com, then to the Notification settings. From there, you can adjust your notifications until they're just right.
Y'all tin can also change your desktop notifications. Open the Dropbox settings, then head to Notifications. From in that location, you can choose which settings exercise and don't show up on your calculator.
Wish you could get these notifications somewhere besides your inbox, or push notifications? The other option is Zapier, an automation tool that gives you the ability to create customized notifications about what's happening in Dropbox. It can watch specific folders in your Dropbox account, and let you know via email, a chat app, or any other app yous employ when anything happens in your Dropbox account. You tin even add filters, so you lot'll only go notified when, say, you add together files of a specific type.
Zapier can besides connect Google Drive, Box, OneDrive, and other apps to Dropbox, to add together files from other storage apps and more. Check out Zapier's Dropbox integrations for more than great ways to automate Dropbox and read more than about how to customize your Dropbox notifications.
Be the first to get new features
Each time Dropbox rolls out a new feature, they practise it in stages, starting with a select group of users who get to try an update offset. If you're eager to become the latest features, and don't heed occasional glitches, you tin add yourself to the group of early adopters.
To exercise that, open your Dropbox settings page and toggle the Early on releases option.
Be sure to follow the Dropbox Forum and Dropbox Blog to stay upwards-to-date on when the Dropbox team adds new features.
Request files via Dropbox
Dropbox offers a File Requests characteristic. It's a simple tool to let you request files from others, and have them automatically evidence up in your Dropbox folder—the person sending your files doesn't even have to take a Dropbox account.
Just go to the File Requests page in your Dropbox account, and add a subject for the files you desire to collect—family reunion pictures, project files, or anything else. You'll and so get a unique link to share and request files, or tin send the invite via e-mail.
Information technology's a simple manner to get files from everyone pulled together in one place, even if all your friends and colleagues aren't using Dropbox. And in one case you have all the files, you lot can hands share the folder with them.
Use keyboard shortcuts
If you love Dropbox's simplicity, you might non actually desire any actress hidden features. How about some keyboard shortcuts to speed up your work instead?
When you're working in your Dropbox files on your reckoner, you lot can utilise your standard keyboard shortcuts to select, move, rename, and remove files. Many of those same keyboard shortcuts volition work online in Dropbox.com, too. Simply press ? while browsing the Dropbox site to see the keyboard shortcuts for your figurer anytime.
This commodity was originally published in June 2015 with contributions from Matthew Guay. Justin Pot has since contributed updates.
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Source: https://zapier.com/blog/dropbox-hidden-features/