Tech Olive

Plain and simple, Dropbox is a freeware application that automatically syncs files over the internet and also to any computers that you own. This is a dream if you have multiple computers in your household or if you share files constantly with your friends. The one thing that makes Dropbox unique from a lot of other syncing and sharing services is the ability to simply drag and drop files into the Dropbox folder on your computer and have them instantly be available to any computer that you give permission to. Any file that you put inside the Dropbox folder will automatically be synced and monitored for changes, so each time a change is saved, it backs up and syncs the file again. Best of all, it works with Windows, Mac, and Linux, so you can share files easily across different OSes. They also have an iPhone app available for free as well.

In this quick tutorial, I’ll show you how to get started using this extremely simple application and what features are the most useful.

First, visit the Dropbox website and signup for a free account. You’ll initially get 2GB of storage space, but can purchase more in the future if you’d like. I found that 2GB is well more than enough to share docs, photos, and other relatively small files. After you signup, you’ll be prompted to download the application. You’ll definitely want to download and install this, since the application is the meat and bones of the operation. Once installed, a Dropbox folder will appear on the desktop. This is where you’ll drag and drop files for them to appear on your other machines. You’ll have to install and enter your credentials in the application on every computer that you want synced. However, if you’re on public computer, you can easily view your files through Dropbox’s web interface.

To share a folder with a friend, simply create another folder in the Dropbox folder and right click it and navigate to Dropbox > Share This Folder… You’ll then be taken to Dropbox’s website where you’ll enter in the email addresses of friends that you want to share this folder with. Once they accept your invite, they’ll now have access to the content inside that specific folder, as well as the ability to share their own files with you instantly. Nifty!

Another feature that I found useful was the Public folder inside the Dropbox folder. If there is a file that you want to share with users that don’t use Dropbox, simply put a file in the Public folder, right click it and navigate to Dropbox > Copy Public Link. This will give you a link to send to anyone that will allow them to download the file to their computer.

Those are the basics of Dropbox. If you already have experience using this cool little application, we would love to hear some of the ways that you use Dropbox and any tricks/tips that you might have! Shout ‘em out in the comments.

[Dropbox]