

You can also choose to show deleted files, and restore them. Each version shows the time and date, person who saved it (useful for shared folders), and the machine on which it was saved (the Bonjour name on a Mac). Dropbox keeps an unlimited number of versions that you can use a somewhat clunky, if informative, Web interface to choose among. (Dropbox previously had a limited, no-preview link option that this essentially replaces.) VersioningĪ powerful aspect of central, continuously updated storage for your files is versioning, or the storage of multiple renditions of the same file. Links can be revoked, but unlike the option at the nearly-gone iDisk and other services, you can’t set an expiration date and time for a link, which seems like a mistake. Dropbox only allows folders to be copied as a whole to its directories for download, items must be selected one at a time. Files and folder contents can be downloaded, or copied to a recipient’s Dropbox folder. Dropbox can preview many common media and document formats. Any item may be selected (Control-click or right-click the file in the Finder and in the contextual menu select Dropbox -> Get Link, or click a link icon in the Web view), and a Web page opens with a custom link and a preview of the files.
#Dropbox folder sync review download
Read Only: A new read-only sharing option offers previews in a browser and the ability to download an image with a click.Dropbox recently upgraded a second form of sharing, which provides read-only links to individual files or entire folders. What’s missing is the option to set read-only folders, something that could be tricky on the desktop (as it would involve setting file locks on particular users’ files), but would aid in sharing material. The contents of a shared folder count towards an account’s quota. A shared folder is synced among all users who join it, until they remove themselves or the owner kicks them out. Any folder may be shared with any other user (if they don’t have an account, they can sign up at no cost and store at least 2GB). The collaborative sharing feature is one that brought me to Dropbox and keeps me there. A mobile app allows limited tools away from a desktop.

These include collaborative sharing with others, read-only sharing, accessing older versions of files, restoring deleted files, and uploading images from attached cameras and phones. Beyond syncing across your computers and creating backup copies of your own files, Dropbox has several features that take storage and sync further.
