How to get started with Dropbox (with pictures)

This article will teach you how to install and use Dropbox. Dropbox is a cloud storage option that allows you to save your files online instead of on your computer or mobile device.

Steps

Part 1 of 4: Create an account

Step 1. Go to https://www.dropbox.com/register in a web browser

This action will open the Dropbox registration page.

If you already have a Dropbox account, skip to the next part

Step 2. Enter your account information

Enter the following information at the top right of the page:

Full name. Write your first and last name separated by a space.
Email. Enter a work email address (for example, an email address that you can easily access and for which you have the password). You will use this email address to log into Dropbox.
Password. Enter a password for your Dropbox account. You will use this password to log into Dropbox.

Step 3. Check the "I accept the Dropbox terms" box

It's below the "Email" field.

Step 4. Click Sign up for free

It's a blue button below the "I accept" box. Doing so will create your Dropbox account.

At this point, you can download Dropbox on your computer. If you decide to do so, go to the last part of this article for installation and usage instructions

Part 2 of 4: Use Dropbox Online

Step 1. Open the Dropbox website

Go to https://www.dropbox.com/home/ on a computer. This action will open the Dropbox home page if you are already signed in.

If you are not logged in, first enter your email address and password in the "Email" and "Password" fields, then click Log in to continue.

Step 2. Review the "My Files" page

You don't have any files on this page yet, but this is where the files will appear when you upload one.

Step 3. Review the sorting options

These are in the upper left corner of the page. They are as follows:

Share (Any file or folder that you allow other Dropbox users to view or edit will appear here)
File requests (You can see pending file requests, which are invitations that you can send to people's email addresses to request that they upload certain files; you can also see files uploaded from file requests here)
Deleted files (You can see the files you have deleted in the last 30 days; you can delete these files within 30 days to permanently delete them or you can restore them)

Step 4. Make sure you are on the "My Files" page

If you've clicked on any of the sorting options, click My files in the upper left corner of the page to return to the "My Files" page.

Step 5. Click Upload Files

It's a blue button at the top right of the page. Doing so will open a File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac) window where you can select files and folders to upload.

Step 6. Select files or folders to upload

Click on a file to select it (or click and drag across multiple files to select them), then click the option To open which is in the lower right corner of the window. The selected items will start to load.

You may need to first select the file folder on the left side of the File Explorer or Finder window to find the file.
To select individual files separate from each other, hold down Ctrl (Windows) or Command (Mac) while clicking each file you want to select.

Step 7. Wait for your files to finish uploading

After your files have uploaded to Dropbox, you can access them from any computer or mobile device where you are signed in to Dropbox.

Step 8. Create a new folder

Do click in the link New folder which is on the right side of the page, type a name for the folder and press ↵ Enter. When you've created the folder, you can click its name to open it, or you can click and drag files into it to add them to the folder.

Step 9. Download a file

Click the checkbox to the left of a file, then click the link Download which is on the right side of the page. The file will download to your computer.

You can select multiple files to download by checking each one individually.
You can also download folders.

Step 10. Exit Dropbox

Close the tab or window that Dropbox is open in to close the page. You can come back at any time, or you can use one of the desktop or mobile versions of Dropbox to upload files.

Part 3 of 4: Use Dropbox on a Mobile Device

Step 1. Download Dropbox

You can do this by searching for Dropbox in the App Store (iPhone) or in the Google Play Store (Android).

Step 2. Open Dropbox

Tap the Dropbox app icon, which is an open blue box on a white background. This action will open the Dropbox login page.

Step 3. Press Login

It's at the bottom of the screen.

Step 4. Enter your email address and password

Press the "Email" field, enter the email address of the Dropbox account, and then press the "Password" field and enter the password.

Step 5. Press Login

It's below the "Password" field. As long as your login credentials are correct, this action will take you to the Dropbox home page.

Maybe you should press Skip in the upper right corner of the screen a few times before reaching the Dropbox home page.

Step 6. Review the home page

This page shows recent files, as well as notifications and a gear that you can tap to open Dropbox settings. At any time, you can navigate back to the home page by pressing Beginning in the lower left corner of the screen.

On some Android platforms, this tab is called Recent.

Step 7. Review the other tabs

There are three other tabs at the bottom of the page. They are as follows:

Records (All uploaded photos and folders will appear here; everything will be organized by file type, such as RECORDS for documents and PHOTOS for the photos)
Photos (this tab is specifically reserved for photos in your Dropbox account)
Without connection (Any file or folder you choose to make available offline will appear here; you can access these files even if you don't have an Internet connection or data on your cell phone)
On Android, you must first press the ☰ button in the upper left corner of the screen to see these options.

Step 8. Press +

It's in the bottom center of the screen (iPhone) or in the bottom right corner of the screen (Android). A pop-up menu will appear.

Step 9. Press Upload Photos or Create or upload file.

These two options allow you to upload a file from the phone.

On Android, tap Upload photos or videos or Upload files.
If you press Create or upload file, press Upload files on the next page and then select a file location before continuing.

Step 10. Select the file you want to upload

Tap the file (or files) you want to upload to Dropbox, then tap Next in the upper right corner of the screen.

On Android, simply tap the file (or files) you want to upload, then tap CARRY in the lower right corner of the screen.

Step 11. Click Choose a folder…

This option is under the heading "LOAD IN".

Step 12. Press Set Location

It's in the lower-right corner of the screen.

Step 13. Press Upload

It's in the upper-right corner of the screen. Doing this will cause the file to start uploading to your Dropbox account.

You can also change the file name before pressing Carry.

Step 14. Download a photo

Tap and hold a photo, then tap Save on reel from the pop-up menu. You can't download other files to Dropbox for mobile devices, but you can save photos to your camera roll if you like.

On Android, tap v in the upper right corner of the screen, tap To export and press Save to device.

Part 4 of 4: Use Dropbox on a desktop computer

Step 1. Open the Dropbox installation page

Go to https://www.dropbox.com/install/ in your computer's browser.

Step 2. Click Download Dropbox

It's the blue button in the middle of the page. Doing this will cause the Dropbox installer to download to your computer.

Step 3. Install Dropbox

This process will differ depending on the operating system of the computer.

On Windows, double click on the file DropboxInstaller, click Yes when prompted and then wait for Windows to install Dropbox.
On Mac, double-click the DMG file for Dropbox, verify the download, double-click the Dropbox icon, select "I already have a Dropbox account" and click Continue.

Step 4. If prompted, log in

If requested by Dropbox, enter the email address and password for your Dropbox account.

If you just created an account, you will not have to enter your account information

Step 5. Select files you want to move to Dropbox

This action will vary depending on the operating system of the computer.

On Windows, opens Beginning, click the icon of the File Browser

Windowsstartexplorer

, select a file location on the left side of the window, select a file or folder, and press Ctrl + C.
On Mac, open the Finder, select a file location on the left side of the window, select a file or folder, click Edit and click Copy.

Step 6. Open Dropbox

To perform this action do the following:

On Windows, opens Beginning, type dropbox in Start and click the Dropbox icon.
On Mac, opens Spotlight, type dropbox in Spotlight and click the Dropbox icon.

Step 7. Move the copied files to Dropbox

Press Ctrl + V on Windows or press Command + V on Mac. This will copy the files to the Dropbox folder, from where they will be copied to your Dropbox account.

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