You might see that the Dropbox Community team have been busy working on some major updates to the Community itself! So, here is some info on what’s changed, what’s staying the same and what you can expect from the Dropbox Community overall.
Forum Discussion
Dropbox Desktop Folder
Does the Dropbox "folder" get installed automatically when the desktop "app" is installed? And what is the purpose of this "folder?" Can a user upload content either using the "folder" or the "app"? ...
Rich
Super User II
Super User II
Chappell wrote:
Does the Dropbox "folder" get installed automatically when the desktop "app" is installed? And what is the purpose of this "folder?" Can a user upload content either using the "folder" or the "app"?
Dropbox is, primarily, a file sync utility. The purpose of the app is to sync your local Dropbox folder with your account online. It's not used to just upload files to your account. It syncs with your local drive. Anything in your local Dropbox folder takes up space on your hard drive.
If you don't plan on syncing files, you don't need the app. Just use the Dropbox website to upload and download files as needed.
Thanks for your reply, Rich. Actually, I just learned from support that content uploaded via the desktop app or web can be viewable in the folder without taking up hard drive space. This can be accomplished by either right clicking on the content in the folder selecting online only, or by using the selective sync feature under preferences in the desktop app and unchecking the folders you want removed from your hard drive, but which will still be in the cloud and viewable in the folder without taking up space. Between this great community group and people like you, and Dropbox support, one can really get a quick education. I've been experimenting with various cloud storage services and am amazed and pleased by how versatile and dependable the Dropbox desktop app is.
