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Forum Discussion
Configure DropBox in the external hard drive
I need configure DropBox to sava my backup in the external hard drive.
Hey there LuckWinner - how are you today?
Why don't use selective sync which is a great way to free up space by syncing only particular folders to a specific device instead?
Anyhow, if you choose to go with the external HDD option, take into account that Dropbox can indeed be used with an external hard drive as long as you can ensure the drive is always connected to your computer while Dropbox (i.e the desktop app) is running. If the drive is ever disconnected from the computer while Dropbox is running there is a small chance that the Dropbox software will start deleting files before realizing that the entire drive has been removed.
Additionally, you should ensure that the file system of the external drive meets the file system requirements. Those can be found in the following Help Center article:
https://www.dropbox.com/help/desktop-web/system-requirements
To move your Dropbox folder to an external drive use the steps in the following Help Center article:
https://www.dropbox.com/help/desktop-web/move-dropbox-folder
[The location you select is the folder the Dropbox folder will be moved to, rather than the folder your Dropbox files will be stored in.]
Let me know if you need anything else please!
- Walter
Dropbox Staff
Hey there LuckWinner - how are you today?
Why don't use selective sync which is a great way to free up space by syncing only particular folders to a specific device instead?
Anyhow, if you choose to go with the external HDD option, take into account that Dropbox can indeed be used with an external hard drive as long as you can ensure the drive is always connected to your computer while Dropbox (i.e the desktop app) is running. If the drive is ever disconnected from the computer while Dropbox is running there is a small chance that the Dropbox software will start deleting files before realizing that the entire drive has been removed.
Additionally, you should ensure that the file system of the external drive meets the file system requirements. Those can be found in the following Help Center article:
https://www.dropbox.com/help/desktop-web/system-requirements
To move your Dropbox folder to an external drive use the steps in the following Help Center article:
https://www.dropbox.com/help/desktop-web/move-dropbox-folder
[The location you select is the folder the Dropbox folder will be moved to, rather than the folder your Dropbox files will be stored in.]
Let me know if you need anything else please!
- Rich
Super User II
You can move the Dropbox folder to another drive. If you move it to an external drive, which IS NOT recommended, you need to be absolutely certain that the drive is online and accessible BEFORE Dropbox is started. If the drive isn't available when Dropbox starts, or becomes disconnected while Dropbox is running, there's a chance that Dropbox could see it as a deletion of your files and will sync those deletions to your account online.
For this reason, having the Dropbox folder on an external drive is highly NOT RECOMMENDED.
Not sure where this should go or if it is possible.
I have a Dropbox folder on my local drive on a laptop (MacBook Pro). I have a Drobo connected via thunderbolt with 1.5TB of data on it. Obviously, it is not available when I'm not at my desktop.
I want to sync the Drobo to Dropbox separately from my local folder. It would be nice if I didn't have to have my computer connected to it for this to happen, but if I do, I also need suggestions on how to get 1.5TB out to the cloud in less that a week.
Ideas? Can I have multiple Dropbox folders?
- Mark
Hi McnCurtis
Dropbox is not intended to work on external drives and doing so CAN cause massive data loss or corruption.
I'm afraid there is no way of having multiple folders on Dropbox either.
All i can think of is slowly moving the data from your external drive to the internal one, letting it upload and then taking it off the local drive with SmartSync
I was afraid of that, but thanks.
