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Become a cloud storage superstar with these AWESOME Dropbox tips and tricks
Michael Grothaus
11:29, 29 Jun 2016
As many non-techies what cloud storage is and most won’t have a clue. But the ask them if they know what Dropbox is and they’ll connect the dots. Dropbox was the first cloud storage solution, but it was the one that popularized it among the masses. And it’s retained that popularity to this day, which is why it still only offers 2GB of storage (without bonuses) despite its competitors offering up to 50GB.
Dropbox became so popular because the simplified the upload and retrieval aspects of cloud storage: simply drag a file to your Dropbox folder and it’s uploaded and updated automatically. If you want to access it, there’s no need to use an FTP client or log onto a website and download the file, just click on it on your PC. But Dropbox is so much more than just simple drag and drop cloud storage. Matter of fact, it has many, many cool features most Dropbox users don’t know even exists. Here are eight tips to make you a Dropbox superstar.
Recover deleted files
Ever deleted a file and then almost immediately discovered you needed a copy? Not to worry—if that file was stored in your Dropbox folder. Dropbox allows you to recover any field that have been deleted in the last 30 days. It does this because it keeps backup files that long on their server. To recover a deleted file log into your Dropbox account on the web and click the "Show deleted files" button. All your recently deleted files will be shown in light grey. Click on one and then click the resort button to restore it. But if a file was deleted over 30 days ago, you’re out of luck.
Double-down on security with two-step verification
Most people store their most important files in Dropbox so they can always ensure they have copies in multiple places (on their PC and on Dropbox’s server). But this also make Dropbox a big target for hackers. Get into your Dropbox account and get your most important files. That’s why everyone would enable two-step verification. That way if someone gets your Dropbox username and password they still can’t access your account without entering a 6-digit code that Dropbox will only text to your phone number on file.
Back up your social media pics
Many pics we upload to Facebook, Instagram, and Flickr aren’t backed up anywhere else. This could be disastrous if you’re ever blocked from your social media account or it is compromised. But thanks to a third-party app called If This Then That, you can automatically program IFTTT to save copies of pictures you post to your social media accounts to Dropbox automatically. Download the IFTTT app to get started.
Download torrents automatically
This is a really cool tip that lets you command your home computer to automatically start downloading torrent files no matter where you are in the world. Simply set up a special “torrent” older in your Dropbox and then point your torrent client to watch that folder for new files that are added, triggering it to launch this files and begin downloading the torrent.
Choose which files download where with selective sync
Another awesome feature of Dropbox is selective sync. This allows you to choose which Dropbox files are downloaded on which computers. For example, if you store all your movie files in Dropbox, you might not necessarily want them downloaded automatically to your work PC. Simply go into your Dropbox app’s preferences on your PC and click on the advanced tab to enable selective sync and choose which files to include.
Easily get a shareable Dropbox link
One of the coolest features of Dropbox, of course, is that the service doesn’t just let you store your files in the cloud, but lets you share them as well. Most people think you have to log into your Dropbox account online to get a sharing link to send to someone else so they can download the Dropbox file—but you don’t. You can actually get a sharable link for any Dropbox file by right-clicking on that file on your PC and then selecting “Copy Dropbox Link”. The link will then be copied to your clipboard and you can then paste it into any message you choose.
Unshare your files
Sometimes we’ll share files or even folders full of files via Dropbox. But we might not always want someone have unlimited access to those files. Little do most people know you can revoke shared access to a file by dialing the share link you created and sent to someone. To do this log into your Dropbox account on the web and click the Sharing header. You can then choose to disable shared links on a per-file basis.
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