Fairly recently I made the jump from my free Dropbox account to a paid option. Knowing that I can access my files from different machines is great, but my favorite part is knowing my files are always backed-up. Although I don’t use it for long-term backup storage, it’s the perfect “current projects” solution.
As I first begun, I was a little bummed I had to move my folders to my Dropbox folder. What if I wanted to keep them in their current local setup, but sync them? Or how about individual folders?
The default Dropbox setup only syncs folders inside of your Dropbox folder, but I’ve found a solution for syncing local folders outside of the default Dropbox folder.
I am also pleased to say I’ve found something for both Mac and Windows users:
MacDropAny (Mac)
MacDropAny is quick and easy to use. There are three ways you can sync folders outside of Dropbox:
- Launch MacDropAny (by double clicking it in Finder) and navigate to the folder you’d like to sync.
- Drag a folder onto MacDropAny’s icon in Finder, the dock, or anywhere else.
- In Finder, right click on a folder and select “Sync with Dropbox (via MacDropAny)”
There’s some other cool little things you can do, sync apps and hidden files, as well as a few different options for un-syncing, etc …
MacDropAny is compatible with Leopard, Snow Leopard, and Lion.
Dropbox Folder Sync (Windows)
Syncing folders outside of the Dropbox folder in Windows is as easy as a right-click menu on any local folder.
As with MacDropAny, there are nuances when changing the native means of operation of Dropbox, but as long as you are aware and understand how the folder sync works, you’re all set!
What a great way to keep a running backup of your Outlook PST file, as well as syncing the Windows default ‘My Documents’ folder.
Dropbox Folder Sync works on XP, Vista and Windows 7.
Dropbox
If you’re unsure about Dropbox, give it a try. After all, you can sign-up for Dropbox and receive 2GB of free storage!
Darren says
Thanks for the article Eric. I also use Dropbox, but have switched to sugar sync. Any thoughts on the strengths and weaknesses from your perspective? For me it was exactly what you mentioned, I like using my existing file structure and not changing it. Always appreciate your articles. Thanks.
Eric Dye says
Awesome! Thanks!
Looks like I need to take Sugar Sync a ride around the block and cover it on ChurchMag … Thank you, Darren!
(Or you could review it as a guest author on ChurchMag — interested? Email me — > eric [at] churchm.ag )
Mithil says
The Dropbox Folder Sync (Windows) doesn’ t sync the files in the folder!
It moves (CUT not COPY!) them to the dropbox folder and creates a shortcut for local folder.
Q: What happens if the Dropxbox account is compromised or if the copied files in Dropbox get deleted?
A: We lose all our data!