2. Dropbox is a free cloud-based service that allows you to
store and access your saved photos, documents, and videos
from any computer or smartphone.
You can also invite people to your Dropbox folders in order
to share files with them.
Dropbox gives you 2 GB of free storage and is an easier and
more efficient alternative to emailing files to yourself, using
a flash drive, or using GoogleDocs.
WHAT IS DROPBOX?
3. To download Dropbox, go to https://www.dropbox.com/
Feel free to watch the video. When you’re finished, click on
to begin the download.
The program should appear in your “Downloads” window.
1. DOWNLOAD
4. Once the program finishes downloading, double click on it
and the application window will appear.
Drag and drop the blue box into your Applications folder.
1. DOWNLOAD
5. To install Dropbox, go to your Applications folder and double
click on the Dropbox icon.
2. INSTALL
7. 2. INSTALL
Create an account by providing your first name, last name,
email, password, and computer name. Agree to the Terms of
Service by selecting it and click Continue.
8. For easy installation, select “Use previous settings
(recommended)” and click Continue.
2. INSTALL
9. Once the installation is finished, Dropbox provides a 5-page
tutorial. Feel free to read this to get more familiar with the
program.
2. INSTALL
10. The blue Dropbox icon will appear in the top right corner of
your menu bar, as shown by the green arrow. This is how
you can easily access your files from your desktop.
2. INSTALL
11. Click on the blue Dropbox icon and then select “Open
Dropbox Folder.” Dropbox now appears like any other folder
on your computer and is listed under your “Places” menu.
3. DESKTOP ACCESS
12. Add a new folder by clicking on the Gear menu and
selecting “New Folder.”
3. DESKTOP ACCESS
13. An “untitled folder” will appear with a blue cycle symbol; this
means that Dropbox is in the process of creating the folder.
Wait until this turns to a green arrow; this means that
Dropbox has finished updating.
Highlight the folder, hold down the Function (“fn”) key and
click the folder to change its name.
You can now save and drag files into your Dropbox folders.
3. DESKTOP ACCESS
14. To share a folder, select the folder you want to share. Click
the Dropbox icon menu and select “Share This Folder…”.
This will take you to the Dropbox website. It will
automatically log you in with your account.
4. SHARING
15. 4. SHARING
Once on the Dropbox website, enter the email addresses of
the “collaborators” you want to share the folder with. You
can enter a personal message if you want. Then click
“Share folder.”
This will send an email invitation. The recipients will be
invited to download Dropbox. Every collaborator will now
have access to this folder.
16. Because Dropbox is cloud-based, you can access your files
from any computer. Go to https://www.dropbox.com/ and
select “Log in” in the top right corner. Enter your account
info.
5. ONLINE ACCESS
17. To upload a filed online, under the “Files” tab select
“Upload.”
5. ONLINE ACCESS
18. Select the folder you want to upload a file to. Click “Choose
files” and find the file you want to share on your computer.
Once you have added all of your desired files, click “Start
upload.”
5. ONLINE ACCESS
19. Once your file has finished loading, it will appear in that
folder both online and on your computer.
5. ONLINE ACCESS
20. You can also share a folder from the website. Click the
“Sharing” tab and click “Share a folder.” Select whether to
create a new folder or use an existing folder. Enter the
email addresses of collaborators and a personal message if
desired.
5. ONLINE ACCESS
21. Finally, you can share individual files with people without
inviting them to an entire folder and requiring them to
download Dropbox. Every Dropbox automatically comes
with a Public folder.
Drag the file you want to share into the Public folder.
6. PUBLIC FOLDER
22. Click the Dropbox icon menu and select “Copy Public Link.”
You can now paste the link into an email, Facebook
message, website, blog, or anywhere else.
6. PUBLIC FOLDER
23. It is best not to work on the exact same document at the
exact same time with Dropbox; otherwise someone may
save a new version of a file over your version, and your
work will be lost.
To avoid saving over each other’s work, stay in
communication with your classmates and try to avoid
working at the same time.
ONE LAST TIP