The Best Way to Create a Dropbox Account
There are many services you can use to host your files in the cloud. Dropbox is a great option, although it doesn’t give you a lot of room to play unless you pay its monthly fee. However, it is an incredibly convenient way to access the shared file pool across your computers and devices. Even if software has become a household name, here’s a guide on how to get the most out of this wonderful storage solution.
How to install and configure Dropbox
Installing Dropbox on your system is pretty straightforward. You can download the app for all major platforms – even Linux, which you can download to your server via the command line if you like:
In this guide, we’ll take a look at the Mac installer, although Dropbox should be easy to set up if your preferred platform isn’t Apple’s. On a Mac, at least, you really don’t have to think about anything until the app is installed and you are presented with the Dropbox login screen. If you already have an account, enter your credentials. Light.
However, if you don’t have an account, don’t be tempted to create one for now. You should see if any of your Dropbox friends are willing to invite you to the service with a referral code . If so, they (and you) will receive 500MB of free storage upon signup – a quarter of your free dedicated storage space (2GB). If you don’t have friends who use Dropbox, finding a referral link online is easy (and make sure you use the same communities / platforms to encourage others to use your referral link. Indulge yourself.)
By default, Dropbox is located in a folder on your system , and it’s easy to find it. If you do not like its location, you can change it in the application settings:
Other settings worth exploring include whether you want Dropbox to launch when your system starts up – and you should, by default, always check out (or download) the latest version of whatever files you want in your cloud.
You should also check your Dropbox network settings. By default, the app does not limit your download speed, but you can set some limits if you have a slower connection and you find that Dropbox slows down your normal web browsing, downloads, or gameplay before crawling. … It’s the same with uploads, which Dropbox automatically limits. If you’re on a faster internet plan (or fiber optic for example), you probably won’t need Dropbox to hold you back. Let your downloads fly.
You’ll also want to explore Dropbox’s fancy screen captures and camera import features. If you connect your smartphone or tablet to your computer, Dropbox can automatically drag and drop whatever you’ve captured into the dedicated Camera Uploads folder in your Dropbox.
For screenshots, Dropbox can also drag and drop whatever you take into a dedicated Screenshots folder. Enable this feature and the app will also automatically copy the link to the screenshot to your clipboard, which you can then paste to allow everyone to see the specified screenshot – in your Dropbox – via the Dropbox website.
When you first take a screenshot of Dropbox installed, you will see a pop-up asking you that you can use to enable this feature:
Otherwise, you can also enable the camera and screenshot upload features in your Dropbox settings:
Finally, if you want to look like Nick Douglas and only sync certain files and folders with different computers – the “work” folder with your company’s laptop and the file “other” with your desktop and personal laptop, for example, you “I can set this up with Dropbox Selective Sync option in its settings:
Finally, make sure you go to your account settings on the Dropbox website and turn on two-step verification for your account . It’s not as efficient as two-factor authentication, but better than nothing.
Get more space on Dropbox
Dropbox is probably not the best option if you want to back up a ton of data on your computer (s) – at least if you stick with 2GB of storage in the free version instead of one of Dropbox’s paid ones . plans . However, there are still a few things you can do to get additional free gigabytes.
First, use the Dropbox referral program as often as possible. Don’t be the person who sends out invitations to every web forum you can think of, but strategize about who you invite and how. Don’t even try to do a silly trick like inserting a period into your Gmail address to create a “new person” you can invite. This works for the inviting party, of course, but Dropbox will notice if you try to sign in to a new account on a computer you’ve already used with Dropbox .
However, you can still get a little creative. If you have a work email address and a work computer that Dropbox has never used, feel free to invite yourself. Create a new account using your work email address, sign in as usual and check for free 500 GB before you sign out and switch to the Dropbox associated with your personal email account.
Skillful Dropbox users who want as much free space as possible – in violation of Dropbox’s Terms of Service – will also merge bogus email accounts with virtual machines. By changing settings such as virtual system configuration, MAC address, and IP address (for example, using a VPN), they make Dropbox think that the invited user is a real person on a unique computer. Repeat this for a total of 32 times and you should be able to maximize the use of 16GB of additional storage.
Be sure to also check out the Dropbox Getting Started Guide, which will receive a free 500 MB upon completion . You can also participate in Dropbox’s online forums to earn space for thoughtful replies, but there is no guarantee that your time and effort will be of any use to you. However, this is a good gesture. Plus, if you follow Dropbox on Twitter or tell Dropbox why you like it, you can earn an extra 250–125 MB for each action .
There used to be a number of other activities and tasks that you could complete, including installing other Dropbox apps like Mailbox or Carousel to accumulate free gigabytes. The Dropbox referral program remains the biggest and best way to get free storage today.
Make Dropbox more useful with third-party tools
You can connect to your Dropbox using a number of different apps and services, making uploading and downloading content even easier. Browser extensions allow you to sync your Dropbox with your Gmail account or you can integrate this directly through the Google G Suite Marketplace . You can open your Dropbox and share files in communications applications such as Slack or Hootsuite , in applications to improve performance, such as a great program for reading PDF- files Readdle or app DocuSign , in services that connect other services, such as IFTTT or Zapier , as well as in project tracking apps like Trello or Jira .
You probably know if you can link your Dropbox to various apps, but if you need a little help just browse the searchable Dropbox gallery .
And of course, there are tons of other services out there that allow you to use Dropbox in new and exciting ways . You can create web forms and collect responses right in Dropbox , automatically sort Dropbox , automatically copy the files you want to Dropbox, and sync any files and folders you want with Dropbox instead of dropping them into the Dropbox folder ( on Mac or Windows ).
Before you go crazy over third-party add-ons, consider which apps get full access to your Dropbox account. Review your connected apps regularly and disconnect those you no longer use, and don’t authorize apps that look questionable. Also, don’t drop a text file with your Social Security number, credit card number, and other sensitive information into Dropbox for safekeeping – at least if you share your digital vault with many other services.