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topicnews · October 16, 2024

Dropbox: Sync on Android – this is how you download your files

Dropbox: Sync on Android – this is how you download your files

HOW DO I SYNCHRONIZE FOLDERS AND FILES OVER THE INTERNET?

Want to sync and download videos, photos, and other files on an Android device with Dropbox? To do this you have to do the following.

  1. Favorites function: This is the complicated way
  2. Alternatives for synchronization

  3. Synchronize entire directories with FileDrop
  4. Sync Dropbox with Dropsync
  5. Alternatives and further tips

Dropbox files sync easily and sometimes even automatically. Things look a little different with an Android smartphone. In our instructions we will tell you all the tips and tricks, including downloads, that will make using the cloud service easier for you.

Typically, your Android phone or tablet won’t download the files from Dropbox until you open it. You can make individual files available for offline use by marking them as favorites in the official Dropbox app. They will then be downloaded to your device but not synced.

However, if you want to download a lot of individual files or a folder with the documents it contains, using the favorites option is not helpful. Since we’re going over this method first, you can skip to the next part of the guide if that’s not an option for you.

Favorites function: This is the complicated way

  1. In the Dropbox app you mark individual files as favorites. This will download them to your device and will also be available offline. In the Dropbox app you mark individual files as favorites. This will download them to your device and will also be available offline.
    1

    Marks files as favorites within the Dropbox app.

  2. 2

    Favorites are automatically downloaded to your device. Caution: The data will not be synchronized! For this you have to use alternative solutions.

These are the alternatives for synchronization on Android

In order for you to be able to download the entire directory with the files in it from Dropbox, you need an additional application. For example, she uses the free app “FileDrop for Dropbox” for this task. There you move folders from Dropbox to your smartphone using drag-and-drop. The opposite direction also works without any problems: you can move directories from your Android device’s memory card to Dropbox.

Synchronize entire directories with FileDrop

  1. The free Android app uploads folders from Dropbox to the smartphone and vice versa. The free Android app uploads folders from Dropbox to the smartphone and vice versa.
    1

    Download: Drag and drop the desired files and folders from your smartphone (below) into your Dropbox (above).

  2. 2

    Upload: To upload files to Dropbox, do the whole thing upside down and also drag and drop the files and folders from the bottom to the top.

  3. It is possible to sync a downloaded folder in both directions. In our test, however, the synchronization did not work entirely satisfactorily and was limited to new files. Changed documents were not synchronized. The Dropbox tool is therefore primarily recommended for uploading and downloading folders.

If you want to synchronize complete directories from your Dropbox with local folders on the SD card, you will also need an additional Android app for this. The free application “Dropsync (Dropbox Autosync)” synchronizes a pair of folders completely automatically if desired. Not only new or deleted files are compared, but also documents you have changed.

If you want to synchronize more than one folder, it will cost you a higher single-digit amount for the Pro version via an in-app purchase. In the following instructions we will show you how to set up Dropsync (Dropbox Autosync) to automatically synchronize a Dropbox folder with your Android smartphone.

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Alternatives and further tips

Other cloud services are more confident in dealing with different platforms and in some cases also integrate mobile operating systems better. In our cloud service comparison you can get an overview of which service is best suited for your devices. This means you don’t have to make any compromises when using your cloud service.

Online storage can cause problems or raise unanswered questions, and not just on mobile devices. You will find the right advice in our instructions above.

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