Use Dropbox on iPad
Dropbox is an application that uses cloud data management to share files between different computers, tablets and phones. With a Dropbox account, you can easily share any file to your iPad, and you can even use it to stream your video files that won't play in iTunes. Dropbox allows you to sync your files across all of your accounts and computers, and you can use it to share and collaborate with others.
Contents
Steps
Installing Dropbox
- Download the Dropbox app from the iPad's App Store. You can download it for free.
- Open the App Store. Make sure that you are connected to a network.
- Search for "Dropbox".
- Tap "Get" and then "Install" next to the Dropbox app in the search results. The app may take a few minutes to download and install.
- Launch the Dropbox app to begin creating a new account. Dropbox accounts are free and come with 2 GB of storage. You can pay to increase your available storage.
- Tap "Sign Up" and follow the prompts to create your account. If you already have an account, you can tap "Sign In" to get started.
- Decide if you want to enable "Camera Upload". When this is enabled, any new pictures and videos you take with your iPad will be automatically backed up to your Dropbox account. You can disable or enable this later if you change your mind.
- If you're just using the free account, you may want to disable this feature, as pictures and videos can quickly fill up your Dropbox.
Getting Around the Dropbox App
- Select the File tab to view your files. This is the tab that opens by default when Dropbox opens, and will display all of the files and folders stored on your Dropbox account. Selecting a file will display a preview of it in the right-hand frame.
- When you first start Dropbox, the only thing you'll find here is the "Getting Started" document that outlines some basic features of the computer version of Dropbox.
- You can use folders to organize your files. Click here for more details.
- Select the Photos tab to view photos stored on your Dropbox account. The photos will be sorted by upload date.
- Select the Favorites tab to view files that you have marked for local storage. Anything on your dropbox account that you've marked as a Favorite will be downloaded and stored on your iPad. You can then access this file even if your iPad is not connected to the internet.
- Click here for more details on marking files as Favorites.
- Select the Settings tab to adjust your Dropbox app and account settings. This tab allows you to see how much space you have available, turn Camera Upload on or off, enable a passcode lock for the Dropbox app, and link your Dropbox app with a computer.
Linking a Computer
- Visit the Dropbox Connect website on your computer. Enter dropbox.com/connect into your computer's web browser. You will see a Dropbox logo that has been turned into a scannable code.
- Dropbox is most useful when it is installed on all of your devices. This will allow you to easily share files between all of the devices that Dropbox is installed on.
- Open the Settings tab in your Dropbox app.
- Tap "Link a Computer". Dropbox will ask for permission to access your iPad's camera, which it will use to scan a barcode during the setup process. If you've already declined this once, open the Settings app, select Privacy, then Camera, and then toggle Dropbox ON.
- Tap "Yes, continue" when asked if you're near your computer.
- Point your iPad's camera at the screen so that the Dropbox logo appears on the iPad screen. Hold the iPAd still for a moment so that it can scan the code.
- Run the installer. After the code is scanned, the Dropbox website will download an installer for the computer version of Dropbox. Run the installer after it downloads to install Dropbox on your computer.
- Open the Dropbox folder on your computer. You can access your Dropbox folder from the shortcut on your desktop, or by selecting Dropbox from the Favorites section of Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac).
- Anything added on your computer will be accessible on your iPad, and vice versa.
- Install Dropbox on all of your devices. Dropbox is available for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, and Windows Phone. You'll get the most out of Dropbox if you have it available on all of your devices.
Adding Files to Your Dropbox
- Add a file using another app's Share button. The main way to add a file to Dropbox from your iPad is to share it from another app.
- Open the file in the app that normally handles those files. For example, if you want to add a photo to your Dropbox, open it in your Photos app first. If you want to add an email attachment, open it in your Mail app.
- Tap the "Share" button. This looks like a box with an arrow coming out of the top. This will open the Share menu.
- Select "Save to Dropbox" from the second line. If you don't see it, tap "More" and then toggle the Dropbox option ON.
- Select the location on your Dropbox you want to save the file to. All of your folders will be listed, with your recent locations on the top of the list.
- Tap "Save" and wait for your file to be uploaded to Dropbox.
- Add a file from within the Dropbox app. You can use the "Add File" function in Dropbox to add files from your Photos app or your iCloud Drive.
- Open the Dropbox app and select the Files tab.
- Tap the "..." button at the top of the Files list.
- Tap "Add Files" and then select where you want to add a file from. If you select "Photos", Dropbox will ask for permission to access photos on your iPad. If you select iCloud, you will be shown the files and folders on your iCloud Drive.
- Selecting a file will upload it to Dropbox.
- Drag and drop files into the Dropbox folder on your computer. You can add any file from your computer to your Dropbox folder and it will be available on your iPad as soon as it uploads. The upload time will depend on the size of the file and the speed of your connection.
Managing Your Dropbox Files
- Open files using Dropbox. You can use Dropbox to open files on your iPad that you've added from your computer. Any file that can be opened using the iPad's Preview function (images, documents, PDFs, etc.) will be displayed in Dropbox. If the iPad does not natively support that type of file, ou will need an app that supports opening that type of file.
- Dropbox can stream a variety of video formats without the need for another app. If the file is Favorited, however, you'll need an app that supports that file type.
- Sort your files into folders. Folders can help you keep all of your various files organized.
- Tap the "..." button and select "Create Folder" to add a folder to your Dropbox. You can also create subfolders within folders using the same method.
- Tap the "..." button and tap "Select". This will allow you to select multiple files at once.
- Tap "Move" at the bottom of the list after selecting files. You can then choose a folder in your Dropbox to move the files to.
- Set files as Favorites. Favorites are files that you've marked for local storage on your iPad. This allows you to access these files when your iPad doesn't have a network connection.
- Open the Dropbox app to your Files tab.
- Tap the file that you want to add to your Favorites list.
- Tap the Star button above the file preview. Repeat for any other files that you want to add to your Favorites.
- Tap the Favorites tab to see all of the files stored locally on your iPad.
- Share a folder with others. You can share folders on your Dropbox account with other people. They will have access to the folder you share, but not any of the other files on your Dropbox.
- Open the folder that you want to share.
- Tap the Share button at the top of the open folder. It looks like a box with an arrow coming out the top.
- Select how you want to share the files. If you select "Send Link", you will be given a link to the Dropbox folder so that anyone with the link can download the files. If you select "Invite People", you will be able to add users who will be able to edit and sync the folder with their own Dropbox account.
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