Dropbox works just like any other folder on your computer, but with a few differences. Here's how it works:

  • Drag and drop to move files around, just like you normally would
  • Any files or folders inside Dropbox will get synchronized to Dropbox's servers and any other computer linked to your account.
  • Green check marks will appear on top of your files to let you know that they're synced and up to date.

Is Dropbox secure?

Dropbox files are encrypted using 256-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). During transit between applications and Dropbox servers, SSL/TLS is used to protect data. Two-step verification is also available as an extra layer of security when signing in. All these security measures keep your files private and secure, unless you deliberately share links to files or folders with others.

Is Dropbox free?

Dropbox offers a free plan with 2GB of cloud storage, allowing you automatically sync and access your files from multiple devices like PCs, phones, and tablets. The free plan also has a limit on the number of devices (up to 3). If you need more storage or overcome that limitation, you can opt for paid plans that start at around $10 per month.

Is Dropbox better than Google Drive?

Both Dropbox and Google Drive offer a robust infrastructure to store and sync your files, are plenty fast and have sharing management built-in. One key difference is how Dropbox approaches cloud storage, as it integrates with the OS seamlessly and syncs folders as you would organize local storage. Meanwhile Google Drive combines this capability with a deep integration of Google apps and services such as Gmail, Google Docs, Calendar, and more. On the free plan, Google Drive offers 15GB of free storage and syncs across an unlimited number of devices.

Features

Sync

  • 2GB of online storage for free, with up to 100GB available to paying customers.
  • Sync files of any size or type.
  • Sync Windows, Mac, and Linux computers.
  • Automatically syncs when new files or changes are detected.

File Sharing

  • Shared folders allow several people to collaborate on the same files.
  • See other people's changes instantly.
  • Use your "Public" folder to link directly to files.
  • Control who has access to your shared folders. Kick people out and remove the shared files from their computers in the process.
  • Automatically create shareable online photo galleries out of regular folders.

Online Backup

  • Automatic backup of your files.
  • Undelete files and folders.
  • Restore previous versions of your files.
  • 30 days of undo history. Upgrades available for unlimited undo.

What's New

  • Android version updated to 328.2.4
  • Huge performance enhancements: the client-side sync engine has been re-architected to optimize the response time, scale, and resource consumption. As a result, memory usage has been reduced by up to 50 percent. Big changes made to Dropbox are now more efficient and smaller changes remain quick.
  • Better user experience: the initial setup wizard has been redesigned to make it easier to get started using Dropbox. The Mac OS X version has been rewritten to only use Cocoa, bringing down the Mac download size by 20 percent.
  • Selective Sync: you now can choose which folders get downloaded to which computers, so you don't have to sync stuff you don't need.
  • Extended Attribute Sync: resource forks and other extended attributes are now supported. Resource forks are an area of a file that certain applications use to store important data, and that most sync programs today completely ignore, which results in a corrupted file on the other end.