How to Use Dropbox

Some terms scare people off. Cloud computing may seem like some far off, nerd driven technology. Dropbox makes it easy as pie.

Dropbox is a free service that lets you bring all your photos, docs, and videos anywhere, and share them easily. Any file you save to your Dropbox will automatically save to all your computers, your phone or iPad, and the Dropbox website. Dropbox also makes it easy to share with others. And if your computer melts down, you can restore all your files from the Dropbox website with a couple clicks.

The Story of Dropbox

Dropbox was founded in 2007 by Drew Houston and Arash Ferdowsi. Frustrated by working from multi- ple computers, Drew was inspired to create a service that would let people bring all their files anywhere, with no need to email around attachments. Drew coded a demo of Dropbox and showed it to fellow MIT student Arash Ferdowsi, who dropped out with only one semester left to help make Dropbox a reality. Guiding their decisions was a relentless focus on crafting a simple and reliable experience across every computer and phone.

How Dropbox Works

Dropbox makes all your files available to you from any computer or phone. It’s as easy as adding any file to your Dropbox folder. You can start working at the office and finish from home without ever needing to think about where your files are - they are always with you.

Joining Dropbox is easy: installing the Dropbox software (free for Windows, Mac and Linux) creates a special folder on your computer. Anything you add to this Dropbox folder will automatically save to all your computers and to the Dropbox website. You can also invite people to share any folder in your Dropbox. This makes Dropbox perfect for team projects or sharing photos with family or friends - it will be as if you are saving straight to their desktop. The Dropbox mobile apps (free for iPhone, Android and Blackberry) let you take your life on the road. And because Dropbox keeps a one month history of your work, you can go back in time to fix mistakes or rescue deleted files

Dropbox offers 2GB of space for free, enough for thousands of documents or hundreds of large photos, and you can upgrade to a Pro account with up to 100GB.

How to Use Dropbox Features

Your files, anywhere: Any file you save to Dropbox also instantly saves to your computers, phones, and the Dropbox website.

  • 2GB of Dropbox space for free, with subscriptions up to 100GB available.
  • Work even when offline. You always have your files, whether or not you have a connection.
  • Your files are always available from the secure Dropbox website.
  • Dropbox works with Windows, Mac, Linux, iPhone, iPad, Android and Blackberry.
  • Dropbox transfers just the parts of a file that change (not the whole thing).

Simple Sharing: Shared folders allow people to work together on the same projects and documents.

  • Invite friends, family or teammates to a folder. It’ll be as if you saved the folder to their computers.
  • See other people’s changes instantly.
  • Send a link to any file in your Dropbox using your Public folder.

Dropbox Mobile: Apps for iPhone, iPad, Android, and Blackberry keep your Dropbox always at hand.

  • Bring your files with you when you’re on the go.
  • Edit files in your Dropbox from your phone.
  • Easily upload your photos and videos to Dropbox.
  • Share freely with family and friends.

Your Stuff is Safe: Dropbox protects your files without you needing to think about it.

  • Dropbox keeps a one-month history of your work.
  • Any changes can be undone, and files can be undeleted.
  • All transmission of file data occurs over an encrypted channel (SSL) and all files stored on Dropbox are encrypted.
  • Dropbox employees are unable to view user files.
Try Dropbox Now
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  • Title: How to Use Dropbox
  • Summary: The concept of cloud computing may scare some off, but once you know how to use Dropbox it's easy as pie.
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