One of the unquestionable advantages of cloud storage services is the ability to access files and documents from any computer with an Internet connection. Another is that you can do without having countless copies on various computers with revisions and modifications of work documents, or that you are not limited to the storage capacity of the email to share photos or videos or whatever you want with whoever you want. Just the latter is what we are going to explain next: how to use Dropbox to share files and folders .
The first thing will be to have a Dropbox account . If you already have it, you just have to log in in the usual way and, if you don't have it, sign up for the service. This couldn't be easier. In the start window, click on "(or create an account)" and follow the steps indicated below: give name, surname, an email account and a password, accept the conditions of use of the service and ... voilí, the account is already created. Initially, it offers 2 Gb of free storage space, with what there is to upload a lot of material.
Once this is done, what comes next is not much more complicated. The program creates a shortcut icon on the desktop of the computer, so uploading or downloading files is as easy as clicking on it and choosing "Dropbox Folder" . Just clicking the file or folder (they can also be uploaded compressed) and dragging it there is enough. Once the document or folder you want to share is uploaded, these are the steps to follow.
You have to go back to the shortcut icon, but instead of clicking on "Dropbox Folder" , you have to do it on "Dropbox.com" . This leads directly to the user's home screen, where they have the folders and documents they have uploaded or shared so far.
Sharing a folder or document is very similar. When you click on the element to share, it will be marked (if you click right on the folder or on the name, it opens to see the content, so it is better to click on another part of the strip). Once marked, a simple menu with various options if it is a folder: Invite to folder, Share link, Download, More . In the case of a document, the options will be the following: Share link, Download, Delete, More .
In the case of folders, from the "Invite to folder" option, a window appears in which you simply have to put the email of the person or people you want to invite. The window presents an "Import Contacts" link . By clicking there, the user can import to his Dropbox account all the contacts that he has in his Gmail , Yahoo Mail or Facebook accounts.. You can also choose if you want to allow the people with whom the folder is shared to share it with others. If you do not want others to be able to share the folder, it is necessary to uncheck the box that appears marked. Once the addresses of the people with whom to share the folder have been entered, you can put an explanatory message if you wish. Then, just by clicking on "Share folder" it will be done. Guests will receive a message in their email notifying them who wants to share a folder with them, with a button that will take them directly to the folder with all its content within their own Dropbox session . Shared folders are marked with two silhouettes within the folder.
If you opt for the "Share link" option, the process is practically the same. You have to indicate the emails of the recipients of the link, put a message, and choose between "Get link" or "Send" . If "Get link" is checked , the program will create a url that will be copied directly to the computer's clipboard. In the case of opting for "Send" , the url will be sent directly to the address indicated in the form of a link. The recipient will only have to click on that link to view the document and download it. The process for sharing links in the case of documents is the same.
Another advantage to keep in mind is that, if the people with whom documents are shared do not have a Dropbox account and decide to register after the invitation, the "inviter" gains an extra 500 Gb of free storage .