How to Move Dropbox Folder? [4 Easy Ways]

Tried moving the Dropbox folder to another location and failed? Here is the article you are searching for about how to move the Dropbox folder.

We can move the folder to some other location as per our needs. At first glimpse, it seems like we can not move this folder like moving our regular folders.

We can’t use simple methods like copy/paste or drag-and-drop. However, we can still move it around. Go ahead reading this article to find out how.

So, here’s everything you need to know about relocating your Dropbox folder without encountering any problems or errors.

• Things to know before trying to Move the folder in Dropbox
• How to move folders in Dropbox
• Why I am unable to move my Dropbox folder?
• How to get back to the original location of our dropbox folder
• How to move folders in Dropbox from iPhone
• How to move folders in Dropbox from Android
• Bonus tips to use the Dropbox folder effectively

Things to Know Before Trying to Move the Folder in Dropbox

Moving the Dropbox folder to just about any storage device, unlike normal folders, can cause problems. The following points should consider before trying to move the folders in Dropbox.

Avoid External Drives and Use Internal Drives

It is always best and recommended to use internal drives rather than external drives. This helps Dropbox to recognize the Dropbox folder once we installed the Dropbox application.

Technically, we can move our Dropbox folder to an external drive but it is not advisable. Since the external drive gets disconnected while synchronizing the file in the Dropbox.

When you launch the Dropbox app, the Dropbox folder should be accessible. If you mount your external drives after Dropbox launches, Dropbox will be unable to locate the folder where your files are stored. This causes an unwanted issue in Dropbox.

Avoid Using Network Drives

When we make changes in the files stored in this drive, network drives do not send any notifications or acknowledgment to the computer system. This is also termed a “File update event”.

However, Dropbox mandatorily needs that event or notification to identify our file changes and sync our files. Due to this reason, Dropbox doesn’t tend to support network Drives.

Avoid Using Removable Media

Dropbox doesn’t support the storage devices like SD cards or micro SD cards to store Dropbox files. Dropbox requires standard access to Dropbox files or folders in case of removable media, it will be removed from the computer once the work is over. So it is not recommended to store our Dropbox folder.

How to Move Folders in Dropbox

As mentioned above, we can’t drag and drop our Dropbox folder to another location. To change the folder’s location, we must go into the Dropbox app settings. Nonetheless, it is a relatively simple procedure. We will see how it works for both Windows and Mac.

How to Move Folders in Dropbox From Mac

It’s a simple method to relocate the Dropbox folder on Mac. The ‘Dropbox Desktop Application’ can be used to move the Dropbox folder. Once you download the app on your Mac, follow the below steps.

Step-1

Click the Dropbox icon in your Mac toolbar to move the Dropbox folder.

Step-2

The Dropbox screen opens, click your Settings (profile picture) at the top right corner, and click Preferences to do the next step to move the folder in Dropbox.

Step-3

After we clicked preferences, we can see the page Dropbox preferences. In that select Sync which is the last option.

Step-4

Once we click on the Sync option, we can see the Dropbox folder location down and Click the Dropbox location button to move your Dropbox folder from Mac.

Step-5

We can now navigate to our computer storage and select a new location for our Dropbox folder. When you’ve decided on which folder it should be, press OK.

Sign out and check all the folders are moved to the proper location.

How to Move Folders in Dropbox From Windows

Dropbox’s desktop app allows you to set a new default Dropbox folder. This option is accessible as follows.

Step-1

Click the Dropbox icon in your windows taskbar to move the Dropbox folder.

Step-2

The Dropbox screen opens, click your Settings (profile picture) which is at the top right corner, and click Preferences to do the next step to move the folder in Dropbox.

Step-3

After we clicked preferences, we can see the page Dropbox preferences. In that select Sync which is the last option.

Step-4

Once we click on the Sync option, we can see the Dropbox folder location down and Click the Move button to move your Dropbox folder.

Step-5

We can now navigate to our computer storage and select a new location for our Dropbox folder. When you’ve decided on which folder it should be, press OK.

Step-6

We will get a pop-up message all our files will be moved to a new location. Click OK to continue.

Step-7

The changes will be done, so the folders will be moved to a new location.

The above is the standard and easy steps in the windows Dropbox application to move folders.

Why I Am Unable to Move my Dropbox Folder?

When we try to change our location or try to move folders in Dropbox, we might face some difficulties or we will get errors. Below are the common reasons for the errors or issues.

Symlinks

Have you heard of symlinks or are you using them? Symlinks are shortcuts that take you to another folder. It may intervene with Dropbox and might cause performance issues. Before attempting to relocate any Dropbox folder, remove any symlinks.

Configuration Issue

We might definitely hear the phrase “Have you tried switching it off and on again?” or “Reboot the device” for any kinda problem, we crossed over these questions. The same thing gonna help here to deal with the configuration issues.

Dropbox will sync any changes you’ve made to the settings and reindex your folder if you unlink and relink your device. Check the below image for reference and relink again to do the changes.

Dropbox app>Settings>Preferences>Account>Unlink these account

Permission Problem

The next problem is folders in the Dropbox or the location we choose to move in do not have the proper permissions. In some instances, we need to troubleshoot access to files and folders on our Desktop.

How to Get Back to the Original Location of Our Dropbox Folder

We moved the Dropbox folder to a new location. Now we want to get back to the original location or default location.

Moving to the Original Location in Windows

We should close any application before moving the Dropbox folder to its original position.

• Click Dropbox in your taskbar, and click your profile picture or settings.
• Click Preferences and next click Sync as we did in the above procedure to move the folder in the Dropbox.
• Hit Move which is under the Dropbox folder location.Type $Home in the text box next to the folder.
• Click OK and a pop-up message will appear to confirm the move to the original location again click OK for confirmation. Check the below image for reference.

Ensure all your Dropbox folders are properly moved to your original location.

Moving to the Original Location in Mac

Like windows, close all the applications before moving the Dropbox folder to the original location on Mac.

• Click Dropbox in your Mac toolbar, and click your profile picture or settings.
• Click Preferences and next click Sync as we did in the above procedure for windows to move the folder in the Dropbox.
• Scroll down to select Other which is beside the Dropbox location.
• Select the hard drive by clicking the Applications down.
• Choose “home” which is beside the computer username and click Select.
• For confirmation click Move. So that desired files or folders are moved to the original position.

Kindly check all the Dropbox folders are back in the old location.

How to Move Folders in Dropbox from iPhone

We can also move the folders in Dropbox from an iOS device. Check the below steps to know more.

Step-1

Open Dropbox and sign in to your account on your iPhone.

Step-2

Move ahead to the files or folders which we want to move to the other location.

Step-3

Click the 3 dots which is beside our folder to see the other options to do the folder movement.

Step-4

Click the Move option as shown in the below image to move the folder in Dropbox.

Step-5

Choose under which location the folder is supposed to be and select according to that and Click Move which is on the top right.

The folders will be moved to a specific location as per our wish. Can check once go to the folder whether it is occupied or not.

How to Move Folders in Dropbox from Android

We will see how to move folders in Dropbox for the android device as well.

Step-1

Open Dropbox and sign in to the account on the Android device.

Step-2

Move ahead to the files or folders which we want to move to the other location.

Step-3

Click the 3 dots which is beside our folder to see the Move options to do the folder movement.

Step-4

In this step, the specific file will be moved to the other location in the Dropbox android.

Hope you find the easiest way to move the Dropbox folder to Android.

Bonus Tips to Use the Dropbox Folder Effectively

Save Hard Drive Space by Using Selective Sync – When we try to move the Dropbox folder, if we are worrying about space then the right thing is can use Selective sync. We don’t need to sync each file in Dropbox. Just uncheck all the folder that doesn’t want to be on hard drives.

Clear the Cache in Your Dropbox Folder – If we want some extra space in Dropbox, we can delete unwanted files and clear the cache in Dropbox. Check the link to know How to Clear Dropbox Cache? [5 Efficient Approaches]

Create a “My Documents” folder in the Dropbox Folder – Make the Dropbox folder a default location to save our files or folders. So that we no need to give save as in every time. Else we can move my document folder to the Dropbox folder to move all the files.

Uninstall the Dropbox Folder from a Device – If we lose the device, we can remove Dropbox temporarily for security reasons. In that case, we should delete the Dropbox application in temporary mode.

Add an Extra layer of Security – We can use a third-party tool such as Cryptomator or Boxcryptor. Using this two can provide an extra layer of security in Dropbox.

Summing Up

Now we come to the end of this article. I trust I have covered the maximum topics which are required for this title how to move folders in Dropbox.

Even I have touched on the Bonus tip as well. There are tons of things to manage Dropbox how exactly we want to.

Changing the location of the Dropbox folder to get space in Dropbox is as simple and easy. However, there are a few things you should keep in mind if you decide to do so.

Always remember to move the folder to an internal drive to keep Dropbox running smoothly. Save this article to troubleshoot if you are facing any issues in the future.

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