Overview
Box Drive brings your entire Box folder tree as a virtual drive to your File Explorer, whether this content is owned or shared. Box Drive shows the exact same content as is seen in Box Web App. Box Drive also supports making files available offline, so you can work on them while disconnected from the Internet. Box Drive synchronizes the versions as soon as you go back online.
NOTE: Box Drive does locally cache files that you have opened. Box Drive's cache size limit is based on your free disk space (50% of available space) and has a maximum limit of 25 GB.
If you reach this limit, Box Drive begins removing files, starting with those files that have gone the longest without opening them. In addition, if a cached file has a new version created on Box, Box Drive discards the locally cached version.
Procedures
- Working in File Explorer - PC
- Box Drive Icons and File/Folder Status
- Quick Way to Access Box Functions
- Creating a New Folder
- Moving Files and Folders
- Folder Access
- Making Content Available for Offline Use
- Working in Finder - Mac
Working in File Explorer - PC
You can access Box Drive by opening File Explorer usually located on the bottom of your taskbar and navigating to the folder named Box. Open this folder to display all the contents located in your All Files page in https://Box.rpi.edu. You can navigate through any folder and open files as if you were working in your drive on the server.
[Box Drive folder window]
Tip: If you do not see the Box folder in Finder (Mac) or File Explorer (pc), Box Drive may not be running. In this case, from your Start menu click the Box icon or search for 'Box Drive'.
Box Drive Icons and File/Folder Status
Box Drive icons tell you the status of your files and folders.
[Table showing a cloud icon used to represent an Item is up to date in Box, an exclamation point icon to represent this item is a problem item, an icon with two curved arrows representing the item is in process of being saved to Box and a lock icon indicating an item has been locked]
Quick way to access Box Functions
You can also right-click on a folder or document in Box to choose additional Box functions, such as; copy or email shared links, manage collaborators, and view the item on Box.com. Also, create folders, Box notes and mark select content to make it available offline.
[A list of Box functions when you right click on a folder in Box]
Creating a New Folder
- Right click on a folder within File Explorer
- Scroll down to New and choose Folder.
Moving Files and Folders
You can move a file or folder by dragging it from its current location to a destination folder.
Things to know:
Files in Box Drive - Always inherit the status of the folder that contain them.
So…
- You move a file into a folder that is available offline, that file will be available offline, regardless of the file’s prior status.
- You move a file into a folder that is available online, that file will not be available offline, again regardless of its prior status.
Folders in Box Drive - Always preserve their initial status regardless of where they are moved, with one exception,
So…
- Folders that are available offline retain that status.
- Folders that are available online retain that status.
There is one exception:
When a folder that is online only moves into another folder that is available offline. In that case, the status of the online-only folder changes and its contents are made available offline.
IMPORTANT: The behavior above occurs regardless of who moves the content. So if someone else takes content that you have available online only, and moves that content into a folder that you have available offline, Box Drive downloads that content.
Folder Access
You can grant or remove specific access to a folder for a collaborator.
To add access:
- Right click on the folder and then move the mouse to “Give access to” and then choose “Specific people…”
[mouse pointer highlighting Specific people... option within the Give access to feature]
2. Click the drop down arrow to the right of “Choose people on your network to share with” box and select Find people….
[Box around the arrow to click and mouse pointer highlighting Find people....]
3. Begin typing the persons RCS username
[Select Users or Groups dialog box with ryanc7 typed in the Enter the object names to select (examples) area]
4. Click OK.
5. Change the Permission Level.
[mouse pointer selecting the arrow under the permission level]
Making content available for Offline Use
The Box drive offline feature marks your Box cloud content available whether you are working remotely or traveling on a plane regardless of whether you have internet connectivity or not.
How does content marked offline work?
Once the content is marked for offline, Box drive downloads this content to your device’s hard drive so you can work when you’re not connected to the internet.
When do these offline files sync to Box Drive?
If you or someone else make changes to this content while you’re offline, Box drive automatically uploads the revised content, when you are back online. This ensures that you are working in the most up-to-date version of your files.
To make content available offline:
- Navigate to your Box folder in File Explorer or Finder (Mac).
- Right-click on the folder you want to make offline.
- In the context menu that displays, click Make Available Offline.
NOTE:
- Only folders you have download permission can be made available offline.
- You cannot make individual files available offline. However, you can open files and save them locally, then upload them to box when done.
Once you choose “Make Available Offline” Box Drive begins downloading the contents of this folder to your device.
File is inPending process - As files and folders download, they display with an orange Pending icon, meaning they are in the process of being downloaded.
[Circle around the two arrow icon representing pending process icon to the left of a files in the file explorer window]
File is complete and is Available Offline
[circle around the check mark to the left of a folder indicating that the file is complete and available offline]
When items finish downloading they display with a green Available Offline icon.
[Circle around the cloud icon located to the left of the PDF document representing available online only image, circle around the check mark icon to the left of a folder representing available offline and a circle around the two curved arrows to the left of the excel document representing pending]
NOTE: Content you have saved or added to Box Drive also displays as pending while the upload is in progress.
As the process runs you do not have to wait for the download to finish, you can continue working. The process continues in the background as long as Box Drive is running and you are online.
NOTE: You can turn off your computer, quit Box Drive, or go offline while a download or upload is in progress, when you come back online, Box Drive continues right where it left off.
TIP: Try to make only the specific folders you need to work with available offline. When you make a folder available offline, Box Drive downloads the entire contents of that folder. This is IMPORTANT to understand how much content you're making available (and, therefore, downloading), so you don't unintentionally fill up your device's storage.
Open any file in a folder you have marked for offline, and if you are:
- Working online: Box Drive automatically uploads your revised file each time you save.
- Working offline: Box Drive automatically uploads all of your changes the next time you are online.
Working in Finder - Mac
While in Finder on your Mac, navigate to Devices - Favorites - Box.
- This folder displays all of your files you see in https://rpi.app.box.com/folder/0, which is the Box directory setup when you first registered for Box at https://box.rpi.edu.
- You can go to any folder and open every file you see just as if it were a local file.
The blue cloud icon to the right of a file or folder indicates the item is safely stored and up to date in Box. This icon changes to an orange syncing icon when a folder or file is added or updated. The icon also displays as syncing when Box Drive is uploading changes you made to files offline. When the sync completes the icon resets to the blue cloud.
Tip: If you don’t see the Box folder in Finder, Box Drive may not be running. In this case, if you’re using Launchpad click the Box icon; if you’re using Spotlight search for ‘Box Drive.’
[Finder window showing box features after right clicking on a folder]
References/Links
Getting Started with Box Drive - Using Box Drive Basics
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