5 Cool Apps That Make Dropbox Even More Useful

Understanding Dropbox and its Potential

Dropbox is a highly effective file synchronization service. It stands out as a preferred solution for both synchronizing and backing up crucial files and data. Dropbox facilitates seamless file syncing across various computers and offers functionalities like shared and public folders, enabling selective content synchronization with other devices.

While Dropbox functions admirably with support for Windows, macOS, and Linux, its standard features can be expanded upon. For example, synchronization is typically limited to files and folders residing within the My Dropbox directory.

This article highlights several useful Dropbox add-ons – software tools and applications – designed to enhance its capabilities. These tools address limitations in the core functionality and unlock new possibilities for utilizing Dropbox beyond simple synchronization.

Junction and Conduit: Expanding Synchronization Capabilities

These Dropbox downloads share a common purpose: enabling synchronization of two folders. But why utilize these when Dropbox is already in use? They allow synchronization of folders located outside of your account’s My Dropbox folder.

It’s worth noting that the mklink command in Windows and the ln command in Linux can achieve a similar result by creating links to external folders within the My Dropbox directory.

Dropbox Portable / Dropbox U3: Dropbox on the Go

Both these applications serve the same function. They allow you to install and run Dropbox directly from a USB flash drive. Dropbox U3 is specifically designed for U3 Smart flash drives.

Simply unzip or install the application onto your flash drive, and you can then utilize Dropbox with your portable storage. This provides a convenient way to keep your flash drive data synchronized and backed up to the cloud.

MailDrop: Email-Based File Uploads

MailDrop is a particularly useful tool. It enables you to add files to your Dropbox account simply by sending them as email attachments. It operates by checking your email account via IMAP.

Attachments found within a designated Dropbox folder (or label in Gmail) are automatically uploaded to your Dropbox account. You will need to provide your email credentials for MailDrop to access your account via IMAP, but the developer assures users that these credentials are used locally and your Dropbox credentials remain secure.

Dropbox Copy Plugin: Simplified File Sharing

The Copy Plugin streamlines the process of copying or moving files to your Dropbox folder through a convenient right-click context menu option. It then automatically copies the public link for the file to your clipboard, facilitating quick and easy sharing.

Akira: Remote Control via Dropbox

Akira allows you to remotely control certain functions of another computer using Dropbox as the communication channel. Tasks such as launching applications or shutting down a remote machine can be performed through Akira.

While it doesn’t replace dedicated remote desktop software or SSH access for Linux systems, Akira offers a basic yet useful set of commands that are both easy to remember and implement.

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