Box Sync lets you keep your files and folder from your utexas.box.com account on the web automatically synchronized with your computer desktop. Box Sync can also do this for your whole team if you have a departmental or team Box account set up (Contact Computer Services for Departmental accounts). By keeping your files in Box sync you not only eliminate the chance of files being lost if your computer fails but you can easily access them from the web as well as any other computer you have installed Box Sync on. Box also provides the ability to restore a previous revision (in case of accidental overwrite) or to restore a deleted file.
Note:
If you have not yet setup an account, first review the page: An Introduction to Box
PC
First Time login
The first time Box Sync launches you will see a prompt like the one below. You first need to click on Use Single Sign On (SSO).
Once the prompt changes to the way the picture looks below, enter in your email address and click Log In.
You will be taken to an EID login prompt. Enter your EID credentials and click LOG IN.
After approximately 30 seconds a Box Sync window will reappear. Click Start Syncing.
Note:
If you have a lot of files and folders, it can take awhile (possibly hours) to fully synchronize all your content. It is best to only sync the content you need.
The Box Sync folder for Windows users will have links to the Box Sync folder in Favorites as well as the Desktop.
How to sync folders
Syncing files to your Computer using Box on the web
If you had at one time uploaded files to Box on the web prior to having ever used Box Sync, you will likely need to mark them as "Sync to Computer" should you want to automatically sync.
Once logged into Box on the web, click the 3 dot menu to the right of the folder name and then navigate to Properties and click Sync to Computer.
Unsyncing files using Box on the web
The process is the same as "Sync to Computer" (pictured above) however, you should now see the option to "Unsync". Click on Unsync and the files will be removed from your computers, but the will remain on Box.com for safe keeping.
Recovering Deleted Files and Folders
From the Box website, click on the All Files dropdown (
) menu and then click on Trash. You'll then see a list of everything that's been deleted.
You may use the checkboxes (on the right side) to select multiple items and then click on the Restore button to restore the files or folders to their original location.
Mac
The Box Sync Folder for Mac OS users will have links to your Box Sync folder in Favorites as well as the right hand side of the Finder.
You can save or add content to a folder inside the Box Sync Folder on your desktop or you can create a new folder inside your Box Sync folder and add files to it. If you want others to get the files, log into the web version of Box and set your collaborator permissions.
Sync Folder Deletion Behavior
- When deleting a Personal Folder locally on your machine in Box Sync, that folder is deleted on Box as well.
- If you delete a Collaborative Folder, you will receive a warning message that the folder will be deleted for all collaborators. You can choose to delete the folder or you may un-sync the folder.
- When you un-sync a collaborated folder, you are only removing that folder from your machine. It remains in the parent folder on Box and all other collaborators will continue to have access to that folder. You must perform this action by logging into the web version of Box to use the un-sync option.
- When you delete a collaborated folder, that folder is permanently deleted from every collaborator's account.
User Notifications
Users will receive a Box Update Notice whenever there is a change in behavior. If you are already logged in, the Update Notice Window displays as soon as the auto update completes. When you log in to Box Sync for the first time, you will see the Update Notice Window.
If you delete a collaborated folder, you will also receive a Box Sync pop up that confirms your intent to delete when other users are also collaborating in this folder. You can optionally check the Always delete collaborated folders check box to ensure that this pop-up does not appear for any future deletions.
Accidental Deletion
If you accidently delete an item, click on your name on the right hand side of your screen to get more options and then click on the Trash icon.
You will be taken to a new screen where the files are located in Trash. You can choose to Restore All or you can restore each individual file by clicking on the drop down arrow to the right of the folder name to choose Restore.
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