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Forum Discussion
Can I backup the same USB stick to Dropbox after changing to a new computer?
Hi there,
A specific USB stick was being automatically backed up on Dropbox every time I inserted it to my previous laptop.
Now that I changed to a new laptop, I want this back up process with that specific USB stick to continue in the same way it was, when I insert it to my new laptop.
How can I manage this?
Thanks in advance for your answer.
Best
Do you mean "there is no way round, you have to delete the old backup and let DB create a new backup for your USB stick"?
Yes. Dropbox will treat it as a new device and a new backup. It won't back it up to the existing backup that you made on the other device.
- Hannah
Dropbox Staff
Hey atakee, thanks for posting to the Dropbox Community.
Basically, if you connect the USB stick to a new computer, the app will detect this as a new drive and will create a new backup for it.
The original backup folder will only update if the USB is connected to the same device used to initiate the backup.
Otherwise, you can always access your backups through the backups page on dropbox.com on the new device.
Let me know if you have any questions.
Thanks very much for your reply!
Do you mean "there is no way round, you have to delete the old backup and let DB create a new backup for your USB stick"?
Best
- Rich
Super User II
Do you mean "there is no way round, you have to delete the old backup and let DB create a new backup for your USB stick"?
Yes. Dropbox will treat it as a new device and a new backup. It won't back it up to the existing backup that you made on the other device.
Oh, that is bad. It takes a long time to back it up again, but OK, thanks for your replies!
