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JMBand's avatar
JMBand
New member | Level 1
11 days ago
Solved

How do I share or link files between two Windows computers?

I have two desktop computers:

 1) 500GB Windows 11 SSD w/ 12% storage remaining, and 2) 1TB Windows 10 SSD w/ 33% storage remaining.

Two years ago I disabled Dropbox from the 500GB computer after a first attempt to use Dropbox: it duplicated my files and threw them back onto the hard drive, leaving me with just 7GB on it (somehow I was able to get 50GB back, can't remember how).

This year I decided to give Dropbox another try, I read and read and read every Dropbox instructions I could, set my 1TB computer to Cloud Only, and am OK with that machine.

Now if I re-enable Dropbox on my 500GB computer, setting it to Cloud Only, can I be confident files won't be plugging up the hard drive again?

And assuming I can share/link files between the two computers, how do I do that? And are there dangers of plugging things up again if I do?

  • Rich's avatar
    Rich
    11 days ago
    JMBand wrote:

    I thought Dropbox would allow me to open up the song file I'd been working on in my upstairs computer, into my more powerful basement machine ...

    Yes, you'll absolutely be able to do that, without any special sharing or linking. That's the main function of Dropbox; to sync files between your devices. Anything placed in your Dropbox folder will be available within the Dropbox folder on any other computer signed in to the same account.

  • Rich's avatar
    Rich
    Icon for Super User II rankSuper User II
    JMBand wrote:

    Now if I re-enable Dropbox on my 500GB computer, setting it to Cloud Only, can I be confident files won't be plugging up the hard drive again?

    It will work the same as it does on your other computer. If you install Dropbox and specify that everything should start as Online-only, then the files will only exist in the cloud.

    JMBand wrote:

    And assuming I can share/link files between the two computers, how do I do that?

    What exactly do you mean? Why would you need to share or link files between computers if they both have Dropbox installed?

    • JMBand's avatar
      JMBand
      New member | Level 1

      Thanks for the reply!

      As far as your questions, I am a music producer who likes to work in both computers (not at the same time lol) and instead of transferring song files via USB stick (which is a PITA), I thought Dropbox would allow me to open up the song file I'd been working on in my upstairs computer, into my more powerful basement machine that has many more resources.

      • Rich's avatar
        Rich
        Icon for Super User II rankSuper User II
        JMBand wrote:

        I thought Dropbox would allow me to open up the song file I'd been working on in my upstairs computer, into my more powerful basement machine ...

        Yes, you'll absolutely be able to do that, without any special sharing or linking. That's the main function of Dropbox; to sync files between your devices. Anything placed in your Dropbox folder will be available within the Dropbox folder on any other computer signed in to the same account.