Box Drive is a software program that allows users to access the files/folders stored in their Box account (in the cloud) from their desktop. These files are “streamed” from the cloud and are not physically on your hard drive although they appear to be. The Box Drive software has two distinct but interrelated components; integration with Windows File Explorer and the Box Drive app itself.
File Explorer
Box integration with File Explorer allows users to access the content available to them through their Box account on their desktop as if the files/folders existed on their local hard drive. These files will populate in File Explorer folders much like the files/folders stored on their local hard drives. The biggest difference between these and regular files is that files in the Box Drive folder will have icons next to them denoting their status in Box in the cloud. Click here for more information regarding these icons.
Box Drive App
The Box Drive app is not the File Explorer although it integrates into it (see above). It is accessible through the Box icon which is usually located in the hidden icons tray on the Windows taskbar.
From this interface, users can search (with limited functionality), update Box Drive, and identify problem items. Click here for more information regarding problems in Box Drive and how to troubleshoot these items.
The following information lists some helpful tips that will make working with Box Drive easier.
- Box Drive Version Number
- Setting the View and Width of Columns in File Explorer
- Searching
- Creating Shortcuts
- Sharing and Collaborating
- Locking Files
Users should be aware that updates to Box Drive are frequent. These updates provide bug fixes and performance enhancements. To learn more about updating Box Drive follow this link.
To view the version of Box currently installed on your machine
- Locate the Box Drive icon, it is usually hidden in the icon tray near the time/date on the bottom right corner.
- Right click on the Box icon to display an options menu, then select "About Box." A new window will display with details regarding the Box version you are currently using.
i.) Alternatively, you can view the Box Drive version by locating the program in your computer's "Programs and features."
In File Explorer, files/folders are set to display as a list with details by default. In this view, Box Drive icons are hard to see and the entire name of a file or folder may not display.
To display the whole name of files/folders
- Hover over the “Name” column and right click.
- In the subsequent Menu, select “Size column to fit”
.Searching
Box Drive in File Explorer does not effectively search for files. You can search using the Box Drive app but searching your Box account works best in a web browser.
To search for files using the Box Drive app.
- Open the Box Drive app by left-clicking the Box icon found in the hidden icons tray near the date/time on the bottom right corner.
- You can do a search with limited functionality in the window that displays.
Creating shortcuts
With Box Drive in File Explorer, you can create desktop shortcuts for files and folders. These shortcuts are extensions of Box Drive in the sense that they will update and synchronize to your account in the cloud.
To create desktop shortcuts use Box in a File Explorer
- Using Box in a File Explorer, navigate to the folder or file you want to create a shortcut for.
- Left-click the file/folder in question to display a menu.
- Find the “Send to” option and hover over it to display its side menu
- Right-click the “Desktop (create shortcut) option to create a desktop.
The shortcuts created through Box Drive will look like regular shortcuts but anything added, deleted, or updated from said shortcut will also add, delete, or update in Box.
i.) These shortcuts, like the Box Drive File Explorer, will not work immediately after your machine restarts. You will have to wait until Box is launched for them to function as before.
As of now, Box Drive does not have any sharing and collaborating options aside from manually dragging and dropping items into emails to send as attachments. Box Drive also does not have any way to indicate which files and folders in your account are shared and which are not.
Sharing and collaborating must be done in Box in a web browser.
You can lock and unlock files via the File Explorer. As of now however, you cannot see who locked a file or for how long it will be locked. Files that are locked will have red dot with a locked-white padlock next to them. Files you have locked have an opened-white padlock. Click here to learn more about the icons in the Box Drive File Explorer.
