Dropbox accounts are available for Brown faculty, staff, and grad/med students. By creating an account on the Brown team, you will benefit from Dropbox business features including an increased quota.

What is Dropbox?

Dropbox is a popular file storage and sharing service. What sets it apart from other file storage services? In short, it's especially easy to use across multiple devices such as computers, smartphones, and tablets. On a computer, the Dropbox application creates a folder into which you can drag or save files; it appears just like other folders on your computer, except the files are synced to your other devices.

How can I get it?

These instructions take you through the setup process:
Create a Brown Dropbox Account

If you already have a Dropbox account which uses your Brown email address, you can either join the Brown team with the current account, or keep it separate by transferring it to a personal email address during the signup process. 

Why would I use Dropbox?

With so many file storage and sharing services such as Google Drive for Desktop or Department File Services/Home Folder, why use Dropbox? Here are some reasons you might find it useful:

• If you’re working with a variety of files and want to keep them in their native formats, like Microsoft Word documents
• You work with researchers at other institutions who also use Dropbox
• You plan to work offline but want your files synced / backed up when you connect

Why create an account through Brown?

When you get a Brown Dropbox account, you get all the features of a regular Dropbox.com account, plus more:

• Increased quota: all Brown Team Members have unlimited storage. (If you do have intensive research storage needs, please check our article Decide How to Store and Share Files.)
• Increased versioning: instead of having access to only the last six versions of your file, you’ll be able to access versions created up to a year ago.
• Ability to connect your Brown Team Dropbox account to your existing Dropbox account to easily switch between accounts.

However, your Brown Dropbox account will only be available while you are at Brown. For this reason, we recommend keeping your personal account separate if you already have one. If you already have an account which uses your Brown email address, you’ll have the opportunity to convert it to a personal account (transfer it to a personal email address) when you set up your Brown team account.

If you already have a paid account, the information in the following article may be helpful: Convert a Personal Paid Account into a Brown Dropbox Team Account