A Dropbox PC backup can make a failed drive or a fresh build less painful if the files that matter have already reached the service. That is the practical takeaway from a Verge personal account published August 9: writer TC Sottek said mirrored work files remained available after two SSD failures. It is an anecdote, not a Dropbox product launch or an independent recovery test.
The useful distinction is between Dropbox’s ordinary sync folder and its Backup feature. Dropbox says changes to files in its desktop app sync to the user’s account and can be accessed through Dropbox.com. Its Backup tool, meanwhile, is described as automatically copying selected files and folders from a computer or external drive to Dropbox.
Can Dropbox back up a PC before a rebuild?
Dropbox’s documentation supports backing up selected files and folders before a rebuild. The supplied Dropbox documentation describes synced-file recovery, not a full PC or system-image restore. It does not demonstrate restoration of an entire Windows installation or the state of a PC.
That boundary is worth reading before a drive dies at an inconvenient hour. In the documented synced-folder workflow, Dropbox preserves selected files rather than providing a demonstrated full-machine restore. Dropbox says files saved in its Dropbox folder are synced; its Backup documentation separately lets users select folders on a computer or external drive. The records supplied do not show that every file elsewhere on a machine is included by default.
Dropbox also lists limits on what its folder can carry. According to its help documentation, symlinks, aliases, shortcuts, junction points, resource forks and networked folders are unsupported. Unsupported extended attributes are not stored in Dropbox and do not move with the folder. That is the kind of small-print behavior that gets discovered after the rebuild, when it is least charming.
How do you set up Dropbox Backup on Windows?
Dropbox says to install its desktop app, check that the account has enough storage, connect to the internet, close open files and applications, and make sure syncing is not paused. The Windows route in the app is:
- Click the Dropbox icon in the taskbar.
- Select the avatar, then Preferences.
- Open Backups and choose Manage backups.
- Select the computer or external drive.
- Choose the folders to include, then select Set up or Back up.
If a file or folder does not complete, Dropbox says it will appear in the sync error queue. A pre-rebuild check should therefore include confirming that the chosen folders have finished syncing and reviewing that queue, rather than treating a green-looking desktop icon as a backup audit.
Dropbox says its desktop app runs on Windows, Mac and Linux. Its free Basic plan includes 2 GB and permits up to three connected devices, according to Dropbox, which may be enough for documents but is not a capacity recommendation for a PC project or media archive.
There is one more possible source of friction: Dropbox says its updated Backup can handle folders also backed up by iCloud, Google Drive or OneDrive, while still recommending users disable other backup providers to avoid conflicts. Anyone combining services should check the selected folders and completion status before erasing or replacing a drive.
This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.
