Transferring whole folders using Dropbox without the desktop app

Solution 1:

Since you are already using Dropbox, you might want to check out Dropbox Portable, you can run it from a usb thumbdrive, no install on your target computer required. You can find more information about it here: http://wiki.getdropbox.com/DropboxAddons/DropboxPortable.

and here are the instructions for installation:

http://forums.getdropbox.com/topic.php?id=7729

Edit: It appears that the original dropbox portable stuff has moved but there is DropboxPortableAHK that seems to have taken it's place, I haven't used it, so YMMV.

Solution 2:

You have to use chrome. Then just drag and drop the folder and it will upload very neatly.

I tried it on windows chrome. It worked.

Note that this is limited to at most 100 files.

Solution 3:

The only way to upload an entire folder is to compress that folder into a zip or zip/tar file. On most operating systems, right click and go to "send to" or "compress" and then select zip or zip/tar if available. This can also be done from the command line:

tar -cvzf FOLDERNAME.tar.gz FOLDERNAME/

Then on the dropbox website, click upload file, and select the compressed file (FOLDERNAME.tar.gz or FOLDERNAME.gz). Then once you are at home, download that file where you want the folder to go. On most operating systems, double clicking the zip/ zip/tar file will uncompress it into the folder that you wanted to start with. This can also be easily done from the command line with:

tar -zxvf FOLDERNAME.tar.gz

You will be left with a folder called FOLDERNAME, as well as a FOLDERNAME.tar file which you will need to delete once you have verified that the folder has been extracted.

In the rare event that you are using files with no tar format (such as .m), you will need to compress with a zip archive only. Use:

zip FOLDERNAME.gz FOLDERNAME/ (to compress)

unzip FOLDERNAME.gz (to uncompress)

Solution 4:

When you hover a folder in the web interface, you'll see a down arrow to the right. Click it and you'll get the option to download the whole folder as a ZIP file.

Alternatively, use their mobile application (I think only iPhone is supported at the moment, though) and sync it to your mobile phone and then transfer the files to/from there via a data cable or wireless pairing.

As for uploading multiple files, their new design allows that pretty easily, but for folders, I don't know a good way to do it. I can only recommend the mobile application for that as well.