Last week we talked about using Box Sync¹ with UT Box.  This week we will look at Box Drive. While Box Drive is still in Public Beta, we have seen good results with it.

Box Drive lets you access (stream) all of your UT Box content on your laptop or desktop computer without having to “sync” all of the data down to your computer. Box Drive delivers an experience similar to a traditional network file share, but with quick access to Box’s advanced search, sharing, and collaboration tools as well².  Box Drive is integrated into Windows Explorer and Mac Finder so you do not have to access a separate application to access your files (though you do have to use a separate interface for search, sharing and setting up collaboration).

You can download Box Sync from https://www.box.com/resources/downloads.  Installation instructions can be found at https://community.box.com/t5/Installing-and-Using-Box-Drive/Installing-Box-Drive/ta-p/37450

Once installed, you can start accessing your files with Box Drive³.  Note that large files and folders may be slow to load the first time you access them, but should be quick on subsequent accesses.

Instructions for using Box Drive are available from Box at https://community.box.com/t5/Installing-and-Using-Box-Drive/Using-Box-Drive-on-Mac-OS/ta-p/37513 for Macs and at https://community.box.com/t5/Installing-and-Using-Box-Drive/Using-Box-Drive-on-Windows/ta-p/37451 for Windows.

As always, if you have additional questions or need help with UT Box, Box Sync, or Box Drive please don't hesitate to contact the help desk at https://cns.utexas.edu/help (UT EID login required).

Written by CNS OIT staff
Questions or comments? The best and easiest way to contact us is via the CNS Help Desk form.

Footnotes:

¹ Box Drive is meant as a replacement for Box Sync.  If you are already running Box Sync, you will need to uninstall it first before you install Box Drive.

² Box Drive requires an internet connection to access files.  If you need to have off-line access to the files on your desktop or laptop, we recommend you stay with Box Sync at this time.

³ Content with preview-only access will not be downloadable via Box Drive.  Instead, this content can only be viewed by right-clicking on the content and selecting "View on Box.com".