Is it safe to manually copy my Dropbox folder to another computer, then install Dropbox on it?

I find myself installing and syncing Dropbox a lot as I move between various work computers, virtual computers and the odd Windows re-install on my home computer. Unfortunately my Dropbox folder contains a lot of small files, which makes the sync work at a snails pace of a few KB/s most of the time.

I've often considered trying to copy my Dropbox folder into place (from another computer) before I install Dropbox so I don't have to wait for the slow sync, but I don't know if that's safe. Messing up my Dropbox folder could be devastating.

So to summarize: Is it safe to install Dropbox on a computer if the Dropbox folder already exists (and is fully up to date)?

Hubro

Posted 2013-09-02T12:27:01.333

Reputation: 4 846

I don't know the answer to your question, but you can easily this out try by creating a new Dropbox account and new user accounts on two of your computers and try it there with some example files. – user 99572 is fine – 2013-09-02T12:52:41.910

@user99572isfine: Well, "easily"... :P That's quite a lot of work – Hubro – 2013-09-02T12:53:59.323

1Why, you do it once and then you know. And besides: Create user account on Windows including first login: 5 Minutes per PC. Installing Dropbox: 3 Minutes per PC. Creating Dropbox account: 3 minutes. Transfer some dummy files on 2nd PC from flash drive: 3 minutes. Would take about 25 minutes tops. If it works, you reap the benefits. Might be worth a try if you install Pcs as often as you do. – user 99572 is fine – 2013-09-02T15:19:53.780

Answers

Dropbox will sync your folders locally if your computers are connected to the same LAN, which improves the transfer speed quite a lot. https://www.dropbox.com/help/137/en

So you might just want to install dropbox on your other computer, make sure LAN Sync is enabled on both computers, and then go for a cup of coffee or something. =)

EDIT: Also make sure you disable any upstream limitations in your dropbox settings. I'm not sure if they limit traffic in the LAN or not, but it's an easy thing to test, if the local sync seems slow.

Nalle Rooth

Posted 2013-09-02T12:27:01.333

Reputation: 23

I'll try that. I see LAN Sync is enabled by default and I'm pretty sure my computers have been on the same LAN most of the times I've installed Dropbox, so I'm not convinced this works. I'll be sure to try this again though. – Hubro – 2013-09-02T12:32:45.983

1Well, it's transferring at 6MB/s now. That's pretty much exactly the speed of my internet connection. Both my PC and the virtual PC is connected to the same LAN and can ping each other. Anyway, even though in theory this would be a bit more convenient than syncing over the internet, this answer doesn't address the question so I won't be accepting it. – Hubro – 2013-09-02T15:38:04.860