As you probably know, Google released a new product (another one!) called Google Drive. This product/service is your hard drive in the cloud. In the Google cloud.
Just like Dropbox, you’ll be able to dedicate a local folder in your computer where you’ll be placing the files that you want to put in the cloud. This folder will sync automatically, “in the background”.
The idea is to be able to access your files from anywhere: your computer, your tablet, your smartphone, the web. You can do this today with Dropbox from nearly every device, not yet with Google Drive though, although I’m pretty sure apps for this are on the way.
Dropbox was the first company to offer this type of functionality. Starting as a start-up, the company was, until now, disrupting and enjoying this industry “alone”. Now not just Google is a direct competitor with Drive, but also Microsoft with SkyDrive and even Box.net, that claims to be focused on enterprise but has been showing interest in the end consumers.
If you want to understand better this industry (cloud storage), Dropbox, and its emerging competitors I advise you to read this post or this one, where although with different points of view, you’ll get a summary of the actual scenario.
But what if you are like me, a heavy Google products user, and also a heavy Dropbox user? Would you stick to Dropbox, or will you move your files to Google Drive?
I always try to simplify my life, and the less accounts and logins I can have, the better. So having everything, even my files, synced to my Google account is an attractive and convenient idea.
But we also know that Google kills products just as easy as it creates new ones, so I wouldn’t close my Dropbox account and jump into Drive, not until Drive really gets to the point where I feel confortable with.
What to do? Use them both.
- Get you Google Drive account
- Install it on your computer
- Reconfigure your Dropbox folder location, and change it to be INSIDE Google Drive folder
- Keep putting your files on your Dropbox folder
That’s it. Now everything you put on your Dropbox folder will be, as it was before, synced to your Dropbox account, but ALSO to your Google Drive account.
Yup, I know it sounds dead simple, but I’ve found many people deciding between the 2 services, and I don’t know why they don’t think about just using them together. Probably this is one of those little techniques where you say: “Riiight, why didn’t I think about it before?”
While this crazy industry decides which will be the winner, you can
replicate your data between the two, without extra work, “automagically”.
What do you think? Let me know on your comments.
I have made the jump to the cloud myself and find http://otixo.com/ a GREAT cross platform app. I run it on Win7/8 Mint Ubuntu Peppermint and via Safari on iPhone. From it I can combine ALL my cloud storage.
yellowpike
27 Jun 12 at 8:45 pm
Looks interesting yellowpike, I’ll try it. Thanks for sharing and commenting.
Joel Valdez
28 Jun 12 at 5:54 am
I keep getting a “Target is a system file” error. Am I doing this wrong?
Stefan
22 Jul 12 at 9:28 pm
Stefan, I ended up just having to create another folder in Google Drive first and then it worked. Example: GoogleDrive/SHARED/Dropbox instead of trying to put the ‘dropbox’ folder directly in to the root of the ‘GoogleDrive’ folder. good luck!
Duncan Cunningham
25 Jul 12 at 3:37 pm
Since I’m an upgraded Dropbox user, I moved my Google Drive inside of Dropbox (smaller in size than my Dropbox). Don’t do this the other way around.
Michael
9 Aug 12 at 11:03 am
Could you axplain step 3?
Reconfigure your Dropbox folder location, and change it to be INSIDE Google Drive folder….
Thanks!
Katrien
27 Sep 12 at 12:36 pm
So you can set up Dropbox to be anywhere on your computer. If you configure Dropbox to put its folder in the Desktop, that’s where it is going to be placed. Everything inside that folder will be synced with Dropbox servers. So, if you put Dropbox INSIDE Google’s Drive folder, everything inside that folder will be synced with Drobbox, and also with Google Drive. The only difference is that in your Dropbox account you will have all your files (ones you put inside the Dropbox folder) and on Google Drive’s account you will have only one folder, Dropbox folder, and you will have to enter that folder to see your files.
Joel Valdez
27 Sep 12 at 12:44 pm
This is also a possibility. I think everything comes down to what is your primary cloud drive.
Joel Valdez
27 Sep 12 at 12:46 pm
when you try to mov Dropbox foldr into Google Drive, it gives error.
Lewis
13 Dec 12 at 5:03 pm
So does Dropbox inside Google Drive sync across the cloud or only on the computer in which the Google Drive program is installed? It seems like it would sync everywhere; just want to confirm.
Thanks!
Anbdrea
4 Jan 13 at 4:59 pm
Joel, what’s your experience after doing this for a few months? I’m noticing that I’m getting duplicates and triplicates sometimes of my files. I have Dropbox inside Google Drive, and an iMac, Laptop, and MacMini mediacenter…have you had similar experiences?
Rob
24 Jan 13 at 8:43 pm
Weird. I had been working just fine! Although I must say I moved to Google Drive only 2 weeks ago.
Joel Valdez
29 Jan 13 at 6:26 am
Have you tried this trick with box.com ? Is it possible to share same folder for dropbox and box ? Box.net have a promotion with 50 GB so I want to move, but first I want to play with it w while and I don’t want to use 2 separate folders for dropbox and box.com (duplicates).
Achi
14 Feb 13 at 5:05 am
Actually I have tried it. Works the same way… Just apply the same technique.
Joel Valdez
14 Feb 13 at 7:14 am
Waiting for a service where you can put all kinds of free storage together in one cloud that is connected to Google Drive, Skydrive, Box.com, Dropbox etc. The service it self decides where it will use the storage from, you only need one login; just like jolidrive..
Gijsbert
18 Mar 13 at 5:30 am
I have just started using an App call “CloudOn” which allows you to do what you are wanting to Gijsbert. Every time you open the App it asks you which filing system you want to open or use (Dropbox, Google or SkyDrive). It also allows you to use excel and word etc on your i-Pad which has been driving me nuts for ages. When you use excel or word it is saving it in real time too, so you dont have to hit “save” like you do with some of the others. The only negative is it is slower to open on your i-Pad and every time it closes you have to wait to open again, so it does take patience to start off with but very convenient for linking everything. :)
Adam
14 May 13 at 11:30 pm