BCTC News and Information blog

Using Dropbox to share large attachments

I just had to share a large file with someone, and since our email system is limited to 35MB attachments, I had to do something different.  The easiest thing to do is upload the file to Dropbox and create a shareable link; and copy that link into your email.

  1.  Log into your CUNY Dropbox by going to https://dropbox.cuny.edu.  Use your CUNY Login credentials.
    Single sign-on to CUNY Login in Dropbox
    Click “Continue” here.

     

  2. You will then get your Dropbox screen.  On the right you’ll see an option to “Upload Files”:
    Menu showing "Upload Files" option
    Use “Upload Files” here.

    You will then get a file dialog from which to upload the file.  This is Windows 10, it may look different on your computer:

    File dialog on Windows, showing the upload of a 65,735KB file
    The 65,735KB file is the one I”m uploading.
  3. Click on the uploaded file in your Dropbox, and click “Share”:
    Screenshot showing the "Share" button on the file I just uploaded
    Click “Share” here.

    You will then get this screen.  The easiest option is to share a link, so click on “Link Settings” (instead of “Link Settings” you might see “Create Link” if you just uploaded the file):

    Dropbox File Share dialog
    Click “Link Settings” here

    And then adjust the settings as you need:

    Options to set an expiration date or to only allow people to view the file instead of download it
    You can set the link to expire after a certain amount of time or configur the link not to download.
    You can set the link security
    “Anyone with Link” is public; “Team Members” means anyone at Baruch; “People with Password” means you can set a password on the file.

     

  4. Once you set the link settings, click the “Copy Link” button from the first image above.  It will copy the link to your clipboard.  You can then paste the link into your email message. It will look something like https://www.dropbox.com/s/27istprve7iue3d/ETF0uNvXYAAGLsH.png?dl=0 .

Remember the CUNY policy of Acceptable Data in the Cloud applies to all files uploaded to Dropbox, including the ones with a password or otherwise restricted.  You should NOT use Dropbox for any CUNY data classified “Confidential”–of course, you should not be sending such data in email anyway.

 

 

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