When you install Dropbox on your Windows PC, it creates a special folder called Dropbox. This folder is always synced with the Dropbox cloud storage linked to your account. You can add many more folders for syncing with the Dropbox storage. Whenever you double-click on the Dropbox shortcut on your desktop, it opens this Dropbox synced folders in Windows File Explorer. You can see all the synced cloud storage contents inside this folder.
But if you want many more options for the Dropbox cloud storage, then you should configure Dropbox to open this folder in the Dropbox app itself. The benefits of using Dropbox app to view this folders’ contents is that you get the exactly the same user interface as you would get on the Dropbox website.
So here is how you can switch from using the Windows File Explorer to using the Dropbox app when launching the Dropbox synced folders:
- Launch Dropbox app from its desktop shortcut. This should launch Dropbox if it was not already running.
- Right-click on the Dropbox notification area icon and choose to open its preferences.
- In the Dropbox preferences window, select General tab and then choose to open folders in Dropbox desktop app.
- Click on the OK button to save the settings.
Now whenever you launch the Dropbox folder, it will be opened in the Dropbox desktop app. You will still have the folder on your hard drive and it will be synced with the cloud storage, but now you will be able to use many tools that are available only through the Dropbox desktop app. For example, you can add many apps to your Dropbox for adding many features such as Zoom, Paper by Dropbox, Microsoft Office, Microsoft Teams, DocSend, Zoho Mail, Nitro, Notarize, Hello Sign, Adobe Sign, DocuSign e-Signature and more.