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Automatically sort Dropbox files with SortMyBox

Dropbox power-users love having easy access to files, but organizing them can get tricky, especially if they've added extra space. SortMyBox automatically sorts files according to rules created by the user.

Rob Lightner
Rob Lightner is a tech and gaming writer based in Seattle. He has reviewed games, gadgets, and technical manuals, written copy for space travel gear, and composed horoscopes for cats.
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Rob Lightner
2 min read

I use Dropbox to store work files and share pictures and other stuff with friends and family, but there are plenty of other uses. If you use it more than occasionally, you may have troubles keeping organized or sorting through your cloud files. SortMyBox lets you set up rules to automatically sort files in whichever folders you want. Here's how to use it:

  1. Point your browser to SortMyBox.
  2. Log in with your Dropbox credentials. Note that SortMyBox is not affiliated with Dropbox, so if you store extremely sensitive files, you may not want to share your credentials with them. Their privacy policy looks pretty strong, for what it's worth.
  3. SortMyBox comes with three rules preinstalled as examples; they are easy to get rid of by clicking the big, red Delete button next to each one.
  4. Now it's time to set up your own rules! Click the "New rule" button near the bottom right to get started.
    Step 4: Choose sorting rules for SortMyBox.
    Step 4: Choose sorting rules for SortMyBox. Rob Lightner/CNET
  5. Select the drop-down box at the bottom of the list of rules under the column heading When. You can pick "Name contains" if you want to sort files based on parts of their filename, "Extension equals" if you want to sort files based on their file extension, or "Name pattern" to include wildcards ("*" and "?") for filename searches.
  6. Type the file extension or filename string you want to search for in the second box; you can add more by placing commas between them.
  7. Click the third box to bring down a selection of your Dropbox folders. Pick the right one and you're all set.
  8. When you're happy with the rules you've set up, click Save & Run Rules near the bottom left. SortMyBox will scan your main folder every 15 minutes and sort any files it finds that meet your criteria.

That's it! SortMyBox should be a huge time-saver for those who use Dropbox extensively.

There's lots more you can do with Dropbox:

Thanks to MakeUseOf for the tip!