How to Access Dropbox and Other Cloud Storage Directly from Chrome OS’ File Manager
Google has done an excellent job of baking its own cloud service, Google Drive, into the Chrome OS file manager. If you use Drive for most of your cloud needs, then it feels like native storage on a a Chrome OS device. But if you use something else, like Dropbox or network attached storage, things don’t seem so clean. Here’s how to add those directly to the file manager in Chrome OS so you can navigate them quickly and easily.
There are a couple of different ways to go about doing this: you could search for each service one at a time and add them manually, or you could use the oft-overlooked “Add new services” link in the file manager. Yeah, the second way is much simpler, so we’re going to show you how to do that. We’re going to be adding a Dropbox share in this tutorial, but the same steps will apply to pretty much all the other cloud storage services out there.
The first thing you’ll need to do is open the file manager—it’s the blue circle with the white folder in the center of it, in case you’re not sure.
On the left side, there are quick links to things like Google Drive and Downloads, but the option you’re looking for reads “Add new services” with a little plus icon next to it.
When you click on it, “Install new from the webstore” will show up. Click on that.
This will open a new window with a handful of services that can be installed, including Dropbox, OneDrive, Windows network shares, and more. It’s worth noting that most of these are not official Google extensions, but are made by a third-party developer. They are, however, recommended by Google in the “Add new services” menu, and to further rest your conscious, they’re all open source, too.
It’s worth noting that if you’re trying to mount a network-attached storage to the file manager, you’ll have to use this app. It’s relatively new, so it doesn’t show up in the “Add new services” menu yet.
Go ahead and click the install button next to the option that you want to add to your device. A popup will ask you go confirm, and the installation should only take a few seconds after that. Once it’s done, it should automatically launch.
In our test situation, the File System for Dropbox window will open, with a button that reads “mount.” Clicking that will launch a Dropbox login—go ahead and log in here, and the service should automatically mount in the file manager.
That’s it, you’re done—Dropbox (or whatever option you chose) will now show up as one of the choices in the file manager’s bookmarks bar.
By How to Geek
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