Box Help > Box Sync > Setting up Sync Folders

Can An Admin Change The Default Folder

Location For Box Sync?
May 09, 2014 02:55
Yes, this article provides details on how IT admins can customize the Box Sync folder location while deploying Box Sync 4.0 for the
enterprise.
If you are not an Administrator in an enterprise and want to change your folder location, see Can a User Select the Box Sync Folder
Location? for more information.
Prerequisites and Limitations
Sync 4.0 installer: These instructions only apply to Sync 4.0. See How do I install or uninstall Box Sync 4.0? for installation
instructions.
Hard drive format: The Box Sync folder must be located on a local drive with a NTFS, HFS, or HFS+ file system.
Moving the Box Sync folder:
Do not move the Box Sync folder while Sync is installed.
If Box Sync 4.0 is already installed, you must first uninstall this version before you can take the steps below to move the
Box Sync folder location.
Do not move the Box Sync folder to a shared network drive or an external hard drive.
If your Sync 3 folder is already at a custom location, Sync 4.0 will place the new Box Sync folder (called Box Sync
the existing Sync 3 Box Documents/My Box Files folder at this same location. To allow this to occur, install Sync 4.0 over
Sync 3 without uninstalling.
If your administrator has customized the Box Sync folder location, your cannot override it.
Customizing the Sync Folder Location
The steps below outline the process for customizing the Sync Folder location on either Mac or Windows operating systems.
Mac:
You can customize the location of the local Box Sync folder by specifying the folder path in a .plist file (com.box.sync.plist
must be created in the /Library/Preferences/ directory. In this procedure, the Box Sync folder is saved to the desktop.
To specify the Box Sync folder location in the .plist file, follow this procedure
1. If you have already installed Box Sync 4.0 on your Mac and logged in for the first time, you'll need to uninstall Sync 4.0 before
proceeding (see How do I install or uninstall Box Sync 4.0?).
2. Delete any pre-existing Box Sync .plist files in the /Library/Preferences/ directory. Be aware that Box Sync .plist file(s) will
exist if you previously tried to customize the Box Sync folder location.
3. Open a new text file.
4. Copy the following example and paste it into the new text file:
<!--?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?--><plist version="1.0"><dict><key>SyncRootFolder</key>
<string>/Users/<Username>/Desktop/Box Sync</string></dict></plist>
5. In this text file, update the folder string location /Users/<Username>/Desktop/Box Sync with your desired path. Be sure to
include the entire file path. Note that the greater-than and less-than characters, "<>" are special characters and cannot be
used in the Box Sync folder path.
6. Save this text file as com.box.sync.plist (a .plist file) in the Macintosh HD/Library/Preferences/ directory (note that this
directory is separate from the Users/userprofile/Library/Preferences directory). Be sure to save this as a plain text file. (You
can save this file as plain text from the Format menu if you're using TextEdit on your Mac.)
7. Install Box Sync 4.0. Box Sync will now read the .plist file and create the Box Sync folder in the new location.
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Windows:
To set the location of the Box Sync folder in Sync 4.0, you must set the registery key in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE (HKLM)
software settings before logging in to Sync 4.0 for the first time. If Sync 4.0 has already created the Box Sync folder in the default
location, you must uninstall and reinstall Sync 4.0.
1. If you have already installed Box Sync 4.0 on Windows and logged in for the first time, you'll need to uninstall Sync 4.0 before
proceeding (see How do I install or uninstall Box Sync 4.0?). If you have not logged in to Sync 4.0, proceed to step 4.
2. Delete the following folders:
C:\Users\<username>\AppData\Local\Box\Box Sync\
C:\Users\<username>\Box Sync\
3. Install Sync 4.0 (see How do I install or uninstall Box Sync 4.0?).
4. Once you have installed Sync 4.0 and before logging into Sync 4.0, set the folder location in the registry key:
1. Open Registry Edit by going to the Start menu and searching for regedit.
2. In the left pane, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > BOX > BoxSync
3. In the right menu, right-click and select New > String Value. Name this new value SyncRootFolder.
4. Right-click the newly created SyncRootFolder value, select Modify, and set the Value data to the required path. End the
path with the name of the new Sync 4.0 folder. For example:
C:\Users\[username]\Desktop\Box Sync
This path can contain Windows environment variables (see http://technet.microsoft.com/en-
us/library/dd560744%28v=ws.10%29.aspx).
5. Log in to Box Sync.

Related articles
How Do I Install or Uninstall Box Sync 4.0?
How Do I Sync Subfolders in Sync 4.0?
Box Sync 4.0: FAQs
What features from Sync 3.x have been removed in Sync 4.0?
Box Sync 4.0: Product Overview
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