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Box Drive Frequently Asked Questions

Troubleshooting

Product basics

Installation, sign-in, and updates

Working with files and folders

Offline access, caching, and storage

Collaboration, locking, and conflicts

File, application, and operation limitations

Administration and virtual environments

 

Product basics

What is Box Drive, and how does it work?

Box Drive displays the files and folders you can access in Box through macOS Finder or Windows File Explorer. It presents cloud content without downloading everything to the computer first.

When you open an online-only file, Box Drive downloads it to a local cache and opens it in the associated desktop application. When you save changes, Box Drive uploads them to Box.

 

Which Box content can I access through Box Drive?

Box Drive shows the files and folders available to your Box account, including collaborated content. Your Box permissions still control whether you can preview, download, edit, upload, move, or delete an item.

 

Is Box Drive the same as Box Sync or Box Edit?

No.

  • Box Drive streams all accessible Box content into Finder or File Explorer and can make selected folders available offline.
  • Box Sync synchronizes selected content but cannot run on the same computer as Box Drive.
  • Box Edit, installed with Box Tools, opens files from the Box web app in desktop applications for quick editing.

Box recommends replacing Box Sync with Box Drive. The Box Drive installer can remove Box Sync and clean up its synchronized content.

 

Can Box Drive and Box Sync run on the same computer?

No. Using Box Drive and Box Sync on the same computer is not supported. When installing Box Drive, you will be prompted to uninstall Box Sync. Box Sync can be uninstalled manually using the instructions found in Uninstalling Box Sync.

 

Does Box Drive work on iOS or Android?

No. Box Drive is a desktop application. Use the Box mobile application to access Box from an iOS or Android device.

 

 

Installation, sign-in, and updates

What operating systems and hardware does Box Drive support?

Box Drive supports the two latest macOS versions and the two latest major 64-bit versions of Windows and Windows Server. Box recommends at least a 1.6 GHz dual-core processor and 4 GB of RAM.

Windows also requires Universal CRT and .NET Framework 4.8 or later. A computer below the recommended specifications may still run Box Drive but can have degraded performance.

 

How do I install Box Drive?

Download the installer from the official Box downloads page, run it, and complete the prompts. Do not change the installation location on macOS.

After installation, launch Box Drive and sign in. The browser may redirect you to your organization's identity provider for SSO.

 

Where does the Box folder appear?

  • Windows: The default location is C:\Users\USERNAME\Box.
  • macOS: Current File Provider-based versions use ~/Library/CloudStorage/Box-Box, presented as Box under Finder's Locations.

The visible Box folder is the access point for your cloud content. It should not be treated as a conventional folder containing a permanently downloaded copy of every item.

 

Why does Box Tools affect my Box Drive sign-in?

If your enterprise uses Device Trust, Box Drive needs the Device Trust components included with Box Tools to evaluate the computer during login. If Device Trust is not enabled, Box Drive does not require Box Tools for normal file access.

 

How does Box Drive update?

Box Drive displays an update notification and adds an update indicator to its menu-bar or system-tray icon. You can start the update from that notification or from the Box Drive menu. Box Drive can also apply an available update when it launches.

Close open Box Drive files before updating. Box recommends installing updates promptly, especially versions designated as critical.

 

Can administrators deploy Box Drive at scale?

Yes. Administrators can deploy the MSI package on Windows and the PKG package on macOS with standard software-management tools. Users must sign in manually the first time Box Drive launches.

Plan the Box Sync removal, prerequisites, startup behavior, updates, and any custom Windows folder location before broad deployment. Test the configuration with a small group first.

 

Working with files and folders

 

Which files can I access when using Box Drive?

Box Drive allows you to view all files and folders your have access to in your Box account, just as if you were viewing your files via box.com on the web. The actions you can take with those files (download, view, edit) are the same in Box Drive as on the web.

 

How do I open and save files?

Open files from the Box folder in Finder or File Explorer as you would open local files. Box Drive downloads an online-only file when needed and opens it in the associated application.

Use Save to update the file in Box. You can also use Save As to create a new file or save to another Box Drive folder; confirm the selected destination before saving.

 

Why is the Box folder missing from Finder or File Explorer?

Box Drive may not be running. Launch Box Drive from Launchpad or Spotlight on macOS, or from the Start menu on Windows. If it still does not appear, confirm Box Drive is installed, signed in, and supported on the operating system.

 

How should I search for Box Drive content?

Use the Box Drive search interface from the Box icon in the macOS menu bar or Windows system tray. You can search across Box Drive or limit the search to a particular folder.

Native indexing tools such as Spotlight, Finder search, File Explorer search, and Cortana do not index all streamed Box Drive content. The Search in this Folder context-menu action opens Box Drive's search with that folder selected.

 

Why does a newly added item not appear in search immediately?

Search indexing can take a few minutes after an upload finishes. Wait for the upload to complete, then retry the Box Drive search.

 

Which file details and thumbnails can Box Drive display?

Box Drive displays standard properties such as name, size, type, creation date, and modification date. It can show thumbnails for supported document, image, audio, and video formats.

Box Drive generally cannot expose metadata that requires inspecting the file's contents without downloading it. Copying the file outside the Box folder fully downloads it, allowing local applications to inspect that content.

 

Does dragging an item between Box Drive and a local folder copy or move it?

It can move the item rather than copy it. Dragging an item from Box Drive to a local drive can therefore remove it from Box, and dragging a local item into Box Drive can remove it from its original local location.

Use an explicit copy operation when you intend to retain the source.

 

Can I access Box Drive from different machines?

You can make content available offline on a per machine basis. For example, if you're using Box Drive on your work computer as well as your home computer, you can have different content made available offline on each computer. This enables you to tailor to your need the set of content you make available offline for each device. 

 

Where can I see files that Box Drive could not update?

Open Box Drive from the macOS menu bar or Windows system tray, select the gear icon, and choose Error updating an item. The problem-item list displays the affected item and a brief error.

After correcting the cause, Box Drive should remove the notification automatically. If it does not, select Retry All.

Source: Box Drive Problem Item Notifications Due to System or Configuration Errors; Box Drive Problem Item Notifications Due to File Management Errors

 

I am getting an error message when using Box Drive. What does it mean?

Error messages may indicate a problem with a file or folder, a permissions issue, or other technical problem when using Box Drive. Review our Box Drive Problem Item Notifications articles to see if the error message and suggested resolution are available.

 

 

Offline access, caching, and storage

Can I access my files in Box Drive when I am not connected to a network?

Yes. While you must have an active network connection in order to access your all of your Box content in Box Drive, you can mark specific files and folders to be available when offline. See Making Content Available Offline for more details.

 

Can I mark one file for offline use, or must I mark a folder?

Legacy Box Drive for Windows: Only folders can be marked for offline use.

New Box Drive for Windows (Cloud Files architecture): Both individual files and folders can be marked for offline use by selecting Always keep on this device.

macOS before Box Drive v2.52: Only folders can be marked for offline use.

macOS v2.52 and later: Box has announced a rollout of single-file offline support, so both individual files and folders can be marked for offline use after that feature reaches the device.

 

Are Google Workspace files and Box Notes available offline?

No. Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides and Box Notes are online-only formats. They cannot be made available for offline editing through Box Drive.

 

Is there a maximum amount of data that I can use mark for offline use?

Box Drive uses a cache to stream files from the cloud as opposed to downloading all the files to your machine. This cache is set to 25GB or 50% of your hard drive space if your machine has less than 50GB of free space. This cache size is not related to marking folders for offline. Marking folders for offline access downloads the folder and all sub-folders and files to your hard drive. You may mark as many folders for offline access as you choose up until your machine only has 2GB left of free space, at which point you will receive an error that there is not enough disk space.

 

Are offline selections shared across my computers?

No. Offline availability is configured per computer. The folders kept offline on a work computer can differ from those kept offline on a home computer.

 

How do I remove an offline copy without deleting the item from Box?

Right-click the offline folder and select Free up space. This returns the content to an online-only state and removes the downloaded copy from local storage without deleting the Box item.

 

How much hard drive space does Box Drive utilize?

Box Drive utilizes a minimum of 1GB of hard drive space, and not more than 25GBs for locally cached data. See Technical Information for Box Drive Administrators for more details.

 

When does Box Drive remove cached files?

Box Drive can remove an online-only cached file when it has not been modified for 30 days, when a newer version exists in Box, or when the user logs out. Reopening an online-only file downloads it again.

Administrators can adjust the maximum cache age. Reducing it too aggressively can cause repeated downloads and increase network use.

 

Can administrators change the cache size?

On Windows, an administrator can set the MaximumCacheSize registry value under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Box\Box. Box does not recommend a limit below 5 GB because an overly small cache can degrade performance.

The maximum cache size cannot be configured on macOS. 

Caching cannot be disabled completely on either platform.

 

How do I measure Box Drive's actual local disk usage?

Do not use the properties of the top-level Box folder to estimate local usage. On Windows, those values can mirror the system drive rather than the Box Drive cache.

Inspect the cache directory instead:

  • Windows: %LocalAppData%\Box\Box\cache
  • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Box/Box/cache

Remember that offline content can consume space outside the normal cache limit.

 

What is the difference between quitting and logging out?

Quitting stops Box Drive without signing out or deleting local content. Pending changes resume when Box Drive starts again.

Logging out performs a clean logout. It deletes cached content, offline downloads and offline preferences, logs, and unresolved local problem items. Save open work and resolve or recover pending uploads and problem items before logging out.

 

How can I clear my Box Drive data from my computer?

Box Drive features a “clean logout” which clears all local data from your computer when you manually log out of the application. See Using Box Drive Basics for instructions to manually logout of Box Drive.

 

 

Collaboration, locking, and conflicts

 

Should I lock a file before editing it?

Locking can prevent overlapping edits when the application or workflow does not support co-authoring. Right-click the file and use the Box Drive lock action before opening it.

If a file is locked by another collaborator, your changes may not upload. Enhanced automatic or prompted locking is available for supported Windows configurations, but it does not operate while offline and can conflict with Microsoft Office co-authoring.

 

What happens if two people edit the same file?

Box Drive does not merge the edits. If Box detects that another version was saved after a user began editing, it preserves both sets of changes by creating a conflict copy, often with a number or email address appended to the file name.

The collaborators must compare the files and decide which changes to keep.

 

Do collaborators see one another's desktop edits in real time?

Not in a normal Box Drive editing workflow. Changes become visible after a person saves, closes the file, and Box Drive finishes uploading it. This applies to both online and offline work.

Use a supported co-authoring workflow when real-time collaboration is required.

 

 

File, application, and operation limitations

 

Which files does Box Drive ignore or block?

Box Drive ignores several temporary, system, hidden, link, and backup items, including many .tmp and .bak files, hidden files, shortcuts, symbolic links, and hard links.

It blocks formats that are unsafe or unsuitable for synchronization, including Outlook .pst and several QuickBooks file types. Some blocked files can still be stored by uploading them through the Box web app.

 

Which file or folder names are unsupported?

Names can fail if they include unsupported characters, begin or end with spaces, use reserved names, or exceed operating-system path limits. Box names are case-insensitive and accent-insensitive, so two items whose names differ only by case or accents cannot coexist in one folder.

Rename the item locally or on Box, depending on where the unsupported name originated, and retry the operation.

 

Can I use Box Drive as a bulk migration tool?

Box Drive is not suited for mass contents transfer.  See Preparing your content for migration for available options when migrating contents to Box.

 

Can I use Box Drive to copy/paste large amounts of data from one folder to another?

No, Box Drive is not suited for mass copy/paste actions.

  • When you copy and paste a file within Box Drive using File Explorer or Finder, the process involves downloading the file to your local device before making a copy. This copy is then synced back to the web through Box Drive.
  • However, if you choose to perform the copy action directly on the web interface, the request is sent to the server and the copy is created asynchronously on the server side. Unlike Box Drive, there is no need for downloading files when copying on the web, resulting in better performance.

 

Does uploading through Box Drive trigger Box Relay workflows?

The general limitations article states that uploading content through Box Drive does not trigger workflow actions. Use the workflow's supported entry method when automatic processing is required.

 

Can I map the Box Drive folder as a network drive?

No. Box Drive's folder cannot be mapped as a network drive.

 

Can security or asset-management software interfere with Box Drive?

Yes. Endpoint security, encryption, DLP, and asset-management products can cause unexpected behavior if they cannot exclude Box Drive's mounted Box folder. 

Coordinate exclusions with the security administrator rather than disabling protection without approval.

 

Can I use Spotlight, Finder, Windows Explorer, or Cortana to search files in Box?

No, files and folders are being streamed from Box directly and cannot be indexed by these applications. 

 

Does Box Drive support file names that contain special characters?

Box does not support file names with certain special characters. 

 

 

Will Box Drive ever support viewing more file metadata than just file size, date created, etc.?

  • The file data can be obtained when the file is fully downloaded (copied out of box folder), but not through Drive due to its functionality through shell extensions. Box Drive does not support metadata which requires inspecting file contents. This is done to prevent unnecessary download of the file from Box since Drive utilizes fetching and caching to interact with content.
  • The engineering team has no plans to provide metadata through Box Drive in future releases.

 

 

What File Types are Supported for Box Drive Preview/Thumbnails?

  • At this time, the following file types are supported:
    • Documents > doc, docx, gdoc, gsheet, gslide, gslides, odp, ods, odt, pdf, ppt, pptx, rtf, wpd, xls, xlsm, xlsx, key, pages, numbers
    • Images > ai, bmp, dcm, dicm, eps, gif, idml, indd, indt, inx, jpeg, jpg, png, ps, psd, svg, svs, tif, tiff, tga
    • Audio > aac, aifc, aiff, amr, au, flac, m4a, mp3, ogg, ra, wav, wma
    • Video > 3g2, 3gp, avi, m2v, m2ts, m4v, mkv, mov, mp4, mpeg, mpg, ogg, mts, qt, wmv

 

 

Administration and virtual environments

 

Can the Box Drive folder location be changed?

On Windows, an administrator can configure a different parent directory on an internal drive with the CustomBoxLocation registry value under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Box\Box. Configure it before installation when possible, grant users the required file-system permissions, and restart Box Drive.

The custom location cannot be an external drive, network drive, Box Sync folder, or a location within Box Sync. Current macOS File Provider-based versions do not support a custom mount location.

 

Why does Box Drive say it cannot use the specified location?

The Box folder may have been redirected to a custom location where the user lacks write access. Confirm the configured path and ensure the user can create content in its parent directory.

If permissions cannot be corrected, revert to the default Box Drive location. Test custom locations with a small deployment group before broad rollout.

 

Does Box Drive support VDI, Remote Desktop, or multi-user Windows systems?

Box documents support for selected persistent and non-persistent VDI and Remote Desktop configurations, with limitations. For the newer Windows architecture, both %LocalAppData%\Box\Box and the mount location must be persistent.

In Windows Server environments, auto-update is disabled and administrators must update Box Drive when no active session is using it. Test the exact virtual environment before production deployment.

 

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