What is Background Uploading in Dropbox?

Shreyas Patil SEO
Shreyas PatilUpdated :
What is Background Uploading in Dropbox?

Background uploading is a useful feature in Dropbox that allows you to continue working on your computer while files are uploading in the background. With background uploading, you don't have to wait for your files to fully sync to Dropbox before getting back to work.

Visit the official Dropbox website


How Background Uploading Works

  • Dropbox runs in the background while you work - it doesn't interrupt your workflow
  • When you make changes to local Dropbox files, the updates are queued to upload
  • Dropbox will periodically upload the changes in batches
  • You'll see a green check mark on files once they finish uploading

This allows you to continue editing, saving, and working on Dropbox files even while they're still uploading.


Benefits of Background Uploading

Background uploading offers a few key advantages:

Stay Productive

You don't have to wait around for files to sync to keep working. The uploads happen behind the scenes.

Works Offline

Even without an internet connection, you can keep editing files in Dropbox. The changes will automatically sync when you're back online.

Saves Bandwidth

By uploading changes in batches, Dropbox avoids constantly transferring tiny file fragments over the internet. This helps save bandwidth.

Low Computer Resource Usage

The uploads won't slow down your computer by taking up processing power and memory. Dropbox minimizes its resource usage.

Sync Large Files

Upload huge files without interrupting your computer usage. The big sync will run smoothly in the background.


Where to Find Background Uploads

The Dropbox desktop app shows you when background uploads are happening with a green sync icon in the system tray.

You can check the Uploads view to monitor active uploads and pending changes. The Progress tab also shows real-time file transfer speeds and percentage completed.


Managing Your Upload Speed

If background uploads are using too much bandwidth, you can throttle the speeds in Dropbox Settings:

  • Limit the upload rate
  • Set upload restrictions during certain times
  • Temporarily pause syncing

This lets you fine-tune background uploading so it doesn't disrupt your internet performance.


Quick Tip to ensure your videos never go missing

Download PicBackMan

Videos are precious memories and all of us never want to ever lose them to hard disk crashes or missing drives. PicBackMan is the easiest and simplest way to keep your videos safely backed up in one or more online accounts. Simply Download PicBackMan (it's free!), register your account, connect to your online store and tell PicBackMan where your videos are - PicBackMan does the rest, automatically. It bulk uploads all videos and keeps looking for new ones and uploads those too. You don't have to ever touch it.


Troubleshooting Background Uploads

Here are some tips if you're having issues with background uploads:

  • Check your internet connection - uploads require an active connection
  • Free up disk space if your storage is full
  • Reset the file sync state if uploads get stuck
  • Contact Dropbox support if uploads keep failing


FAQs About Background Uploading

Does background uploading work on mobile?

No, background uploading is only available in the desktop Dropbox apps. Mobile apps will fully sync files before letting you resume work.

Can I disable background uploading?

Yes, you can disable it in the Dropbox desktop settings. Then files will sync fully before you can access them.

How can I tell if background upload is happening?

Look for the green sync icon in your system tray or the Uploads view in the Dropbox desktop app. This indicates background uploads are in progress.

What happens if I lose internet during a background upload?

The upload will pause and automatically resume when you regain an internet connection. All your file changes will eventually sync.

Does Dropbox also do background downloading?

Yes, Dropbox can simultaneously download and sync changes in the background while you work on files.


Conclusion

Background uploading is an essential Dropbox feature that enables seamless synchronization without interrupting workflow. Keeping changes queuing in the background ensures files stay up-to-date across devices while you remain productive. Configuring upload settings provides flexibility in managing bandwidth usage. Understanding how background uploads function helps you take full advantage of seamless Dropbox sync.

World's #1 Photo/Video Uploader

Backup & Transfer your Photos in Minutes

Automate backup & migration of your photos & videos with support for all top services.

(283 reviews)

Trusted by users in 125+ countries.

95,000+ PicBackMan Users

95,000+ Users Trust PicBackMan To Backup Precious Memories

money back guarantee
Kip Roof testimonial Kip Roofgoogle photos flickr
PicBackMan does exactly what it's supposed to. It's quick and efficient. It runs unobtrusively in the background and has done an excellent job of uploading more than 300GB of photos to 2 different services. After having lost a lot of personal memories to a hard drive crash, it's nice to know that my photos are safe in 2 different places.
Julia Alyea Farella testimonialJulia Alyea Farella smugmug
LOVE this program! Works better than ANY other program out there that I have found to upload thousands of pictures WITH SUB-FOLDERS to SmugMug! Thank you so much for what you do! :) #happycustomer
Pausing Motion testimonialPausingMotionsmugmug
I pointed PicBackMan at a directory structure, and next time I looked - all the photos had uploaded! Pretty cool. I use SmugMug and while I really like it, the process of creating directories in is pretty laborious when you need to make 80+ at a time. This was a breeze. Thank you!
Gavin Whitham testimonialGavin Whithamflickr
PicBackMan was really easy to setup and has been running for 3 days now backing up all my locally saved photos to Flickr. My photos are really valuable to me so it's great to be able to have them easily backed up to a secure location.
 Jim Griffin testimonialJim Griffinsmugmug
It's AWESOME!! I have tens of thousands of pictures...and they are now successfully uploaded to SmugMug, where they are safely backed up, and I can edit and organize them. If you are hesitating about using PicBackMan, hesitate no longer...try it...and you'll be glad you did!!
close icon
World's #1 Photo/Video Uploader

World's #1 Free Photo/Video Uploader

PicBackMan has everything you've ever wanted to backup your photos or migrate/transfer from one account to another. No feature left behind!

(283 reviews)
Trusted by users in 125+ countries.
  • Maintain Folder StructureMaintain Folder StructureUpload to your online accounts & keep your folder structure as you have it.
  • Sub-folder SupportFolders & their sub-folders are automatically picked up.
  • Smart De-dupeDe-dupes photos before uploading so you don’t have duplicate copies.
  • AutomaticPicBackMan monitors & automatically uploads from connected folders.
  • PrivacyPrivacyAll uploaded photos & videos are always marked as private by default.
  • RAW FilesComes with support for RAW files for uploads as well as transfers.

“Your pictures are scattered. PicBackMan helps you bring order to your digital memories.”

the wall street journal
close icon
One Uploader for All Services

One Uploader for All Services

PicBackMan is the only tool you will need to backup to one or more of the top online photo and video services.

(283 reviews)
Trusted by users in 125+ countries.
Google Photos

Google Photos

Flickr

Flickr

SmugMug

SmugMug

Dropbox

Dropbox

Google Drive

Google Drive

pCloud

pCloud

OneDrive

OneDrive

youtube

Youtube