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Using Box to Store and Share Files

LOGGING INTO BOX ONLINE

 

  1. In a web browser, navigate to box.northwestern.edu
  2. Click the “Continue” button. You will be redirected to Online Passport. Enter your Net ID and password.

USING BOX ONLINE

 

  1. To add a file or folder from your PC, simply drag it into the Box screen. Alternatively, you can click the “Upload” dropdown button in the upper right-hand corner of the screen and chose the items using File Explorer/Finder

Pictured: Box home screen with Upload button in upper right-hand corner

  1. You can create folders within Box as well. Click the “New” dropdown button in the upper right-hand corner of the screen. You will be prompted to name the folder as well as invite any collaborators, if desired.

FAVORITES

  1. Select the Folder or File(s) you wish to make a favorite. Click the … tab next to the item and select “Add to Favorites”.

Star is blank; click to make favorite

  1. Alternatively, for folders (not files), you can select the star icon at the top of the page. Click the star, which will turn its color to yellow.
  2. All favorites will appear on the left-hand side of the Box menu.

SHARING/ASSIGNING PERMISSIONS

 

  1. To share a folder, open or highlight the folder and click the “Sharing” tab on the right-hand side of the page, and click the “Share this Folder” button.

Sharing Tab

  1. To add users, search by entering their NU email address. Add as many users as desired.
  2. You can control the level of permission the user has. Click the “Invite as…” dropdown to read the different levels of permission and choose the level you believe the users need.

Invite People window with field for adding email addresses and different permission levels

REQUESTING PERMISSION FOR NEW USER

1. If a new user needs permission to a specific resource managed by SPS IT, the user’s director should request that permission via the SPS Help Desk.

 

NOTIFICATIONS

  1. To manage notifications, click the area in the upper right-hand corner of the screen that has your initials. From the dropdown, select “Account Settings”.

Left: Initials dropdown; Right: Sharing tab and Email notifications area

  1. Select the “Sharing” tab.
  2. On the Sharing screen, scroll down to the “Email notifications” section. Check or uncheck boxes for notifications for different actions on items you own and/or items you’ve joined.
  3. You can also override the global settings for a specific file or folder. Click the … menu for that item and select “Settings”. In the Settings menu, scroll to the “Email and Notifications” section, select “Override default settings for this folder and all subfolders” and check the boxes for which you wish to receive notifications.

BOX DRIVE

  1. To download the Box Drive installer, visit http://box.com/drive and select from the Windows 32/64 bit versions, or the Mac version. (NOTE: Windows 8.1 is not supported for this application).
  2. To login, enter your NU email and click the “Continue” button. You will be directed to the Online Passport; enter your Net ID and password to log in.
  3. Your Box will be created as a folder in File Explorer/Finder. You can open files from as you would for any desktop application that supports the files.

Box folder mounted in Windows Explorer

  1. Save the files back to the Box folder. The saved/changed file will be uploaded automatically into the Box cloud.

BOX FOR OFFICE ONLINE

  1. To open a Word/Excel/PowerPoint file with Office Online, find the file, click the … menu, click “Open With”, and choose “(Word/Excel/PowerPoint) Online”. The file will open in the application in the browser.

… menu with “Open with…” selected and option for Excel Online

NOTE: It is recommended that Office Online be used for shared files, because multiple users can have the file open at the same time and their changes will be combined in the same document, rather than creating multiple versions of the document.