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Box Sync and Box Drive are two separate desktop applications that give you the ability to access Box content from your desktop environment. Box Drive replaces Box Sync, offering faster performance, reduced local storage usage, and enhanced security. Upon deployment, Box Drive automatically removes Box Sync and preserves any unsynced files in a renamed folder called “Archived – Box Sync.” See the Related Links section below for more information, plus install instructions for both individual and large-scale deployments of Box Drive.
Note Box Drive does locally cache files that you have opened. Box Drive’s cache size limit is based on your free disk space (50% of available space) and has a maximum limit of 25 GB. If you reach this limit, Box Drive begins removing files, starting with those files that have gone the longest without your accessing them. Also, if a cached file has a new version created on Box, Box Drive discards the locally cached version.
Here is a breakdown of Box Drive and Box Sync capabilities: End-User Functionality
Box SyncBox Drive
Lock content for editing✓✓
Mac Package Support✓✓
Redirect known desktop folders like Documents and Desktop to Box (on Windows)✓✓
Mark content for offline access✓✓
Create and retrieve a Shared link✓✓
Manage collaborators✓
Change the mount location of the Box folder on your computer (enables shared links)✓✓
Change the cache location of Box files and data✓✓
Mark content for offline access✓ - (folder granularity in Windows & macOS)✓ - (at a file granularity in Windows & folder granularity in macOS)
Search and view all the content in your Box account (including read-only)✓
Upload content to any Box folder/ Open files from any Box folder✓
Co-authoring Office files, lets multiple people open and edit the same Office file at the same time, with everyone seeing changes in real-time.✓
Auto-lock Office file for editing, preventing edit conflicts by automatically locking an Office file on open✓
Large file support (up to 500GB based on the pricing tier)✓
ARM support on Mac & Win✓
Ability to view Box content on desktop without having to sync down all the content and eat up local storage✓
Ability to seamlessly access Box capabilities associated with Box content in finder/ Explorer via context menu: * Creating a new Box Note / Box Canvas * Sending documents to Sign * Managing collaborators✓
See progress on File transfers✓
Admin Functionality
Box SyncBox Drive
Device Pinning✓
Device Trust✓✓
Box Verified Enterprise✓✓
Auto-updates without user requiring admin rights✓✓
Shield integrations and policy enforcements✓
FRH support✓
Virtual Desktop Support
Box DriveBox Sync
Configuration
Integrationsx*x*
Remote Desktop✓x*
VDI (persistent)✓✓
VDI (non-persistent)✓x
* Appropriate only if you are running on a client PC (not on an RDS/Terminal Services server). In addition, you must enable client drive mapping from the RDS/Terminal Services server to save content into Box. Related Links Uninstalling Box Sync when you install Box Drive
Migrating from Box Sync to Box Drive
Installing and Updating Box Drive
Large Scale Deployments of Box Drive
Box Sync Troubleshooting Basics
Download Box Drive
Using Box Drive Basics