Skip to main content
Note: End of Life (EOL) has been announced for Box Sync effective December 2026. For more information visit the official announcement page.
Some Box Sync users may want to set their Box Sync folder as their home directory - the default place on your computer where content is saved. This is convenient for users who want their desktop applications (for example, the Office suite) to save files to Box by default. It is not possible to configure Box Sync to use “C:\Users<my-name>\Documents” as the folder that Box will synchronize, as Box Sync must create the synchronized folder itself. However, there are a couple ways that users can work around this restriction.
Disclaimer: Please note that the configurations identified in this document are not officially supported by Box and any configuration changes performed by users or organizations are at your own risk. As these configurations reference changes made to individual machines, Box User Services is not able to provide support and assistance in trouble shooting any issues encountered. 

​
1. Store files saved to “My Documents” in your Box Sync folder

Although you cannot use your Documents library as your synced folder, you can modify the location where files in the “My Documents” folder are stored. Setting this location as your Box Sync folder will mean that any files saved to “My Documents” are actually stored in the Box Sync folder.
  • Right-click on “My Documents,” then select Properties to open the properties menu.
  • Select the Location tab.
  • Click Move…, then choose the Box Sync folder.
  • Apply all changes. Files saved to “My Documents” will now automatically be stored in the Box Sync folder.

​
2. Add your Box Sync folder to your “Documents” library

Alternatively, you can set your Box Sync folder as one of the locations included in your Documents library, then set the folder as the default save location.
  • Right-click on the “Documents” library in the sidebar of the explorer, then select Properties to open the properties menu. The menu should display the Library tab by default.
  • Click Include a Folder…, then select your Box Sync folder to add it to the library. Content in your Box Sync folder will now appear in the “Documents” Library.
  • Once you have added the Box Sync folder, select it in the window, then click Set Save Location to set the Box Sync folder as your default save location.
  • If you’d like your “Documents” library to contain only synced files, you can remove the original “My Documents” folder from the library by selecting it and clicking Remove.
  • Apply all changes.