Box: Move and Copy Files and Folders

You can move or copy a file or folder by dragging it, or by using the Move or Copy window.

Drag and drop

Drag the file or folder from its current location and drop it onto the destination folder, as you would on your desktop. This moves the item.

Use the Move or Copy window

1. Right-click the file or folder and click Move or Copy. You can also click the ellipsis (...) to the right of the item, or select the item and click the ellipsis (...) in the upper-right part of the screen.
2. Find the destination folder. Scroll if needed, and click a folder to see its subfolders.
3. Click anywhere in the destination folder's row. The circle next to it fills in to show it's selected.
   
4. Click Move or Copy.

Move or copy several items at once

1. Select the items:
   • Items next to each other: hold Shift and click next to the items you want.
   • Items scattered through the list: on Windows, hold Ctrl and click next to each item. On a Mac, hold Command and click next to each item.
2. Click the ellipsis (...) in the upper-right part of the screen to open the Move or Copy window, then follow steps 2–4 above.

Moving large folders

Moving a large folder, such as one with thousands of files or many subfolders, can take several minutes or longer. Until the move finishes, the source and destination folders and all their subfolders are locked. You can't move, copy, delete or restore anything in them.

When the destination folder is shared more widely

When you move or copy an item, the destination folder's access permissions take priority over the permissions the item had before. Before you finish, Box warns you if the destination could expose your content more widely, which happens when:

• the destination folder contains files shared with an external collaborator (someone outside Cornell), or
• the destination folder, or any folder above it, contains files with an open shared link.

For example, suppose only Cornell people can access your "Project A" folder, and you move it into "Project B". If someone outside Cornell collaborates on even one file in "Project B", the files from "Project A" could now be shared outside Cornell. Box shows an alert first, so you can continue or cancel and pick a different destination.

Alert when the destination folder or its contents have an open shared link:

Alert when the destination folder or its contents include external collaborators:

Box shows a similar alert when the destination folder or its contents are owned or co-owned by an external collaborator.

For more detail, see Box's article Moving and Copying Files & Folders.

Confidential data: Don't store Confidential data in Box. If you have a business need to store Confidential data, submit a request and we'll provide an approved storage location. For details, see the Regulated Data Chart.

[authored via Jane by aca34 on 2026-10-01 19:06 UTC]