Box: Guides (Future State)

Find Box Guides for Washington University users.

Collaboration with BJC

In April of 2018, BJC shut down their enterprise Box environment, making it challenging for WashU and BJC colleagues to collaborate via Box.  For WashU clinicians and researchers who still have large amounts of data in their WashU Box accounts and want to share it with BJC colleagues, you can use the following methods:

To allow BJC collaborators to securely view and download files from a WashU Box folder:

  1. Login to WashU Box in a web browser and navigate to the folder/document you want to share with BJC
  2. Click the Share button next to the folder/document and click Create shared link
  3. Below the new shared link, in the bottom left corner of the dialog, change the drop-down menu from Invited people only to People with the link
  4. On the Shared Link dialog box, click the Link Settings link to open the Shared Link Settings pane
  5. In the Shared Link Settings page, click the Require Password checkbox, set a strong password, then click Save
  6. Click the Copy button to copy the Box link URL
  7. Click Close
  8. Email the link that you copied to your BJC collaborators and securely deliver the password that will allow them to use the link

To allow BJC collaborators to upload files to a WashU Box folder:

  1. Login to WashU Box in a web browser and navigate to the folder you want to allow BJC collaborators to upload to
  2. Click on the More Options “…” button next to the folder, then click File Request
  3. Once the File Request dialog opens, select your desired options under the Customize Options section (if any)
  4. Copy the File Request Link
  5. Email the link that you copied to your BJC collaborators and they can then upload files
Integrating Box and Office Apps

If you use the Microsoft Office mobile apps for iOS (iPhone or iPad), you can open your Office documents directly from your WashU Box account and save changes. Follow the instructions below to take advantage of this integration:

  1. If you have not done so already, download and activate the Office for iOS apps using your Office 365 account by following the instructions here
  2. Next, download the Box for iOS app and login to your WashU Box account within the app:
    • Open the Box Sync app
    • When prompted, click “Use Company Credentials”
    • Enter your @wustl.edu or @washu.edu email address
    • Click “Log In”
    • When prompted, enter your WashU Key username and password
  3. Open your desired Office mobile app (such as Word)
HIPAA & FERPA Secure External Collaboration

WashU Box provides a secure, HIPAA and FERPA compliant method for collaborating with people outside of Washington University in St. Louis. While Box provides a number of ways to collaborate, below is a recommended method for securely collaborating with people outside of WashU:

  1. Login to the WashU Box web app
  2. Create a new folder that will be used to collaborate between WashU and your external partners
  3. Next to the new folder, click Share an then click Invite Collaborators
  4. Enter in the email addresses of the external individuals that you want to collaborate with (Note: You can use any email addresses that your invitees regularly use, including personal email addresses if needed.)
  5. Select an appropriate level of permissions
  6. Click Send 
  7. Upload appropriate content to the new folder

If the people you have invited already have a Box account associated with the email address that you invited, then all they need to to is login to their existing Box account and they can access your new folder.  If the people you invited do not already have a WashU Box account, have them create a free personal Box account using the following steps:

  1. Visit box.com/pricing/individual and click Sign Up under the Individual plan.
  2. Enter in your full name, email address, password, phone number, and country
  3. Important: Use the same email address that was invited as a collaborator on WashU Box folders
  4. Click Submit
  5. Look for an email from Box to validate your email address and complete the signup process
  6. Login to your new free personal Box account at app.box.com using the email address and password that you entered in step 2
  7. Once you are logged in, you should see the folders that WashU has invited you to have access to
Post-Grad Box Account Transition

Students who have recently graduated or left the university will retain access to their WashU Box account for 90 days after departure. This is to allow student time to transition their content to a free, personal Box account if they choose to do so. If no action is taken, your WashU Box account will be deactivated and deleted 90 days after departure. 

NOTE: The “Box account transfer utility” is no longer available, so the instructions below explain how to create a free personal Box account and transfer your files.  Your new personal Box account will be subject to the box.com upload and file size limitations.

Step 1 – Create a free, personal Box account using a personal email address:

  • In a browser where you are not logged into any WashU systems, visit Box.com.
  • Click Get started.
  • Click Individuals & Teams.
  • Under the Individual Free section, click Sign up.
  • Follow additional steps from Box to create and activate your free personal Box account.  

Step 2 – Invite your personal Box account to have access to your WashU Box content: 

  • Navigate to the folder (or folders) that you want to keep after graduation.
  • NOTE: If you want to move everything, you can move all of your personal Box files/folders into a single Box folder that you create and name something like, My WashU Box Files.
  • On the folder(s) you are going to migrate, click the radio button to the right of the folder name to select the folder(s.)
  • Click the Share button to open the sharing pane.
  • Enter in the email address you used to create your personal Box account.
  • Change the access level from Editor to Co-Owner.
  • Click Send.
  • On the folder(s) that you want to migrate, click the radio button to the right of the folder name highlight the folder.
  • Next to the name of your personal Box account that is co-owner on the folder, click the … button and change permissions for your personal Box account from Co-owner to Owner.
  • When prompted to make sure you want to change ownership, click Okay
  • The folder is now transferred to your personal Box account.

Step 3 – Remove your WashU Box account from your content:

  • In a browser where you are not logged into any WashU systems, log back into your personal Box account.
  • Go to the folder(s) that you just transferred to your personal Box account and click the radio button to the right of the folder name highlight the folder. 
  • On the list of collaborators on the folder, click the … button next to your WashU Box account and then click Remove.
Upload Embed Widgets

In some cases, it is helpful to setup a simple way for people to upload files to a specific folder without having to worry about logging in or signing up for a Box account.  In these instances, it is recommended that you create an “Upload Embed Widget” using the steps below:

  1. Login to your WashU Box account
  2. Next to the folder you want people to upload to, click on the More Options button and then select File Request
  3. In the window that pops up, toggle Enable link
  4. Adjust settings as needed and preview if you’d like
  5. Copy the URL and then email it to the individuals that you want to have upload to the folder
FTPS

Some customers may wish to access their WUSTL Box storage directly via encrypted FTP (FTPS) connections.  While these types of connections are generally slower than using the Box web interface, they can be a good option if you have a large amount of data to upload or you need to access Box from a Linux machine with no web browser.

Before accessing your WashU Box account via FTPS, you need to create an external Box password by taking the following steps:

  1. Login to the WashU Box web interface using your WashU Key
  2. Click on your name on the top right and select “Account Settings”
  3. Scroll down to the “Authentication” section and click “Create password”
  4. On the create password dialog, enter your desired password into the New password field and Confirm password fields, then click Save
  5. Note: You will use this external password to connect Box in some applications such as FTP clients. You will still use your WashU Key to log into Box in a browser.

To connect via FTPS:

  1. Open your FTP software of choice (note, if using FileZilla, see below)
  2. When prompted for what server to connect to, enter: ftp.box.com
  3. When prompted for what port to use, enter: 990
  4. Enter your @wustl.edu or @washu.edu email address as your username
  5. Enter your Box “External password” (created above) as your password

To connect via FTPS using FileZilla:

  1. Install FileZilla
  2. In the FileZilla application, click the File menu and select Site Manager
  3. Click New Site, and then give the site a name such as “WashU Box”
  4. Under the General tab for your new site, enter the following:
    1. Host: ftp.box.com
    2. Port: Leave blank
    3. Protocol: FTP – File Transer Protocol
    4. Encryption: Require implicit FTP over TLS
    5. Logon Type: Normal
    6. User: Enter your @wustl.edu or @washu.edu email address
    7. Password: Enter your Box “External password” (created above) as your password
  5. Click Connect
  6. The first time you connect, you will see an Unknown certificate warning – this is expected
  7. On the Unknown certificate warning, click Always trust certificate for future sessions and then click OK

Tips to enhance bulk uploads speeds when using FileZilla:

  1. Click the Edit menu and then select Settings
  2. Under the left-side settings menu, click Transfers
  3. Change the Maximum simultaneous transfers from the default of 2 to the maximum of 10
  4. Click OK
Log in to WashU Box

WashU Box

Storage Quota Change Information

Appropriate Use Guidelines

Best Practices

Box Apps

Guides

FAQs