How can I numerically sort my files?

Question

I wanted to upload the files in my folder in a particular order. When I found that I had not uploaded a file in the proper order, I initially attempted to move it by dragging it to the place I wanted it. But that didn't work. I tried selecting a file, but that didn't do anything. I found a move file command, but that only moves a file to another folder, not within a folder. Eventually, I found that I could establish a naming convention and sort files by numerical order. But when I put the word "Number" in the keyword box, that's what I got preceding the title of each file, not a number. When I used the number 1, each file was prefaced with the number 1. I then tried 123 and, you guessed it, each file had 123 in front of it. How do I get it to sort by a numerical order I set? And is it possible to insert a document into the order by adding the number myself and re-sort?

Hannah · Answer

What kind of sorting have you chosen for the files, @jazzbby?

Is it possible to send us a screenshot? You can hide the file names of course, if you want.

jazzbby · Answer

Hi, Nancy:

I've tried adding numbers to my files manually. I can do that by renaming the files. But the files are not in the order I want, and I don't know how to get Dropbox to sort them. I had to revise the initial memo in my file that should be the first document, but now it's at the bottom of the folder. So, I tried putting a number 1 on it and adding subsequent numbers to other files in the order I wanted. I only did five as a sample. Right now, 1 is at the bottom. Then, even though I numbered them in order, Dropbox shifted them around, so now they are in the order of 4, 5, and 3. Is there a way to add numbers to out of order files and get Dropbox to sort them for me? I only have a free account. Thanks for your help!

Nancy · Answer

Thanks for posting your question here, @jazzbby!

In this case, what you’ll need to do is to manually add the number of your choice to the name of the file/folder (i.e. 1. filename, 2. filename etc). By doing this, Dropbox will automatically organize your files/folders numerically.

However, if you wish to add more files later on among the rest, you’ll need to update the numbers/names of the rest of your content, as well.

If I’ve misunderstood something though, let me know.