Box on Android with AnExplorer
Box is an enterprise and personal cloud storage service with strong collaboration features and compliance certifications (HIPAA, FedRAMP, SOC 2). AnExplorer integrates with Box directly — allowing you to browse Box folders, download files, and upload from your phone without leaving the file manager.
Box is particularly popular in corporate environments. AnExplorer's integration lets you manage Box files alongside your phone's local storage and any network shares in a single workflow.
How to Connect Box
- Open AnExplorer
- Tap + in the sidebar
- Select Box
- A Box login page opens — sign in with your Box credentials
- Authorize AnExplorer to access your Box account
- Box appears as a storage location in the AnExplorer sidebar
Box uses OAuth2 for authentication, so AnExplorer never stores your Box password directly.
What You Can Do
| Action | Notes |
|---|---|
| Browse Box folders | All folders you own and collaborations |
| Download files to phone | Copy > Paste to local path |
| Upload from phone to Box | Copy local file > Paste to Box folder |
| Move files within Box | Cut > Paste to new Box folder |
| Delete files | Long-press > Delete |
| Browse shared/collaborated folders | Appears under "All Files" in Box hierarchy |
| Open documents | Opens in compatible app on device |
Box vs Dropbox vs OneDrive
| Box | Dropbox | OneDrive | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free storage | 10 GB | 2 GB | 5 GB |
| Enterprise compliance (HIPAA, FedRAMP) | ✅ | ⚠️ Limited | ✅ |
| Microsoft Office integration | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ Native |
| Collaboration features | ✅ Excellent | ✅ Good | ✅ Good |
| Price (entry paid) | $10/month | $10/month | ~$6/month (M365) |
| AnExplorer support | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
Box's free plan gives you 10 GB — more than Dropbox's 2 GB. If you're in a regulated industry (healthcare, government) Box's compliance certifications matter.
Box for Business Users
If your company uses Box Business or Enterprise, you may have:
- Box Shield (content security policy) — AnExplorer can still read/write to folders you have permission to access
- Managed Users — sign in with your company email + Box password
- External Collaborations — shared folders from clients appear under "Collaborated Folders" in Box
AnExplorer works as long as your Box account has API access enabled (which is the default for all Box plans).
Use Case: Copy Files Between Box and NAS
A common enterprise workflow:
- Connect Box account in AnExplorer
- Also connect your office NAS via SMB
- In AnExplorer, copy a file from Box and paste it directly to the NAS share in one operation (no desktop PC needed)
- Or reverse — take a file from the NAS and upload to Box to share with a client
Troubleshooting
Sign-in issues:
- If your company uses SSO (single sign-on), the Box login page should redirect to your identity provider (e.g., Okta, Azure AD) — complete authentication there
- Two-factor authentication is completed in the browser login view
Files or folders missing:
- Check if the folder is in a specific Box "All Files" path — AnExplorer shows the same view as the Box web app
- Some folders may have download restrictions set by your Box admin
Related Guides
- Connect Dropbox to Android
- Connect OneDrive to Android
- Connect pCloud to Android
- SMB / Network storage access