In this walkthrough, we will cover:

• How to connect your External Hard Drive
• Transferring Files to your External Hard Drive
• Recommended External Hard Drives
• GNARBOX 1.0 transfer speeds
• Best Practices
• Troubleshooting Connected Devices

How to connect your External Hard Drive

GNARBOX is compatible with the following formats:

• HFS+ (Mac OS Extended Journaled)
• NTFS
• FAT32 (MS-DOS)

This means your Mac or PC formatted drives will work seamlessly with the GNARBOX.

1. Connect to your GNARBOX and open the app to finalize connection.
2. Plug your external hard drive into the USB3.0 or USB2.0 port.
3. Select Devices in the upper left-hand corner of the GNARBOX app home screen
4. You’ll see your connected external hard drive appear on the Devices screen.

Note: USB-C external hard drives will need to use a USB-C to USB3.0 cable, or use a USBC to USB3.0 dongle to connect to the GNARBOX.

Transferring Files to your External Hard Drive

Files can be transferred to an external hard drive directly from a memory card or from the internal GNARBOX storage.

Transfer from a Memory Card to your External Hard Drive

1. From the Devices screen, select List or Thumbnail view.  For a faster loading time, we recommend List view.
2. Select your memory card.
3. Click Select in the upper right and then tap to select the files with you to transfer.  If you wish to transfer all of your files, click Select All.
4. Click Copy to... at the bottom of the screen.
5. Select your External Hard Drive for the transfer destination.
6. If you're viewing your files in List view, you'll have the option to create a new folder or use a generated date/time folder.  If you choose to create a new folder, you'll be prompted to enter the name of the folder or subfolder you'd like to create.  Then click Create in the upper right corner.  If you choose to use a generated date/time folder, your transfer will automatically begin.
7. The status of your transfer can be tracked in the Task Manager.  To view the Task Manager, tap the rotating arrow icon at the top of the screen.

Transfer from your GNARBOX to your External Hard Drive

Using Thumbnail View:

1. From the home screen, tap to view your files.
2. Click Select in the upper right and tap to select the files you wish to transfer.  If you wish to transfer all of your files, click Select All. 
3. Click the Share icon at the bottom of the screen.
4. Select your External Hard Drive for the transfer destination.
5. The status of your transfer can be tracked in the Task Manager.  To view the Task Manager, tap the rotating arrow icon at the top of the screen.

Using Folders View:

1. From the Folders screen, click Select in the upper right and tap to select the files/folders you wish to transfer.  If you wish to transfer all of your files, click Select All.
2. Click Copy to... on the bottom right of the screen.
3. Select your External Hard Drive for the transfer destination.
4. The status of your transfer can be tracked in the Task Manager.  To view the Task Manager, tap the rotating arrow icon at the top of the screen.

**Note: The GNARBOX internal storage is currently formatted as FAT32 which has a 4GB file size limit, meaning you will not be able to transfer files 4GB or greater.**

Recommended External Hard Drives

Below you will find information on a few of our favorite external hard drives that span a wide range of usability.  The following matrix includes 6 external hard drives we enjoy, their price, speed, and portability. "SM" denotes memory sticks that are perfect for ultra-light travel, while "MED" refers to external hard drives that are compact for travel, but are also regularly used as desktop storage devices.

	SSD/HDD	Size	Price	Speed	Ruggedized	Storage
LaCie Rugged Mini	HDD	MED	$149.99	USB3.0	X	4TB
WD MyPassport Ultra	HDD	MED	$94.24	USB3.0		1TB
Seagate Backup Plus Slim	HDD	MED	$64.99	USB3.0		2TB
Samsung T5	SSD	MED	$469.99	USB3.0 / USB-C		1TB
Kingston Digital DataTraveler	Flash	SM	$11.99	USB2.0	X	32GB
SanDisk CZ48	Flash	SM	$26.14	USB3.0	X	128GB

GNARBOX 1.0 transfer speeds

The transfer speeds of photos and videos can vary depending on the external hard drive you are transferring to and from. The chart below will give you insight to the read/write speeds of the various GNARBOX inputs.

GNARBOX Input	Read / Write Speed
USB2.0	~48MB/s (2.9 GB/min)
USB3.0	~100 MB/s (6 GB/min)

 

Best Practices

#1 - Don't charge your GNARBOX while transferring or exporting files.  
This includes exporting photo/video, transferring files from a card, exporting to your phone/tablet, etc.  Because of the way power is distributed through the GNARBOX, it is unable to process exports/transfers while charging.  Doing so can cause the device to brownout and power down.

#2 - When you first connect your external hard drive, be sure to let it sit for a few minutes to allow video previews to generate.  
This will help reduce any frustration in waiting for files to transcode.  If there are a lot of video files on your hard drive, you may need to let it sit for 10mins before attempting to preview the files.

#3 - When using multiple devices (hard drive, card reader, phone), make sure they don't pull more than a total of 1AMP of power.  
Pulling more than 1AMP of power will cause the drive to malfunction.  If you have multiple devices connected and notice that your GNARBOX is not functioning properly, eject all devices or power the GNARBOX down.

#4 - Keep your GNARBOX app and firmware up to date. 
Our development team is constantly updating and upgrading the GNARBOX, so be sure you are actively receiving those updates via the App Store or Google Play Store.

#5 - If you are experiencing any issues, first try restarting your GNARBOX and quitting the app.  
You can always reach out to our customer support team at support@gnarbox.com for further assistance!

#6 - The maximum file size for a video is 4GB.  
Files larger than 4GB will fail to import.

#7 - Do not format your GNARBOX. 
If you wish to erase all data on your box, simply select all files and delete in the app. Alternatively, you can plug your GNARBOX into your computer and move all files to the trash. Be sure to empty the trash can on your computer before ejecting your GNARBOX. If you have difficulty clearing the data from your box, contact us at support@gnarbox.com for instructions.

Troubleshooting Connected Devices

Can I use my phone while a transfer is taking place?
While transferring files from your memory card to GNARBOX or external hard drive, you can pretty much do anything! You can navigate out of the app, close the screen of your phone, or even disconnect from the GNARBOX. Since the transfer is taking place between the GNARBOX and a memory card, your phone isn't necessary except to track the progress of the transfer. The only time you are not able to navigate away from the app or close the screen of your phone is if you are transferring files from your GNARBOX to your phone.

Why is my drive/device not showing up?
If you are using the USB3.0 (blue) port and you are in Mass Storage mode, your drive will not show up. To switch out of Mass Storage Mode, go into the app settings, and select “USB3 Mode” > select “Normal”.

My external hard drive is saying there’s only a small amount of space available for me to transfer to.  Why is this happening?
This is happening because your GNARBOX is reading a small partition of your external hard drive. To fix this, format your external hard drive on your computer and reconnect it to your GNARBOX.  We recommend using NTFS and HFS+ formats to avoid this issue.

Can I transfer photos and videos off my phone onto the GNARBOX?
Yes!  Check out our full tutorial here.

 

Technical Support and Troubleshooting

Need assistance?  We’re here for you!  Browse our walkthroughs for full tutorials and troubleshooting tips.  If you’d like one-on-one assistance, you can always email us at support@gnarbox.com or use our live chat in the bottom right!

  Live Chat Hours:

Mon-Fri: 10AM–5PM PST