Dropbox and Google Drive are two of the most popular cloud storage services on the planet, and neither one has any idea the other exists. There's no setting in either app to sync a folder from one to the other — if you've gone looking for it, that's why you haven't found it. Here's how to actually move files from Dropbox to Google Drive (or the other way around) today, and what it takes to do it for real.
Why Dropbox and Google Drive don't talk to each other
Dropbox and Google Drive are competitors, not partners, so it's not an oversight that they don't integrate — there's no business reason for either one to build a bridge to the other. Each expects you to live entirely inside its own app: upload through Dropbox's interface, and your files stay in Dropbox; upload through Drive's, and they stay in Drive. Moving something from one to the other means downloading it out of one service and uploading it into the other, manually, file by file or folder by folder — which is exactly the tedious part Sync is built to automate.
The two-step way to move files from Dropbox to Google Drive
Since there's no direct cloud-to-cloud connection, Sync does the job with your device as the relay point:
- Add both drives. Connect your Dropbox account and your Google Drive account to Sync — both can be added for free.
- Create a Restore task to pull the folder you want from Dropbox down to your phone, tablet, or computer.
- Create a Backup task to push that same folder from your device up to Google Drive.
Run the Restore task first, confirm the files landed where you expected, then run the Backup task. It's two taps instead of one, and it's honest about what's actually happening: nothing goes directly from Dropbox's servers to Google's. Our guide to the five sync modes covers exactly what Backup and Restore each do if you want the full picture before setting this up.
Going the other way: Google Drive to Dropbox
Same method, reversed. Restore pulls the files from Google Drive to your device, then Backup pushes them from your device to Dropbox. Whichever drive is the source, the pattern doesn't change — download first, then upload.
Is this actually a big migration? Know your scale
For a personal folder of photos, documents, or a small project archive, the Restore-then-Backup method is genuinely fine — set the two tasks up once, run them, and you're done. Where it starts to strain is a full-account migration: tens of thousands of files, or a Dropbox you've used for a decade and want to empty out entirely. Sync isn't built for that scale, and neither is manually clicking through a phone app. For a migration that size, a dedicated command-line tool built for bulk cloud-to-cloud transfer — rclone is the well-known open-source option — will move faster and won't route everything through a single device's storage along the way. Know which situation you're in before you pick your tool.
What it costs
Adding one drive to Sync — Dropbox or Google Drive on its own — is free, ad-supported. Moving files between them means both drives connected at once, and that's where the free tier stops: it requires a Sync subscription or a one-time lifetime purchase, whichever you'd rather pay. Either one unlocks unlimited drives, not just these two, plus USB/external drive support and the built-in Wi-Fi web server. There's no separate fee per drive — one upgrade, and everything opens at once.
Get Sync
Download Sync for iPhone and iPad, Android, Mac, or Windows. If Dropbox-to-Google-Drive is just one piece of a bigger cleanup, our guide to syncing files to Google Drive, Dropbox & more covers connecting every drive Sync supports from a single app.
Frequently asked questions
How do I sync files from Dropbox to Google Drive?
Dropbox and Google Drive don't connect to each other directly, so Sync does it in two steps: a Restore task pulls the files down from Dropbox to your device, then a Backup task pushes them from your device up to Google Drive. Add both drives to Sync first, then create the two tasks — your device is the middle step, not the files' final home.
Can I sync files directly between Dropbox and Google Drive without a two-step process?
Not yet. Neither Dropbox nor Google Drive offers a direct cloud-to-cloud connection, and Sync doesn't have a one-tap version of it either — native cloud-to-cloud transfer is on our roadmap, but it isn't built today. The Restore-then-Backup method is the honest current answer, not a workaround we're embarrassed about — it just means your files pass through your phone or computer on the way.
Does this work the other way — Google Drive to Dropbox?
Yes, same idea in reverse: a Restore task downloads the files from Google Drive to your device, then a Backup task uploads them from your device to Dropbox. The two-step method doesn't care which drive is the source and which is the destination.
Is there a faster way to move a huge number of files?
For a personal folder — photos, documents, a project archive — the Restore-then-Backup method in Sync works fine and doesn't require a computer science degree to set up. For a genuinely massive migration (tens of thousands of files, multiple terabytes), a command-line tool built specifically for bulk transfer, like the open-source rclone, will move faster than any phone or desktop app. Use Sync for normal amounts of files; reach for something heavier only if you're migrating an entire cloud drive at once.
Is Sync free to use for moving files between Dropbox and Google Drive?
Connecting one drive — either Dropbox or Google Drive — is free, ad-supported. Moving files between them means having both connected at the same time, which requires a Sync subscription or a one-time lifetime purchase. Either unlocks everything at once; there's no separate charge per drive.
Will this change or delete anything in my original Dropbox or Google Drive folder?
No. A Restore task downloads a copy to your device; a Backup task uploads a copy to the destination drive. Your original Dropbox files stay exactly where they are unless you go delete them yourself afterward. Each task only runs when you tell it to — nothing is watched or mirrored automatically in the background.
