/ GUIDE
How to move your files from Dropbox to OneDrive
Already paying for Microsoft 365, and wondering why you still pay for Dropbox too? Microsoft 365 comes with OneDrive storage, so moving your Dropbox files there can save you a subscription. There are three ways to do it. The right one depends on how much you have and how much time you want to spend checking it.
IN THIS GUIDE
Before you start: check your OneDrive storage and file names
A free Microsoft account comes with 5 GB, shared between OneDrive, Outlook.com attachments and Microsoft 365 apps. Microsoft 365 Basic gives you 100 GB and Microsoft 365 Personal 1 TB. Compare that with how much you use in Dropbox:
- In Dropbox, open your account settings and look at Plan to see how much space you use.
- Go to onedrive.live.com/?v=managestorage to see how much OneDrive space you have left.
If Dropbox uses more than you have free in OneDrive, get more storage first, or clear out what you no longer need. Running out halfway is the most common reason a move goes wrong.
OneDrive is also stricter about names than Dropbox. It does not allow the characters " * : < > ? / \ |, spaces at the start or end of a name, or names such as CON, PRN, AUX, NUL, desktop.ini or anything starting with ~$ (Microsoft Support). Files with names like these can’t go into OneDrive as they are, so rename them first if you have any. They are most common in files made on a Mac.
Way 1: Download from Dropbox, upload to OneDrive
Best for: a few folders, a few gigabytes. Free, nothing to install.
- Sign in at dropbox.com.
- Select a folder, then choose Download. Dropbox gives you a .zip file.
- On your computer, open the .zip and choose Extract all.
- Go to onedrive.live.com, choose Upload → Folder, and pick the extracted folder.
- Repeat for each folder.
Watch out: dropbox.com can only download a folder if it is smaller than 250 GB and holds fewer than 10,000 files, counting everything in its subfolders (Dropbox Help). Bigger folders have to be downloaded in parts, and it is up to you to keep track of which parts are done. Microsoft also suggests using the OneDrive app instead of the website for any file larger than a few gigabytes. Your computer needs enough free space to hold the download and the extracted copy at the same time.
Way 2: Use the Dropbox and OneDrive apps on your PC
Best for: people comfortable with File Explorer, with enough free disk space for all their files. Free.
- Install the Dropbox desktop app and sign in. OneDrive is already part of Windows 10 and 11: sign in to it with your Microsoft account.
- In File Explorer, make sure your Dropbox files are really on your PC. Files marked as online-only are just shortcuts: right-click the Dropbox folder and choose Make available offline, then wait for the download to finish.
- Open your OneDrive folder in File Explorer.
- Copy (don’t move) your Dropbox folders into the OneDrive folder. OneDrive uploads them in the background.
- Leave the PC on until OneDrive shows that everything is up to date.
Watch out: use Copy, not Cut. If you cut files out of the Dropbox folder, Dropbox deletes them from your account too. OneDrive lists any file it could not upload, for example because of its name, but among thousands of files it is easy not to notice.
Way 3: Let an app copy and check it for you
Best for: years of photos and documents, or anyone who wants proof that nothing was missed before they cancel.
We are building NexMove for exactly this. You pick “Dropbox → OneDrive”, sign in to both, press one button, and it copies everything into a “From Dropbox” folder in your OneDrive. It runs on your own Windows PC with no servers in between — not ours, not anyone’s — and needs no free disk space, because your files are never saved to your hard drive. It never deletes anything from Dropbox. If it stops halfway, it copies only the files that are still missing next time, so you never have to compare folders by hand. At the end, it checks every file against the original. It will cost a one-time $19.99, with a free test copy up to 200 MB. The first 100 early-access members get it for $14.99.
NexMove is not out yet, and its OneDrive moves are still being tested. Join early access and we’ll email you when it launches.
If your organisation uses Microsoft 365 for work, your administrator may also be able to move Dropbox data with Microsoft’s own Migration Manager in the SharePoint admin center.
Which way should you choose?
| WAY | COST | EFFORT | DISK SPACE | IF IT STOPS HALFWAY | CHECKS EVERY FILE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 · Download and upload | Free | High for large amounts | Room for the download and the extracted copy | Download that folder again | No, you check by hand |
| 2 · Both desktop apps | Free | Medium | Room for all your files | Usually carries on, but you check by hand | No, you check by hand |
| 3 · NexMove | $19.99 once | One click | None for your files | Copies only what is left | Yes |
Checklist before you cancel Dropbox
Whichever way you choose, go through this list before you stop paying:
- Compare the totals. Check that the number of files and the total size in OneDrive roughly match Dropbox, folder by folder for the ones that matter most.
- Open a few files. Pick some old photos and documents at random and make sure they open from OneDrive.
- Folders shared with you. Folders other people shared with you belong to them. Copy anything you want to keep, because you may lose access later.
- Links you shared. Links you sent to others point to Dropbox. Share the files again from OneDrive if people still need them.
- Dropbox-only documents. Dropbox Paper documents may not open in OneDrive. Export them to Word or PDF first.
- Phone photo backup. If the Dropbox app uploads your phone’s photos, turn on camera upload in the OneDrive app instead, so new photos don’t go missing.
- Version history and deleted files. These are not copied. If you need an older version of a file, restore it in Dropbox before you leave.
- Wait a week. Use OneDrive for a few days before cancelling, so you notice anything missing while Dropbox still has it.
When you cancel a paid Dropbox plan, your account becomes the free Basic plan with 2 GB. If you have more than that stored, Dropbox stops syncing your files, so it is best to finish moving everything first.
Moving to Google Drive instead? See how to move from Dropbox to Google Drive, or all our guides.