How to Move Files from Dropbox to Google Drive
Move Dropbox to Google Drive Without Filling Your Disk
Section titled "Move Dropbox to Google Drive Without Filling Your Disk"The problem: there is no built-in transfer between Dropbox and Google Drive. The manual route makes you download your entire Dropbox to your computer, then upload all of it to Drive. That needs free disk space equal to your whole library and sends every file over the network twice.
The short answer: you have three realistic options. Drag and drop through the desktop apps, upload through the browser, or run a direct cloud-to-cloud transfer with Blober that streams each file from Dropbox to Google Drive without saving it to your disk. Here is how they compare.
| Method | Local disk needed | Speed | Folder structure | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manual (desktop sync, then drag) | Full library size | Slow: download, then upload | You may have to rebuild it | A single small folder |
| Browser upload | Enough to download first | Slow | Preserved if you recreate folders | A few gigabytes |
| Blober (direct) | None, files stream through memory | About half the time, single pass | Preserved automatically | Whole-account moves and large libraries |
People switch from Dropbox to Google Drive for a few common reasons:
- Their company standardized on Google Workspace and needs everything in Drive
- Google One pricing is more competitive for their storage needs (2 TB for $100/year vs Dropbox Plus at $120/year)
- They want the Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides collaboration features
- They are consolidating everything under one Google account
The actual move is where friction shows up.
The Manual Way
Section titled "The Manual Way"Without a migration tool, moving from Dropbox to Google Drive looks like this:
- Install the Dropbox desktop client
- Wait for all files to sync to your computer
- Drag those files into your Google Drive folder (if using the desktop client) or upload them through the browser
- Wait for everything to upload
- Verify nothing was missed
This requires enough local disk space to hold your entire Dropbox. If you have 500 GB in Dropbox and a 256 GB laptop, you are stuck.
Even with enough space, the process is slow. You are downloading everything from Dropbox's servers to your local disk, then uploading everything from your local disk to Google's servers. That is double the transfer time.
How Blober Does It
Section titled "How Blober Does It"Blober connects to both Dropbox and Google Drive. Files stream from Dropbox through your computer to Google Drive without being stored on your local disk. You need just enough memory to buffer the current file being transferred, not enough disk space for your entire library.
What This Means Practically
Section titled "What This Means Practically"- No disk space worries. A 1 TB Dropbox migrates to Google Drive even on a laptop with 128 GB of storage.
- Half the network time. Instead of download + upload (two trips), Blober streams the data through in a single pass. The download from Dropbox and upload to Google Drive happen simultaneously.
- Folder structure preserved. Your Dropbox folder hierarchy recreates exactly in Google Drive.
- Connect Dropbox: OAuth login in your browser. Blober supports both long-term OAuth tokens (with refresh) and direct access tokens.
- Connect Google Drive: OAuth login in your browser. Blober accesses your Drive files.
- Browse and select: Navigate your Dropbox in Blober's file browser. Select specific folders or your entire Dropbox.
- Create a workflow: Set Dropbox as source, Google Drive as destination.
- Run: Blober transfers with auto-resume and progress tracking.
Moving your whole Dropbox? Blober streams it straight into Google Drive without filling your laptop. Download Blober, connect both accounts, and start the transfer.
Copy and Move Support
Section titled "Copy and Move Support"Dropbox is one of the providers where Blober supports native copy and move operations. This means:
- Copy duplicates files within Dropbox without re-downloading them
- Move relocates files within Dropbox without a round-trip transfer
For the cross-cloud transfer to Google Drive, files stream through your machine as described above. But if you also need to reorganize files within Dropbox before or after the migration, Blober handles that natively.
After the Migration
Section titled "After the Migration"Once your files are in Google Drive:
- They are accessible from any device with a Google account
- Google automatically indexes content for search
- Office files (DOCX, XLSX, PPTX) can be edited natively in Google Docs/Sheets/Slides
- Files sync across devices via the Google Drive desktop app
You can keep Dropbox installed alongside Google Drive if you need a transition period. Once you verify everything transferred correctly, you can downgrade or cancel Dropbox.
Frequently Asked Questions
Section titled "Frequently Asked Questions"Can I transfer files from Dropbox to Google Drive without downloading them first? Yes. Blober streams each file directly from Dropbox to Google Drive through your computer. Nothing is saved to your local disk, so you do not need free space equal to your library size.
Does Blober preserve my Dropbox folder structure in Google Drive? Yes. Your Dropbox folder hierarchy is recreated exactly in Google Drive, including nested folders.
How long does a Dropbox to Google Drive migration take? It depends on how much data you have and your upload speed. Because Blober downloads and uploads in a single pass instead of two separate trips, it finishes in roughly half the time of a manual download-then-upload.
Can I sync Dropbox to Google Drive automatically? Blober moves and copies files on demand through workflows that you start when you need them. You can re-run a workflow at any time to move newly added files. It is built for migrations and repeat transfers rather than always-on background sync.
Can I move from Dropbox to Google Workspace or a Shared Drive? Yes. Google Workspace accounts and Shared Drives appear in Blober once you connect Google Drive, so you can set either as the destination.
Related Guides
Section titled "Related Guides"- Switch from Google Drive to Dropbox for the reverse direction
- Move Dropbox to Backblaze B2 for cheaper long-term storage
- Provider setup: Dropbox and Google Drive
One Move, Not a Monthly Bill
Section titled "One Move, Not a Monthly Bill"Most cloud-to-cloud services bill per gigabyte or charge a monthly fee for as long as you keep them. Blober is a one-time purchase. Moving 50 GB costs the same as moving 5 TB, and there is nothing to cancel once the migration is done. For a one-off move from Dropbox to Google Drive, that is the difference between paying once and renting a tool for a weekend.
Get Blober
Section titled "Get Blober"Move your Dropbox into Google Drive without filling your disk or paying per gigabyte. One-time purchase, no subscription, no per-GB fees.