How to Move Your Dropbox Files to OneDrive

Step 1Get Ready to Move Your Files

OneDrive copies your Dropbox files, including documents, photos, and videos. This process transfers your data, ensuring original Dropbox files stay untouched. This approach provides reassurance during the file migration.

Know What Might Not Be Moved

When moving your Dropbox files to OneDrive, some items might not transfer, like files with very long names or paths, or individual files larger than 15 GB.

• Long File and Folder Names: File or folder names that are too long (more than 256 characters for files, 250 for folders) might not move. The full address to the file can also cause problems if it’s longer than 400 characters.
• Large Files: Files bigger than 15 GB usually don’t move.
• Empty Files: Files with no content (0 bytes) won’t be moved.
• Restricted Files: If some files in Dropbox are marked as restricted, they won’t move unless you remove that restriction first.
• Dropbox Specifics: Things like Dropbox Paper documents, templates, and shortcuts are not moved to OneDrive.

Step 2Start Moving Your Files

Microsoft OneDrive lets you start moving your Dropbox files in a couple of ways: using the mobile app or the website. We’ll explain both methods.

Using the OneDrive Website

You can move your Dropbox files to OneDrive using the OneDrive website, which can be a good option if you have many files or a lot of data to transfer.

1. Sign In to OneDrive: Open your web browser and go to onedrive.com. Sign in with your Microsoft account.
2. ⚙️ Go to Settings: Once you are logged in, look for ⚙️ the settings icon, which usually looks like a gear and is in the top-right corner of the page. Click on it.
3. Choose ‘Import cloud photos and files’: In ⚙️ the settings menu, find and click the option called ‘Import cloud photos and files’.
4. Connect to Dropbox: You will see a list of cloud services you can move files from. Choose ‘Dropbox’.
5. Allow Access: You will be sent to the Dropbox website. Sign in there and give OneDrive permission to access your files.
6. Start the Move: After you give permission, follow the instructions on the screen to start copying your files from Dropbox to OneDrive.

Step 3Watch and Manage the Move

Monitor the Dropbox to OneDrive file transfer process closely. Users cannot ignore the transfer, particularly when moving over 100 gigabytes of data.

How the Move Works

When you move files from Dropbox to OneDrive, OneDrive makes a copy of your data; your original files stay in Dropbox and aren’t deleted during the process.

Step 4Running the Move Again

What if some files were missed, or new ones were added to Dropbox after the initial transfer? You can run the move process again.

How it Works

If you run the move process again, OneDrive checks your Dropbox for any new or changed files since the last transfer and copies only those that are missing or updated.

• New Files: Any files that are in Dropbox but not in OneDrive will be copied.
• Changed Files: If a file has been changed in Dropbox since the last move, OneDrive will look at the dates it was last changed. If the Dropbox version is newer, it will replace the existing file in OneDrive.
• Unchanged Files: If the files are the same, or if the OneDrive version is newer, nothing will happen to those files.

Step 5Sharing Files and Cleaning Up

Once your files are in OneDrive, you’ll want to consider how sharing functions and when you might be ready to clean up your Dropbox account.

File Sharing Settings

When you move files from Dropbox to OneDrive, any sharing settings or links you had in Dropbox won’t carry over, so you’ll need to set up sharing again in OneDrive.

Reference:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-US/onedrive/import-other-cloud-files-using-onedrive

Summary

To move your Dropbox files to OneDrive, first check your storage space and understand any file limitations, then start the transfer via the OneDrive website or app.