How to Install Dropbox on Ubuntu Linux

Computer monitor with security lock icon
Computer monitor with security lock icon

When Ubuntu 18.04 LTS was released, I installed it for testing purposes. The steps below are how I got Dropbox installed on Ubuntu 18.04 LTS. If you want to install Dropbox, the steps below should be a great place to start.

When you install Ubuntu Desktop, there are some applications you may want to install right away. Dropbox is one such tool that most people will want to install.

Dropbox provides online storage to back up or store your data automatically. Using Dropbox to back up your content offers security and peace of mind.

If your PC crashes, your data will be saved and ready to be restored to another computer.

There are other online storage providers, but none support Linux or Ubuntu as Dropbox, and if they do, their service is not as reliable as Dropbox.

To install Dropbox on Ubuntu, continue below:

Install the Ubuntu Dropbox installation loader

There are many ways to install Dropbox on Ubuntu. First, download the installer package directly from Dropbox’s download page.

You could also run the commands below to install the installer loader for Ubuntu.

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get -y install nautilus-dropbox

After installing the tool above, it will automatically launch the Dropbox installer wizard. If the Dropbox installer isn’t launched automatically, search for and launch it.

dropbox ubuntu

Configure Dropbox

When the wizard begins, continue with Dropbox installation. You may be prompted to create a new account if you don’t already have one, or type your username and password to log on if you do have one.

After the installation, a Dropbox folder will be created in your home directory. If you want to back up stuff online automatically, add your stuff to that folder. In addition, you can create a sub folder in the Dropbox folder of your home directory to sync to the cloud.

A Dropbox icon will also be added to the top menu bar, where you can easily manage and access your online content.

So, to make a file or folder automatically backed up to your online storage (Dropbox account), move them into the Dropbox folder of your home directory.

All connected devices to your Dropbox account will instantly see the new files and folders after adding them to the Dropbox folder in Ubuntu.

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Posted by
Richard

I love computers; maybe way too much. What I learned I try to share at geekrewind.com.

2 Comments

  1. I’ve installed Dropbox on Ubuntu 18.04 LTS, but get error/warning message on startup that the file system is incompatible and will soon not be supported. As far as I know the file system is Ext4, which is the file system that Dropbox requires. Do you have any idea what the problem might be?
    I’ve tried getting help from Dropbox, but they seem to be assuming that I’ve got a file system other than Ext4 installed, and I don’t know what else I can do!!

    1. are you running eCryptfs on your primary drive? If so, Dropbox doesn’t support it… there seems to be a work around though:
      https://www.linuxuprising.com/2018/11/how-to-use-dropbox-on-non-ext4.html

      Best of luck!

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