How to Migrate Dropbox to OneDrive Free | 3 Easy Ways

This article will show you 3 ways on how to migrate Dropbox to OneDrive free, including using a free Dropbox to OneDrive migration tool for auto transfer and two manual methods.

By @Jonna Last Updated April 17, 2024

Can I migrate Dropbox to OneDrive?

 

I have around 1.5 GB of files in my Dropbox account and I want to transfer all of them to OneDrive account because I use OneDrive account mostly. But, the issue is that I do not know how to migrate Dropbox to OneDrive without any data loss. Does anyone know any reliable solution? Please give me some suggestions! Thanks in advance!

Why need to move from Dropbox to OneDrive?

Recently, more and more people tend to sync and backup files to cloud. And a lot of users have more than one cloud accounts belonging to the same or different cloud providers like Dropbox and OneDrive. Sometimes, cloud users may need to migrate data from Dropbox to OneDrive for the following reasons:

OneDrive provides more free cloud space (5 GB) than Dropbox (2 GB). They have purchased Office 365 products with OneDrive service and they don’t want to use Dropbox anymore. There are some documents that need to be transferred from the public Dropbox account to their own OneDrive cloud. Don’t want to use multiple clouds at the same time, so users want to perform Dropbox migration to OneDrive for better management.

How to migrate files from Dropbox to OneDrive in 3 Methods

No matter what the reason is, you may need an easy way to transfer Dropbox to OneDrive. Although neither Dropbox nor Microsoft OneDrive has a function to move files from Dropbox to OneDrive or copy OneDrive to Dropbox directly. Migrating Dropbox to OneDrive is not a hard job and there are three easy ways that you can refer to. 

Please read on and follow the three ways below to learn how to transfer files from Dropbox to OneDrive. It’s worth mentioning that you can also follow the methods to migrate from Dropbox to OneDrive for business.

Way 1. Easiest way to transfer files from Dropbox to OneDrive - using CBackup

If you are seeking an effective way to migrate Dropbox to OneDrive safely and quickly for a large number of files, you can rely on a professional Dropbox to OneDrive migration tool - CBackup.

CBackup can help you migrate Dropbox to OneDrive by cloud to cloud sync feature. With it, you can migrate data between two cloud storage directly, eliminating the need to download and upload files between different clouds, without taking up hard drive space while ensuring data security. It also offers cloud to cloud backup feature that can help you backup Dropbox to OneDrive.

CBackup has features and advantages as below:
Convenient web version: Its cloud to cloud sync/backup feature can be used directly on the web app. Thus, you can save a lot of local disk space. Meanwhile, it can be applied to all operating systems and all devices including desktops, laptops, notebooks, iPads, cell phones, etc.
Multiple cloud support: It supports many mainstream cloud storage like Dropbox, OneDrive, and Google Drive. After adding, you can set up a backup or sync task between any of the two cloud storage accounts you add to move files easily and automatically.
Additional features: It offers File Filter to help you exclude certain types of files or contain only specified types of files when transferring, and you can also set up a PC auto backup or sync in One Time only/Daily/Weekly/Monthly mode.
High security: The authorization system of CBackup is based on OAuth, which is a standard authorization framework that enables third-party applications to access multiple cloud accounts without the username and password required.

Now, let's show you how to transfer everything from Dropbox to OneDrive via CBackup in simple steps:

1. Create a new CBackup account and sign in. Type your email, password, and name to sign up for an account. After that, sign in to your account on the CBackup website.

2. Click "Add Cloud" under the "My Storage" tab, select Dropbox, and click "Add". Then sign in to your account and authorize CBackup to access and manage your Dropbox files. Repeat the process to add OneDrive to CBackup.

3. To migrate files from Dropbox to OneDrive, click on the "Sync Tasks" tab at the left of the page, then, click the "New Task" button.

Note: If you want to backup Dropbox to OneDrive, you can also go to the CBackup web app or desktop app to click the "Backup Tasks" button to create a backup task.

4. Customize the Task Name for your sync task, then choose Dropbox as the transfer source, and choose OneDrive as the transfer destination. Then, click "Start Sync" in the lower right corner to migrate Dropbox to OneDrive.

Note: Under "Settings" (at the bottom left of the window), you can enjoy the following features: ◉ File Filter could help you include or exclude the file types you want or don’t want to sync while performing Dropbox to OneDrive migration. ◉ Email Notification will send you the email when the sync succeeds or fails. ◉ Scheduler could help you perform Dropbox to OneDrive migration at a specific time, Daily, Weekly, and Monthly.

That's all about how to transfer files from Dropbox to OneDrive free, you could use CBackup to migrate OneDrive to Dropbox as well, and please ensure Dropbox can hold all the data from OneDrive.

Way 2. Move Dropbox files to OneDrive via download and upload manually

If you just need to move a few files between the two clouds, there is an easy way. Both Dropbox and OneDrive offer a web app to help users upload, download, and access files easily, you can directly go to the website and download the files you need from Dropbox to the computer and reupload them to OneDrive through the web app. However, it may take some time to complete because you need to perform the operations manually.

You can follow the steps below to transfer files from Dropbox to OneDrive:

1. Go to the Dropbox website and sign in to your Dropbox account.

2. Create a new folder, select all files and folders under your Dropbox account, and move them to the new folder.

3. Click the three-dot symbol next to the new folder. Then, click the "Download" button in the drop-down menu to download the folder to the local PC.

4. Go to the OneDrive website, log into your OneDrive account, and click the "Upload" button to upload files or folders you just downloaded from Dropbox to move Dropbox files to OneDrive.

Note: The new folder will become a .zip file after it’s downloaded to the local PC. If you want to upload folder to OneDrive directly, you need to extract that .zip file first.

Way 3. Migrate from Dropbox to OneDrive by dragging in Windows File Explorer

Besides the web app, both Dropbox and OneDrive also provide users with a desktop app that you can set up to enjoy Dropbox auto sync or OneDrive auto sync. Generally, after installing and setting, Dropbox and OneDrive will create a sync folder in your Windows File Explorer. 

Then, it will automatically sync files to the cloud, and you can migrate Dropbox to OneDrive by dragging and dropping Dropbox files to OneDrive folder. By the way, you could migrate OneDrive to Dropbox as well using the same way.

Therefore, you can copy Dropbox to OneDrive via the Dropbox and OneDrive folder in Windows File Explorer directly. Let's see how to migrate from Dropbox to OneDrive:

1. Download both the Dropbox app and OneDrive app and install them on your PC.

2. After installing them on your PC, you will find Dropbox and OneDrive folders through Windows File Explorer.

3. You can transfer from Dropbox to OneDrive with the "Cut" and "Paste" feature through Windows File Explorer.

Bonus Tip: Increase Dropbox Storage for Free

If you just want to migrate Dropbox to OneDrive due to the limited cloud storage space, there is a free way for you to increase Dropbox cloud storage except for upgrading your Dropbox account, completing the getting started checklist, inviting your friends, submitting feedback to Dropbox, trying Dropbox Business free for 30 days according to the Dropbox free cloud storage article, that's to combine multiple Dropbox accounts with CBackup.

Assuming you have multiple Dropbox free accounts, and here is how to increase Dropbox storage space for free via the CBackup, just follow it:

1. Download the CBackup desktop app. And add all your Dropbox accounts to CBackup according to step 2 in Way 3.

Download CBackup Win 11/10/8.1/8/7/XP
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2. Click the Storage tab, and hit + Add Combined Cloud.

3. Tick all your Dropbox accounts, and press Next. You could also merge OneDrive and Dropbox, or other cloud accounts from different platforms.

4. Determine the Dropbox account order to store backup files, and click Combine to merge Dropbox accounts easily.

Besides, you could add other cloud drives, like Google Drive, OneDrive, etc. Then combine all the cloud drives, even different cloud storage.

Except for the cloud to cloud sync and backup feature, CBackup also can help you back up and protect your PC files. if you meet any problems while using Dropbox and OneDrive, you can turn to CBackup as an alternative to sync and backup your files to Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, CBackup Cloud, or even the combined cloud. And CBackup provides free 10GB storage of CBackup Cloud, as well as a more affordable large-space subscription plan.

FAQs about Migrating Dropbox to OneDrive

#1. Is there a built-in migration tool to transfer files from Dropbox to OneDrive?

Migration Manager, which is located in SharePoint admin center, is offered by Microsoft to perform Dropbox to Sharepoint migration. However, it is not workable for personal OneDrive users.

#2. What should I consider before migrating from Dropbox to OneDrive?

Before migrating, ensure that you have enough storage space on your OneDrive account to accommodate all your files from Dropbox. Also, review any sharing permissions or links you may have set up in Dropbox, as they may need to be recreated in OneDrive.

#3. Will migrating from Dropbox to OneDrive affect my file organization or folder structure?

With the professional Dropbox migration tool, CBackup, the file organization and folder structure will remain intact during the migration process, but it's essential to review and verify after the migration to ensure everything transferred correctly.

#4. How long does it take to migrate files from Dropbox to OneDrive?

The time it takes to migrate files depends on factors such as the size of your data, your internet connection speed, and the method you're using for migration. It can range from a few minutes to several hours or even days for large amounts of data.

#5. Will my Dropbox files be deleted after migrating them to OneDrive?

No, your Dropbox files will not be automatically deleted after migrating them to OneDrive. It's advisable to keep a backup of your data until you're confident that the migration was successful.

Conclusion

How to migrate Dropbox to OneDrive easily? You could find the 3 easy ways with the detailed steps to migrate Dropbox to OneDrive for free. But I am sure the CBackup is the best choice among all options. It not only provides a free and convenient cloud file backup feature but also offers many useful settings to save you time and effort. If your Dropbox is full, and you could merge multiple Dropbox accounts to get more Dropbox storage space for free.