Leaving Dropbox and Google Drive for your own Nextcloud
Moving from Dropbox or Google Drive to Nextcloud comes down to three steps: take stock of what you have, get a complete copy out, and bring it into Nextcloud, where you check it before you close the old account. Google Takeout and Dropbox's own downloads give you the copy; the Nextcloud desktop app, or a copying tool called rclone for larger moves, puts it in place. This article walks through each step and the details that catch people out, such as Google Docs that must be converted and shares that do not come across.
Why move
Nextcloud is open-source software for files, calendars and contacts, built on open standards: WebDAV for files, CalDAV for calendars and CardDAV for contacts. It works with the same kinds of apps people already use, on the desktop, the phone and the web. The difference is who holds the data. On a Nextcloud you or your provider run, your files sit on a server under a contract you can read, and they can be synced out at any time through the same open standards they arrived by.
Step 1: take stock
Before you copy anything, list what you actually have. Three things are easy to miss:
- Files shared with you are not yours. In Google Drive, the "Shared with me" area is separate from your own Drive and is not included in a normal copy. In Dropbox, team folders sit apart from personal ones. Ask the owners for copies, or copy them separately.
- Native documents need converting. Google Docs, Sheets and Slides, and Dropbox Paper documents, are not ordinary files. They are converted when they leave.
- Some things do not travel at all. Sharing permissions, shared links, comments and version history stay behind. Note who needs access to what, so you can recreate shares in Nextcloud.
Step 2: get your files out of Google Drive
Google Takeout creates a complete archive of your Drive. You choose the products to export, how to receive the archive (a download link by email, or delivery to another storage service), the file type (.zip or .tgz) and the maximum archive size; anything larger is split into several archives. Google says preparing it can take from a few minutes to a few days, and that the archive is a snapshot: changes made after you request it may not be included. Downloading it does not delete anything from Google.
A Drive export includes your files and folders, the current version of each file, versions marked to keep forever, file comments and some metadata. For a single document, Drive's web interface can download a Google Doc, Sheet or Slides file as Word, Excel, PowerPoint or PDF.
Step 3: get your files out of Dropbox
On dropbox.com you can download a whole folder as a .zip, as long as it is under 250 GB uncompressed and holds fewer than 10,000 files. For larger accounts, Dropbox recommends the desktop app: let it sync everything to a computer, then copy from there.
Dropbox Paper documents are exported separately, as Word, Markdown or PDF. On the current version of Paper they are exported one at a time, so plan for it if you have many.
Step 4: bring the files into Nextcloud
For most people the simplest route is the Nextcloud desktop app, available for Windows, macOS and GNU/Linux. Sign in, choose a folder, copy the exported files into it and let it upload. From then on it keeps the folder in sync on every computer.
For large moves there is a faster route. rclone, a free command-line tool, can copy straight from Google Drive or Dropbox into Nextcloud over WebDAV without saving everything to a laptop first:
- Its Google Drive connection converts Google Docs, Sheets and Slides to Word, Excel and PowerPoint by default, or to the OpenDocument formats LibreOffice uses, if you prefer.
- Its Dropbox connection handles personal and team folders, and downloads Paper documents as HTML and Markdown.
- Its WebDAV connection has a Nextcloud setting that keeps files' dates and checksums, so you can verify the copy.
Connect rclone, or any other app, with a Nextcloud app password created in your personal settings, rather than your main password. You can revoke an app password at any time without changing your login. Our knowledgebase guide on migrating from Dropbox to Nextcloud with rclone walks through the commands for a Nextcloud you administer yourself.
Step 5: check, then close the old account
Do not cancel anything until the new copy has been checked:
- Compare file counts and total sizes between the old service and Nextcloud.
- Open a sample of converted documents and check the formatting.
- Recreate the shares people need, and send the new links.
- Make sure the files are backed up somewhere other than Nextcloud itself.
- Only then cancel Dropbox or Google storage.
Nextcloud at Noiz
Noiz offers Nextcloud accounts on the Nextcloud service we run: an account for each person, with files, calendars and contacts that sync to their devices, and shared folders and links that expire. We keep the service updated, monitored and backed up; you decide who has an account and what goes into it. A Nextcloud of your own, on a server of its own, is scoped and quoted.
Moving a team? Tell us how many people need accounts and roughly how much they keep, and we will explain how to start.
Sources
Checked 19 October 2026.
Dropbox
Nextcloud
- Desktop client and installation
- Accessing Nextcloud files using WebDAV
- Managing connected browsers and devices
rclone
- Google Drive, Dropbox and WebDAV
Noiz
Note: while some of this content was produced with the help of AI, the final editing has been done by a real human being.
