# Dropbox

Upload, download, copy, move and delete files and folders in Dropbox, list and search them, and share them by link.

## Connect Dropbox

1. In the sidebar, open **Connections** and press **Add connection**.
2. Type `dropbox` and choose **Dropbox**.
3. Press **Sign in with Dropbox**, then choose your account in Dropbox’s window and allow access.

Dropbox gives apps only short-lived access tokens, so the connection keeps a refresh token and renews itself.

**What if it says “Dropbox sign-in isn’t set up here”?**

Signing in with Dropbox needs a Dropbox app on this installation, and it has none yet.

**On Cloud:** The sheet says “It’s set up once for everyone who uses this service, not by an organization.”

**Self-hosted:** An admin of the installation sees **Set up Dropbox sign-in** instead, and sets it up once for everyone. Everyone else sees who to ask.

1. Create an app in Dropbox’s developer settings ([Dropbox’s guide](https://www.dropbox.com/developers/apps)).
2. In GoRunner, copy the **Redirect address to add in Dropbox’s developer settings**, and add it to the app.
3. Paste the **Client ID** and **Client secret**, then press **Save and sign in**.

[Set up a sign-in app](https://docs.gorunner.io/self-host/oauth-apps#other-providers)

**Can I use my own Dropbox app?**

Yes. In the sheet, open **Use your own Dropbox app** and paste its **Client ID** and **Client secret**. Add the redirect address it shows to your app first. The connection then signs in through your app instead of the installation’s.

[Connections](https://docs.gorunner.io/build/connections) says how to sign in again, rename or delete it. In a product that embeds GoRunner, **Add connection** can be missing: then [your provider makes connections](https://docs.gorunner.io/embed/customer-connections) for you.

## Start a workflow

Add a trigger and choose **Dropbox**. The trigger uses the same connection as the steps.

### On File Added or Changed

Checks a Dropbox folder about once a minute and starts a run for each file added or changed (or folder created) since the check before. The first check after publishing only takes note of what is there (it starts nothing); changing the trigger starts over the same way. It reads the whole folder (at most 10,000 files and folders; watch a smaller folder for more), and a file moved out and back in counts as added again.

- **Folder · Optional**: The folder to watch, such as /Invoices. Empty or / watches the whole Dropbox.
- **Trigger on · Required**: Which changes start a run. Options: File added, File changed, File added or changed, Folder created. Default: File added.
- **Include Sub-folders · Optional**: Also watch everything inside the folder's sub-folders. Off by default.
- **Work In · Optional**: Your own Dropbox folders, or, on a Dropbox team with a team space, the team space. Options: My folders, Team space. Default: My folders.

A later step can use its data, such as `{{trigger.change_type}}`, `{{trigger.id}}`, `{{trigger.name}}` and 5 more. See [Use data from earlier steps](https://docs.gorunner.io/build/use-data-from-earlier-steps).

## Do things in Dropbox

Add a **Dropbox** step, choose a **Resource**, then an **Operation**. Choose a row to see its fields.

- [File](https://docs.gorunner.io/apps/dropbox#fields-f-file): Upload · Download · Get Details · Get Temporary Link · Copy · Move · Delete
- [Folder](https://docs.gorunner.io/apps/dropbox#fields-f-folder): Create · List Contents · Copy · Move · Delete
- [Search](https://docs.gorunner.io/apps/dropbox#fields-f-search): Search
- [Sharing Link](https://docs.gorunner.io/apps/dropbox#fields-f-sharedlink): Create · Get Many · Revoke

Later steps read a step’s output by its name: see [Use data from earlier steps](https://docs.gorunner.io/build/use-data-from-earlier-steps).

## Limits

- A reply from Dropbox can be up to 16 MB (a file download can have its own limit). A larger one fails the step; it is never cut short.
- When Dropbox says to slow down (429), the step waits as long as it asks, if the step’s time allows. Otherwise it fails and says when to try again.

Not in your list? See [When an app isn’t here](https://docs.gorunner.io/apps/when-an-app-isnt-here#q-not-in-list).

## For developers

In the API, which calls apps pieces, Dropbox is `pieceId: "dropbox"` with `actionId: "dropbox"`, set by `resource` and an `operation_…` field, such as `operation_file`. Its trigger is `dropboxtrigger` / `dropbox_poll`. [Get an app](https://docs.gorunner.io/api/apps/get-app) returns every field.

It can change something outside the run (`writes_external`). See [How versions and side effects work](https://docs.gorunner.io/apps#q-versions).

### Dropbox › File

### Upload

- **File Path · Required**: The file's path, such as /Invoices/2026/invoice-1042.pdf. For Upload, a path ending in / puts the file in that folder under its own name.
- **Upload a File · Optional**: On: upload a file. Off: write the text below as the file's content. On by default.
- **File · Required**: Upload a file, or switch to an expression to use one from an earlier step (such as {{steps.download.result}}). Files larger than 8 MB are sent in parts. Shows when **Upload a File** is on.
- **Text · Required**: The file's content, as text (UTF-8). Shows when **Upload a File** is off.
- **If It Exists · Optional**: What to do when a file is already at that path. Options: Replace it, Keep both (add a number to the new one), Fail the step. Default: Replace it.
- **Don't Notify · Optional**: Upload without telling the account's devices and people it is shared with. Off by default.
- **Work In · Optional**: Your own Dropbox folders, or, on a Dropbox team with a team space, the team space (paths then start at its top). Options: My folders, Team space. Default: My folders.

### Download, Get Details, Get Temporary Link and Delete

- **File Path · Required**: The file's path, such as /Invoices/2026/invoice-1042.pdf. For Upload, a path ending in / puts the file in that folder under its own name.
- **Work In · Optional**: Your own Dropbox folders, or, on a Dropbox team with a team space, the team space (paths then start at its top). Options: My folders, Team space. Default: My folders.

### Copy and Move

- **File Path · Required**: The file's path, such as /Invoices/2026/invoice-1042.pdf. For Upload, a path ending in / puts the file in that folder under its own name.
- **To Path · Required**: Where the copy or the moved file goes: its new full path, such as /Archive/invoice-1042.pdf.
- **Rename If Taken · Optional**: When something is already at To Path, add a number to the name instead of failing. Off by default.
- **Work In · Optional**: Your own Dropbox folders, or, on a Dropbox team with a team space, the team space (paths then start at its top). Options: My folders, Team space. Default: My folders.

### Dropbox › Folder

### Create

- **Folder Path · Optional**: The folder, such as /Invoices/2026. For List Contents, empty or / is the top of the Dropbox; the other operations need one.
- **Rename If Taken · Optional**: When something is already at the path, add a number to the name instead of failing. Off by default.
- **Work In · Optional**: Your own Dropbox folders, or, on a Dropbox team with a team space, the team space (paths then start at its top). Options: My folders, Team space. Default: My folders.

### List Contents

- **Folder Path · Optional**: The folder, such as /Invoices/2026. For List Contents, empty or / is the top of the Dropbox; the other operations need one.
- **Include Sub-folders · Optional**: List everything below the folder, not only what is directly in it. Off by default.
- **Include Deleted · Optional**: Also list files and folders deleted from it (type deleted). Off by default.
- **Return All · Optional**: Read every entry, page by page (at most 10000; past that the step fails rather than stop early). Off by default.
- **Limit · Optional**: How many entrys to return (1–10000). Default: 100. Shows when **Return All** is off.
- **Work In · Optional**: Your own Dropbox folders, or, on a Dropbox team with a team space, the team space (paths then start at its top). Options: My folders, Team space. Default: My folders.

### Copy and Move

- **Folder Path · Optional**: The folder, such as /Invoices/2026. For List Contents, empty or / is the top of the Dropbox; the other operations need one.
- **To Path · Required**: Where the copy or the moved folder goes: its new full path, such as /Archive/2026.
- **Rename If Taken · Optional**: When something is already at the path, add a number to the name instead of failing. Off by default.
- **Work In · Optional**: Your own Dropbox folders, or, on a Dropbox team with a team space, the team space (paths then start at its top). Options: My folders, Team space. Default: My folders.

### Delete

- **Folder Path · Optional**: The folder, such as /Invoices/2026. For List Contents, empty or / is the top of the Dropbox; the other operations need one.
- **Work In · Optional**: Your own Dropbox folders, or, on a Dropbox team with a team space, the team space (paths then start at its top). Options: My folders, Team space. Default: My folders.

### Dropbox › Search

### Search

- **Search Text · Required**: Words in the name or the content of the files and folders to find.
- **In Folder · Optional**: Search only below this folder, such as /Invoices. Empty searches everywhere.
- **Status · Optional**: Find files that exist, or files that were deleted. Options: Not deleted, Deleted. Default: Not deleted.
- **Names Only · Optional**: Match the search text against names only, not file content. Off by default.
- **File Extensions · Optional**: Only files with these extensions, separated by commas, such as pdf, docx.
- **Kinds · Optional**: Only these kinds of files. Empty: every kind. Options: Images, Documents, PDFs, Spreadsheets, Presentations, Audio, Video, Folders, Paper docs, Other files.
- **Order · Optional**: Best match first, or the most recently changed first. Options: Best match, Last changed, newest first. Default: Best match.
- **Return All · Optional**: Read every match, page by page (at most 10000; past that the step fails rather than stop early). Off by default.
- **Limit · Optional**: How many matchs to return (1–10000). Default: 50. Shows when **Return All** is off.
- **Work In · Optional**: Your own Dropbox folders, or, on a Dropbox team with a team space, the team space (paths then start at its top). Options: My folders, Team space. Default: My folders.

### Dropbox › Sharing Link

### Create

- **Path · Required**: The file or folder to share, such as /Invoices/invoice-1042.pdf.
- **Who Can Open It · Optional**: Anyone with the link, only members of your Dropbox team, or anyone with the link and a password. Options: Anyone with the link, Team members only, Anyone with the link and the password. Default: Anyone with the link.
- **Password · Required**: The password people must enter to open the link. Shows when **Who Can Open It** is **Anyone with the link and the password**.
- **Expires · Optional**: When the link stops working. Empty: never. (Dropbox Basic accounts cannot set one.).
- **Access · Optional**: Whether people who open the link can only view, or also edit (where Dropbox allows editing by link). Options: Can view, Can edit. Default: Can view.
- **Work In · Optional**: Your own Dropbox folders, or, on a Dropbox team with a team space, the team space (paths then start at its top). Options: My folders, Team space. Default: My folders.

### Get Many

- **Path · Optional**: Only the links to this file or folder. Empty lists every link of the account.
- **This Item's Own Links Only · Optional**: Leave out links to the folders that contain it. On by default.
- **Return All · Optional**: Read every link, page by page (at most 10000; past that the step fails rather than stop early). Off by default.
- **Limit · Optional**: How many links to return (1–10000). Default: 50. Shows when **Return All** is off.
- **Work In · Optional**: Your own Dropbox folders, or, on a Dropbox team with a team space, the team space (paths then start at its top). Options: My folders, Team space. Default: My folders.

### Revoke

- **Link · Required**: The sharing link to revoke (https://www.dropbox.com/…).
- **Work In · Optional**: Your own Dropbox folders, or, on a Dropbox team with a team space, the team space (paths then start at its top). Options: My folders, Team space. Default: My folders.

Source: https://docs.gorunner.io/apps/dropbox