How to Migrate from Dropbox to Nextcloud All-in-One with rclone

This guide moves files from a Dropbox account into Nextcloud All-in-One (AIO) using rclone, a free command-line tool that copies files between cloud services. rclone connects to Nextcloud over WebDAV, the standard file-access protocol Nextcloud provides. It is for the Nextcloud administrator, or a user working with the administrator, running rclone on a Linux, macOS or Windows computer or server. Copy into a dedicated Nextcloud folder, verify the copy, back it up, and only then cancel Dropbox.

Last reviewed: 13 October 2026, against the current Nextcloud All-in-One and rclone releases. This guide is written for Noiz hosting and is kept current against Nextcloud AIO and rclone. It complements, and does not replace, the official rclone, Dropbox and Nextcloud documentation linked below.

Official Documentation Reference

Prerequisites

rclone installed from the official instructions.
A Nextcloud account to receive the files, and an app password for it.
Enough quota on that account for everything you are moving.
Sign-in access to the Dropbox account, and permission to move its data.
For large migrations, a computer or server that can stay connected for many hours.
A working AIO backup. See How to Back Up and Restore Nextcloud All-in-One (AIO).

Step 1: Take Stock of the Dropbox Account

Decide which data you own or have permission to move. Write down each source folder, where it will go in Nextcloud, and anything you are deliberately leaving behind. Save a full list of paths and sizes before copying (for example with rclone lsl dropbox: > dropbox-inventory.txt).

An ordinary folder listing can miss several kinds of content. Check each one:

Shared folders: folders shared with you but not added to your Dropbox do not appear in normal listings. List them with rclone lsd dropbox: --dropbox-shared-folders, and add the ones you need (see Dropbox’s guide to joining a shared folder).
Team folders: on a Dropbox business account, dropbox: is your personal folder. Use a leading slash (dropbox:/) to see team folders, and involve the team administrator.
Deleted files and older versions: restore anything you still need while Dropbox can still recover it. How long that is depends on your plan. See recovering deleted files.
Paper documents: rclone exports supported Paper documents in a different format, with a different file extension. Check them separately, use Dropbox’s export options where needed, and open the exports to check embedded content.
Dropbox Backup: computer and drive backups live in a separate area. Recover what you need from there.

Copying files does not bring across Dropbox sharing permissions, shared links, comments or version history. Note what you need to recreate in Nextcloud.

Step 2: Choose Where the Files Go and Check Space

Copy into a user’s files over WebDAV, as this guide does. Nextcloud then processes every upload normally, including indexing, antivirus scanning and server-side encryption where enabled. Nextcloud’s external storage app suits files that should stay in a separate storage location, but AIO does not back up external storage, so it needs its own backup.

Do not copy files straight into Nextcloud’s data directory. AIO warns that this can corrupt the installation, and files written that way skip upload checks such as antivirus scanning and server-side encryption. If an administrator still needs that route, follow the AIO documentation and take a backup first. The rescan it requires uses occ files:scan (see running occ on AIO).

Make sure the account’s quota and the server’s free disk space cover the full size of the import plus the backups that will follow. Test-upload your largest file before the bulk copy, and see Nextcloud’s large-file guidance if it fails. Investigate rejected uploads rather than working around them.

If server-side encryption is enabled, it applies to new uploads, so imported files are encrypted as they arrive. End-to-end encrypted folders need a compatible Nextcloud client and are a separate migration. See the encryption documentation.

Step 3: Configure rclone

Run rclone config and create a remote called dropbox using the Dropbox instructions. On a server without a browser, follow rclone’s headless setup.
Create a second remote called nextcloud of type WebDAV, choosing nextcloud as the vendor. Its URL has the form https://cloud.yourdomain.com/remote.php/dav/files/USERNAME/ (replace the domain and username with your own). See rclone’s Nextcloud settings.
Enter the Nextcloud app password when rclone prompts for it. Keep the rclone configuration, logs and reports private, because they identify your accounts.

Step 4: Test, Then Copy

Take a current AIO backup first. Copy a small test folder and open it through the intended Nextcloud account. The examples below copy one Dropbox folder into an empty Dropbox-import folder in Nextcloud. Replace Folder to keep with your own folder name, and repeat for each folder you are moving, using a different log filename each time.

Preview what will be copied:

rclone copy "dropbox:Folder to keep" "nextcloud:Dropbox-import/Folder to keep" \
  --create-empty-src-dirs --dry-run

Then copy. umask 077 makes the log file readable only by you:

umask 077
rclone copy "dropbox:Folder to keep" "nextcloud:Dropbox-import/Folder to keep" \
  --create-empty-src-dirs --progress \
  --log-file ./dropbox-copy.log --log-level INFO

rclone copy leaves the Dropbox files untouched and never deletes files in Nextcloud, but it does replace a Nextcloud file that has the same path as a changed Dropbox file. Leave the import folder alone until you have finished verifying it. For long jobs over SSH, run rclone inside a persistent session such as tmux, and follow progress in rclone’s own statistics (--progress).

Step 5: Verify Before Cancelling Dropbox

Agree a time after which nobody, and no automated process, changes files in Dropbox.
Run the copy command again to pick up any last changes.
Compare your saved Dropbox inventory with a fresh listing of the Nextcloud folder, allowing for renamed Paper exports, empty folders and deliberate exclusions.
Check the file contents. Dropbox uses its own hash type and Nextcloud offers SHA1 and MD5, so a plain rclone check can only compare sizes. Add --download to compare the actual contents:
Terminal window
```
umask 077
rclone check "dropbox:Folder to keep" "nextcloud:Dropbox-import/Folder to keep" \
  --download --combined ./dropbox-check.txt \
  --log-file ./dropbox-check.log --log-level INFO
```
This downloads both copies, so it takes time and bandwidth. It must finish without errors, and you should resolve every difference it reports. It checks only the folders you name, at that moment; it does not cover shares you have not added, old versions or the rest of the account. Open a sample of files through the Nextcloud account as well.
Take an AIO backup that includes the import, make sure a copy exists away from the Nextcloud server, and test restoring from it. See How to Back Up and Restore Nextcloud All-in-One (AIO).

Step 6: Leave Dropbox

Only cancel Dropbox once the account checklist, the content check and the restore test are complete. Cancelling a paid plan and deleting the account are different actions. A downgraded account that is over its storage limit can be restricted, and Dropbox may delete files to bring it under the limit, so do not treat it as a backup. For team accounts, the administrator decides on ownership and retention.

Support

If Noiz manages your Nextcloud service, open a support ticket via the client area at www.noiz.co.za to have your migration plan reviewed before you remove the Dropbox copy. Do not include passwords, app passwords or rclone configuration in a ticket.

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