Top 4 Ways to Backup Dropbox to External Hard Drive

What is Dropbox Backup

Dropbox is a top-notch cloud backup tool that lets users store data on their computers and access it conveniently whenever they have an internet connection. It's a great way to automatically back up files and folders from your computer or external hard drives.

However, the free version of Dropbox only provides 2GB of storage space, so many users opt to upgrade for more storage to accommodate additional data. While Dropbox is excellent for saving various types of data, it's not a dedicated backup service. Therefore, it's wise to learn how to backup Dropbox to an external hard drive to ensure data protection.

Why Backup Dropbox to External Hard Drive? 

Dropbox is a great cloud storage for users to store a large amount of data and access it as long as there is an internet. Also, you can share files with your family or friends. But you need to know it is not a backup service. So there may be data loss more or less. To avoid this, you need to backup Dropbox to external hard drive. Also, there are 3 other possible reasons below:

🔑Double Data Protection: If you delete files in Dropbox, they get deleted on all your devices. And Dropbox only keeps the delete for 30 days. Once the time is up, your files will go forever.
🔑Safe: Compared with Dropbox, external hard drives are not easy to be attacked by Hackers and keep your files away from this risk. 
🔑Cost-effective: The free users only have 2GB of cloud storage. So you need to upgrade your account and pay for more space. But if you backup Dropbox to external hard drive, you only need to pay for it at once.
🔑Access Dropbox Files Offline: You can only access files on Dropbox with a network. If the network is not accessible, you will lack of access permission. If you backup Dropbox files to an external hard drive, you can access them offline.

How to Backup Dropbox to External Hard Drive Effortlessly 

Once you've pinpointed the location of your Dropbox folder and understand the backup needs for Dropbox, you're ready to proceed. Begin by copying the files from Dropbox to your external hard drive. This ensures that your important data is not only stored in the cloud but also backed up locally for extra security.

Method 1: Change the Download Location and Copy Files from Dropbox

If you are used to downloading files from the website, you can choose to change the download location and download Dropbox files manually to backup Dropbox to the external hard drive. Here take Chrome as an example. 

1. Connect your external drive and be sure it is recognized.

2. Open your Chrome browser. Click More ->Settings, scroll down to Downloads, and select it. 

3. Click the Change button to select your external hard drive as a new location. 

4. Go to the Dropbox website, and sign it with your account. 

5. Select files or folders you want to backup and click the Download button to save it. 

Method 2: Directly Move the Dropbox Folder to the External Hard Drive

Except for changing the download location, you can also move the Dropbox folder to your external hard drive with the Desktop app. In this way, you can easily backup Dropbox to the external hard drive. It also requires you to connect your external drive. 

1. Open your Dropbox application. Click the Settings icon and Preferences.

2. Click Sync. Scroll down to the Dropbox folder location section and click Move...

3. You can access all the available drives on your computer. Select the external hard drive as the new Dropbox folder location to save all the files from Dropbox.

Method 3: Sync Dropbox to External Hard Drive Automatically with Freeware 

If handling the Dropbox backup process manually seems daunting, there's a simpler option available. You can opt to sync Dropbox to an external hard drive using a reliable and free file sync software - AOMEI Backupper Standard. This user-friendly tool automates the syncing process, ensuring that your Dropbox files are regularly backed up to your external hard drive without requiring manual intervention. With AOMEI Backupper Standard, you can enjoy yourself knowing that your data is securely replicated across multiple storage locations.

It allows you to select the Dropbox folder as the source location and the external hard drive as the destination location. So you can copy files from Dropbox to an external hard drive easily and safely. 

And you can run this sync task automatically. For example, perform automatic sync daily. 

Except for the external hard drive, you can also sync Dropbox to a removable device, such as a USB drive, SD card, etc. 

It runs well on Windows XP/Vista/7/8/10/11. For server users, try the AOMEI Backupper Server.

Download it now and learn how it works as follows. Please connect your external hard drive to your computer as well. 

1. Install and run AOMEI Backupper Standard, select Basic Sync under the Sync tab.

Tip: The advanced version of this software, AOMEI Backupper Professional, also offers you the Real-Time Sync, Two-Way Sync, and Mirror Sync modes.

2. Rename the Task Name if needed and click Add Folder to choose the Dropbox folder.

3. Choose the external hard drive as the Dropbox folder location. 

4. Click Schedule Sync and enable it, then select Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Event triggers, and USB Plug in to make it run automatically. Note the last two features are premium features on the Professional version or higher. 

Tip: You can click Options to comment on the sync task, enable email or SMS notification, verify the integrity of files in the destination during synchronization, sync deleted files, run specified programs or scripts before or after sync (Paid), etc.

5. Finally, click the Start Sync >> button to backup Dropbox to external hard drive.

★ How to compress Dropbox files into image files

AOMEI Backupper Standard is still a free backup software. So you can use its backup feature to compress the infrequently used Dropbox files.

• To backup Dropbox to external hard drive, select Files Backup. To backup only changed files, you can enable differential and incremental backup as well. 

• To backup Dropbox to another cloud like AOMEI Cloud, select Cloud Backup. And it offers you 1TB of free storage space for 15 days after you sign up for an AOMEI account.

Method 4: Use the Dropbox Web App

One of the simple methods to back up files from Dropbox to an external hard drive on Mac or Windows is by using the download feature. Simply put, you download the Dropbox data onto your local computer and then transfer it to the external hard drive. This straightforward process ensures that your important files are safely duplicated on an external storage device for added security.

1. Log in to your Dropbox account on the web and find the files or folders you want to back up.
2. Choose the files or folders you wish to back up, then click on the "Download" option. This will download the selected data to your computer.
3. Next, connect your external hard drive to your computer and ensure that it's recognized. Then, simply drag and drop the downloaded data from your computer to the external hard drive. This straightforward process ensures that your important files are securely backed up on an external storage device.

How to Backup Dropbox on a Removable Device (USB drive, SD card)

Although Dropbox does not support backup Dropbox on removable media, such as USB flash drives, SD cards, or other removable devices, you can still mount this device and then move the Dropbox folder to it directly. 

1. Go This PC ->Manage ->Computer Management ->Storage ->Disk Management.

2. Right-click on the external USB flash drive/SD card, and select Change Drive Letter and Paths.

3. Select Add... ->Mount in the following empty NTFS folder ->Browse to your C: ->New Folder… ->Name the folder "DB Mount", click OK, and click OK.

4. Now access your USB flash/thumb drive/SD card through the mounted location (C: DB Mount). Dropbox requires a local drive (the mounted volume).

5. If you have already installed Dropbox, just move the Dropbox folder location to the removable media. Otherwise, you have to install the Dropbox to the removable USB flash drive or SD card (C: DB Mount).

Where Is Dropbox Folder Located?

First of all, you may need to make sure where the Dropbox folder is located, then you could backup Dropbox to the external hard drive. By default, the Dropbox folder is installed on your main system hard drive, usually on the "C:\Users\Username\Dropbox" folder, where Username is your account name. Here are the ways to find the Dropbox Folder location:

Way 1: Type %HOMEPATH%\Dropbox

Type %HOMEPATH%\Dropbox into the address bar and hit Enter, it will automatically jump to the root directory of your Dropbox folder if you have installed Dropbox already.

Way 2: Find Path in the Dropbox App

1.Tick theDropbox icon on the taskbar to open Dropbox;

2.Click theSettings icon at the top right corner, then choose Preferences;

3.Go to theSync tab, and you will see the Dropbox Folder location.

Dropbox Folder Requirements

As we all know, Dropbox allows you to move Dropbox folders to any location on your hard drive or an external hard drive with the Dropbox app.

However, it has limitations that you should be aware of. Otherwise, it might fail if you try to backup Dropbox to an external hard drive with it.

• Use a supported file system. If you use an exFAT file system, you might receive an error moving Dropbox, and unexpected errors occur. Meanwhile, you should avoid network file systems because Dropbox isn’t compatible with network file systems (NFS).

• Dropbox does not support removable media. SD cards and any devices considered Removable media by your Windows system are not supported by Dropbox.

FAQs about backup OneDrive to the external drive

1. Why should I back up my Dropbox files?

Keeping reliable backups is crucial for any storage solution. While Dropbox does maintain backups of your files, having a local backup ensures easier file recovery in case of unexpected issues.

2. What device can I use for file backups?

The hard disk drive (HDD) is a popular choice for both home and business users due to its portability and affordability. HDDs come in various sizes and shapes, offering different storage capacities to suit your needs.

3. What happens if I uninstall the Dropbox app?

Uninstalling the Dropbox desktop app typically doesn't remove the files stored in the Dropbox folder on your hard drive. Instead, it functions like any other folder on your computer, remaining accessible but unable to sync with your online account.

Drop It in the Box 

You can easily backup Dropbox to an external hard drive with the above methods. The previous two methods require human intervention, while the third one is always automatic. You can choose to keep your files as it was or compress them to an image file with its Sync or Backup method. 

The advanced edition of AOMEI Backupper still allows you to create a portable version of this software and copy files from Dropbox to external hard drive on any computer without installing it. Also, you can enjoy all the other features on it, for example, to replace HDD with SSD, try the Disk Clone feature.