How to switch to Drive from Dropbox

Differences at a glance

In the past, you might’ve used the consumer version of Dropbox™ outside of work. With Google Workspace, you’ll find many similar features—and several additional benefits—when you use Google Drive as your new cloud storage destination.

Here are the differences at a glance:

Set sharing access:

  • Dropbox has 2 sharing access levels:
    • Can edit (and comment)
    • Can view (and comment)
  • Drive has 4 access levels:
    • Can view (view-only access)
    • Can comment
    • Can edit (full edit access)
    • Is owner (transfer ownership)

Control sharing visibility:

  • Dropbox has 2 ways to control visibility:
    • Specific people
    • Public (folders only)
  • Drive has 6 ways to control visibility:
    • Specific people or Google Groups
    • Anyone with the link
    • Anyone in your domain with the link
    • Your domain (searchable in your domain)
    • Public on the web (searchable on the web)
    • Set sharing expiration dates

Advanced search:

  • Dropbox has no advanced search.
  • Users can use advanced search in Drive by:
    • File type
    • Ownership
    • Opens with
    • Domains-only
    • Date modified
    • Contains words
    • Shared with

Sort files:

  • In Dropbox users can sort files by:
    • Name
    • Modified (date)
  • In Drive users can sort by:
    • Name
    • Last modified (date)
    • Last edited by me (date)
    • Last opened by me (date)

Access offline:

  • In Dropbox users have offline access via:
    • Mobile devices
    • Computer desktop
  • In Drive users have offline access via:
    • Mobile devices
    • Computer desktop
    • Web browser (Google Chrome only)

Delete a file:

  • In Dropbox files are automatically “Deleted” on all devices:
    • Moved to Trash folder and doesn’t count against storage quota
    • Permanently deleted after 30 days
  • In Drive files are automatically “Removed” on all devices:
    • Moved to Trash folder but still counts in the storage quota
    • Kept indefinitely in Trash folder unless you permanently delete it

After you store your files in Drive, you can reach them on any computer, smartphone, or tablet. When you change or delete a file stored in one device, Drive immediately makes the same change everywhere else, so you don’t have to.

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