How to download and install Dropbox on Mac
The Dropbox desktop app keeps your Dropbox files in Finder and syncs them in the background. It comes only from Dropbox’s website. Here is which installer to pick, how to install it and where your files end up on a current Mac.
Dropbox
- macOS 11 or later
- Apple Silicon and Intel
- Free with 2 GB. Paid plans for more
Or the installer straight from the developer’s server:
The links go to the developer’s website (dropbox.com). MacWashing is not affiliated with the developer and keeps no installers.
Open Terminal (Applications › Utilities) and run:
brew install --cask dropboxHomebrew downloads the app from the developer’s server, checks the file and puts the app in Applications.
No Homebrew yet? How to install Homebrew: one command from brew.sh.
Which installer to download
The button on Dropbox’s website gives a small installer that downloads the app by itself. The full installers on this page contain the whole app and are separate for Apple Silicon and Intel. To check your chip:
- Choose Apple menu › About This Mac.
- If you see Chip with Apple M1, M2 or later, take the installer for Apple Silicon. If you see Processor with Intel, take the one for Intel.
The Dropbox desktop app needs macOS 11 Big Sur or later. Download it only from dropbox.com: the Dropbox apps in the Mac App Store are made by other developers.
How to install Dropbox
- Open the downloaded Dropbox
.dmgin your Downloads folder.
- In the window that opens, double-click Dropbox and click Open when macOS asks about an app downloaded from the internet.
- Dropbox installs itself in Applications. Enter your Mac password if asked.
- Sign in to your Dropbox account or create one, and follow the setup steps.
- Eject the Dropbox disk: click the eject button next to it in the Finder sidebar.
What to set up after the first launch
- Where your files are. Dropbox appears in the Finder sidebar under Locations. On current macOS it lives in
~/Library/CloudStorage, a place macOS manages. You can’t move it like a normal folder. - Online-only files. Dropbox can keep files only in the cloud and download them when you open them. Right-click a file or folder in Finder to keep it on your Mac or make it online-only again.
- Opening at login. Dropbox starts with your Mac, and it syncs only while it runs. To stop it, turn it off in System Settings › General › Login Items.
- Disk space. Files kept on your Mac take space, and Dropbox also keeps a cache of recently changed files.
- The installer. Move the
.dmgfrom Downloads to the Trash once Dropbox runs.
If Dropbox won’t install or sync
- «Dropbox is damaged and can’t be opened». The download was incomplete. Delete the file and download it again from Dropbox’s website.
- Files don’t sync. Check that the Dropbox icon is in the menu bar, you are signed in and your Mac has free space for the files you keep offline.
- Dropbox won’t start on an older Mac. Check your macOS in About This Mac: the desktop app needs macOS 11 or later.
- Nothing helps. Remove Dropbox completely, with its helpers and settings, and install it again. Your files stay in the cloud: see how to uninstall Dropbox on Mac.
Alternatives to Dropbox
Keep your Mac tidy
System Junk in MacWashing finds the caches apps build up over time, Dropbox’s included, and shows how much space they take. And if you decide to remove Dropbox, the Uninstaller takes its helpers and files with it.
Free trial · macOS 14 or later
Questions and answers
Is Dropbox for Mac free?
Yes. Dropbox Basic is free with 2 GB of storage and links up to three devices. Paid plans give more space and remove the device limit.
Is Dropbox in the Mac App Store?
No. The Dropbox desktop app comes only from Dropbox’s website. The Dropbox apps in the Mac App Store are made by other developers. You can also install it with Homebrew.
Why is my Dropbox folder in ~/Library/CloudStorage?
Dropbox now uses macOS’s own system for cloud folders, File Provider, and macOS keeps such folders there. Open Dropbox from the Finder sidebar instead.