Dropbox is a cloud storage service for storing and managing files. Connecting it to Duplicator Pro sends your backup files there, which eases the load on the web server and protects the site against data loss.

This guide walks through connecting Dropbox as a storage location for Duplicator Pro backups, creating a backup that uploads there, and restoring a site from a backup stored on Dropbox.

Requirements: To store backups on Dropbox, you’ll need a Basic license or higher. On WordPress Multisite, you’ll need a Pro license or higher.

Connect Your Dropbox Account

1. Go to Duplicator Pro » Storage. The Default local storage and Duplicator Cloud are already listed. To add Dropbox, click Add New:

2. Enter a Name that makes the storage easy to identify later. Add Notes if needed:

3. Next to Type, click Select and choose Dropbox. Then, click Connect to Dropbox:

4. The Authorization section now shows three steps. For Step 1, click Authorize Dropbox to open Dropbox in a new tab:

5. Sign in to the Dropbox account, or create a new one:

6. After you sign in, Dropbox asks you to authorize the connection. Click Allow to let Duplicator Pro access its own folder in your Dropbox.

Note: Duplicator Pro only accesses this dedicated folder (Apps » Duplicator Pro), not your entire Dropbox content.

7. After you click Allow, a Duplicator page opens with your Dropbox token. Click Copy and go back to your WordPress admin dashboard:

8. Before you finalize the connection, check these two fields further down the page. Duplicator Pro saves them together with the connection:

• Storage Folder: the folder for your backups, inside Dropbox » Apps » Duplicator Pro. Use a different folder for each website that backs up to this Dropbox account.
• Max Backups: how many backups Duplicator Pro keeps in this folder. Once the limit is exceeded, the oldest backup is deleted. Set it to 0 for no limit.

9. For Step 2 of the Authorization section, paste the token. Then, for Step 3, click Finalize Setup:

Duplicator Pro automatically renews the Dropbox connection before the access token expires. If Dropbox revokes the connection (for example, if the account password changes or Duplicator Pro’s access is removed from the Dropbox account), backups to this storage fail until it’s reconnected: edit the storage and repeat the authorization steps above.

10. Duplicator Pro saves the storage and adds Dropbox as a new storage location for backups. The page now shows the connected Dropbox account, with its email and Quota Usage. If you change Storage Folder or Max Backups later, click Save Provider.

11. Click Test Storage to confirm the setup works. If Duplicator can create and delete a small file in the Dropbox folder, the new storage location is ready. If the test fails, see Troubleshooting Dropbox Storage Issues.

Create and Store a Backup on Dropbox

With Dropbox connected, it’s time to store the first backup to the cloud. Go to Duplicator Pro » Backups and click Add New:

Duplicator automatically generates a name for the backup. Rename it to something memorable, so it’s easy to find later if you need to restore it.

Next, in the Storage section, check your Dropbox storage. The Default local storage is checked too, so the backup is also kept on the server; uncheck it to store the backup on Dropbox only. Usually, a full backup of the WordPress site’s files and database is the right choice, so don’t change the archive or installer settings before clicking Next.

After you configure the backup, Duplicator scans the website. Review the scan results for any issues. To continue, click Create Backup:

When Duplicator finishes building the backup, it transfers it to the Dropbox folder you connected earlier.

Restore Your Website Using Backups Stored on Dropbox

Duplicator Pro offers two ways to restore a backup stored on Dropbox: from the Backups page, or by importing the backup file. Use either one to roll the website back to a previous version or recover it after a crash.

Use the Download Option to Restore Your Website

To restore a backup from the Backups page:

1. Go to Duplicator Pro » Backups.
2. Click the Download button for the backup that needs to be restored. If the backup isn’t in local storage, the Download From Remote Storage window opens: select your Dropbox storage and click Download. Duplicator downloads the backup from Dropbox to the server.
3. After the download completes, click the Restore button. The Duplicator Pro installer opens in a window (Step 1 of 2: Restore Backup) and walks you through restoring the site.

Import a Backup Downloaded from Dropbox

Open the Dropbox account and find the folder with the Duplicator backups (Apps » Duplicator Pro). Select the archive file and download it.

Then, open the WordPress dashboard and go to Duplicator Pro » Import. Instead of uploading the file with a file manager or a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) client, import the backup directly:

Drag and drop the archive file into the upload box. After it uploads, information about the backup appears. If everything looks correct, continue to the next page.

An overview of the current site appears next. To overwrite it with the uploaded backup, click Launch Installer:

The installer then walks you through restoring the backup. Select Restore single site as the Install Type, click Validate, then accept the terms and notices and click Next:

As a final step, confirm that you want to restore the backup. Duplicator replaces the current site with the saved backup. When it finishes, an Admin Login button appears. Click it to log in to the restored website.

That’s it! With Dropbox connected, backups upload there automatically, giving the site a remote copy that stays available even if the WordPress server crashes or has a hosting issue.

To connect a different storage provider or compare available options, see Backup to the Cloud.