How to Save Gmail Attachments to Dropbox

To save a Gmail attachment to Dropbox, install the free Dropbox for Gmail add-on, open the email, click the Dropbox icon in the right sidebar, pick the file and folder, and click Save. That handles one email at a time. For a backlog of older attachments or files that keep arriving from the same clients, you need a bulk tool or an automation, covered below.

Gmail's built-in Add to Drive button saves to Google Drive, not Dropbox. If Google Drive or OneDrive is your destination, see the Google Drive guide or how to save Gmail attachments to OneDrive.

Choose Your Method#

The key distinction: saving the attachments you already have and saving the ones that arrive from now on are separate jobs. A rule that watches for new email does not copy your history.

Save Attachments From One Email#

With the Dropbox for Gmail add-on

1. In Gmail on a computer, click the + icon in the right panel, choose Dropbox for Gmail, click Install and sign in to Dropbox when asked.
2. Open an email with attachments.
3. Click the Dropbox icon in the right sidebar.
4. Select the files to save and the destination folder, then click Save.

Dropbox says the add-on works in any browser and in the Gmail mobile apps. See Dropbox's Gmail add-on instructions for the current steps.

Without an add-on

Hover over the attachment in Gmail and click Download (or Download all for several files in one email), then upload the files to your Dropbox folder or move them into a folder synced by the Dropbox desktop app. Open one file in Dropbox afterwards to check the upload finished.

Forward Attachments With Email to Dropbox#

Dropbox gives paid accounts a unique email address that saves incoming file attachments to an Email Attachments folder. Turn it on at dropbox.com under Settings, then Features, then Email to Dropbox.

It is handy for the occasional receipt, but know the limits from Dropbox's documentation:

• It requires a paid Dropbox plan.
• Each email supports up to 100 attachments totaling no more than 20 MB.
• Files land in the Email Attachments folder, which is private by default and can be shared, rather than a client or project folder you pick.
• You still forward each email yourself.

Bulk-Save Older Gmail Attachments to Dropbox#

When the files are spread across hundreds of emails, for example every invoice from one supplier, select them in one go instead of opening each message.

1. Connect Gmail and Dropbox. Sign in to Dioveo with Google, wait for your attachments to finish indexing, then connect Dropbox.
2. Filter the attachments. Narrow by sender, file type and dates, for example PDFs from one supplier received in 2025.
3. Upload all matches. Leave the files unselected, open All N matches above the filtered results and choose Upload all matches. For a few files, tick them and use Upload instead.
4. Pick the destination and start the upload. Choose Dropbox, the connection and the folder, then click Upload all matches (or Upload for selected files). A mounted shared folder works too, so the files land where your team already looks. Wait for completion before checking Dropbox.
5. Check the result. Open the folder in Dropbox and spot-check a few files before moving on to the next batch.

Free includes 50 manual file transfers per calendar month, shared across downloads and manual cloud saves; Pro makes manual transfers unlimited. The files are copied, so the original emails stay in Gmail.

Automatically Save New Attachments to Dropbox#

For files that keep arriving, set a rule once. A typical example is one folder per client:

1. In Dioveo, create a workflow that matches the client's email address (or domain) and the file types you care about.
2. Choose Dropbox as the destination and point it at that client's folder, for example /Clients/Acme.
3. Activate the workflow, then send a test email with a matching attachment and check it reaches the folder.

Repeat for each client. Workflow uploads are tracked, so the same rule does not save the same attachment twice. Free includes one active workflow and 10 automatic cloud saves per month; Pro includes up to 10 workflows and unlimited automatic saves.

Zapier and Make can do the same for new mail: a Gmail: New Attachment trigger in Zapier with a Dropbox: Upload File action, or a Make scenario that watches Gmail, lists the attachments and uploads them to Dropbox. Zapier counts tasks and Make counts credits. A new-email automation does not automatically backfill your mailbox; Make can process older emails through a configured starting point or a separate search scenario.

Limits and Practical Questions#

• Shared folders: writable shared folders mounted in your connected Dropbox are supported.
• Dropbox Business: you can save into your own member folder and any shared folder that appears in your Dropbox. Team spaces, the team-wide area some Business plans use, are not supported as a Dioveo destination yet.
• Duplicates: bulk transfers go to the folder you choose each time, so avoid re-sending the same selection. Workflow rules skip attachments they already saved.
• Gmail storage: copying files to Dropbox does not free Google storage. The originals still count until you delete the emails, so verify the copies first. If space is the goal, see freeing up Gmail storage without losing a file.

Frequently Asked Questions#

How do I save Gmail attachments to Dropbox?

For a single email, install the Dropbox for Gmail add-on, click the Dropbox icon in the right sidebar of the open email, choose the files and folder, and click Save. For many emails at once, use a tool such as Dioveo that can select attachments across your mailbox and upload them to a Dropbox folder.

Can Gmail automatically save attachments to Dropbox?

Not on its own. Gmail's built-in button only saves to Google Drive. To save new attachments to Dropbox automatically, use a workflow rule in Dioveo or an automation service such as Zapier or Make, and test it with a matching email before relying on it.

How do I move all my old Gmail attachments to Dropbox?

Use a tool that can select existing attachments across many emails. In Dioveo, filter your indexed attachments, choose Upload all matches and pick a Dropbox folder. New-email automations and Email to Dropbox only handle mail going forward or one forwarded email at a time.

Is Email to Dropbox free?

No. Email to Dropbox is available on paid Dropbox plans, and the attachments in one email can total no more than 20 MB. Files are saved to a private Email Attachments folder.

Does saving attachments to Dropbox free up Gmail storage?

No. The copy in Dropbox is separate; the original attachment still counts against your Google storage until you delete the email. Back up first, check the files open, then delete the emails you no longer need.