The Dropbox desktop app is available on supported Linux operating systems. If you use Dropbox on a Linux machine, we recommend that you download and install the appropriate Linux package of the Dropbox desktop app.
Note: If you use single sign-on (SSO), you’ll need to sign in to dropbox.com before installing the Dropbox desktop app.
How to build the Dropbox installer for Linux from source
The Dropbox installation package source has been released to the public via a GPL license. This means that even if we don't have installation packages for your Linux or Unix distribution of choice, you can still compile a version yourself.
Install Dropbox from source
- Download the latest installer package.
- Extract the tarball:
3. In most distributions, the following commands should do the rest:
For specific distributions or to configure your installation, see the INSTALL file included with the source package.
Want to contribute?
As mentioned above, nautilus-dropbox is released on a GPL license. However, due to legal requirements, we can only accept patches into our release if you release your patch into the public domain. Don't worry, we'll still credit you in the CONTRIBUTORS file included with every package. To submit your patches, contact us. If you want to develop on the Dropbox platform, visit our developers site and check out our API.
How to add Dropbox to your Linux repository
To add Dropbox to an Ubuntu repository:
- Add the following line to /etc/apt/sources.list, and replace xenial with your build's name below.
2. Import our GPG keys into your apt repository, perform the following command from your terminal shell:
To add Dropbox to a Fedora repository:
- Add the following to /etc/yum.conf.
2. Run this command to list all keys you've imported:
3. Copy the key for Dropbox, then run this command:
What Linux commands are available on Dropbox?
The Dropbox desktop app can be controlled with the Linux Command Line Interface (CLI). Depending on your Linux distribution and the package you used to perform installation, you may need to download a Python script to control Dropbox from the command line. However, we recommend you first try without downloading the script.
Before running commands, ensure that you’re running the available commands while your prompt is located at the root (top level) of the Dropbox folder.
By default, the Dropbox folder is located in ~/Dropbox (or ~/Dropbox (Your team name), if you have a Dropbox Business account). If you moved the Dropbox folder to a different location, be sure you navigate to the root of your actual Dropbox folder before running the commands below.