Dropbox automation options

You can use automation options in Dropbox to organize and automate tasks, like unzipping and converting files, within your account.

How to create an automated folder

To create an automated folder:

1. Log in to dropbox.com.
2. Click Create folder under the search bar at the top.
   • You can also click + Create and select Folder.
3. Select Automated folder.
4. Choose an automation option:
   • Choose a category to sort files by
   • Set a rule that renames files
   • Choose a tag to organize and find files
     • Note: Only available to users on Dropbox Professional, Standard, Advanced, and Enterprise plans.
   •  Convert files to PDFs
   • Choose an image format to convert files to
   • Choose a file format to convert videos to
   • Unzip files
   • Choose a file format to convert audio files to
   • Watermark files
     • Note: When you add a watermark, you can choose either an image or text. You can see how your documents look with the watermark in the preview on the right.
5. Name your folder and apply the rules you want to set for this automation.
   •  Note: To set up more than one automation for files and subfolders added to this folder, click the  “+” (plus sign) next to Add step for up to five automation rules.
6. Click Save.

How to add automation to an existing folder

To add automation to a folder:

1. Log in to dropbox.com.
2. Navigate to the subfolder where you’d like to add automation.
3. Click the gear icon next to the folder name.
4. Select Organize.
5. Click Add automation.
6. Select the automation option and click Save.

How to add automation to subfolders

Folders added to another folder with an existing automation will inherit that automation.

To add another automation to a folder nested within an automated folder:

1. Log in to dropbox.com.
2. Navigate to the subfolder where you’d like to add automation.
3. Hover over the folder you’d like to pause and click “…” (ellipsis) to the right, or check the box next to the folder then click “…” above the file/folder list.
4. Click Add automation.
5. Select the automation option and click Save.
   • To add this automation to all files currently within this subfolder, click Apply to current files.
   • Note: You can only apply an automation to current files if there are 5,000 files or less in the folder.
   • To add this automation to all subfolders of this folder, click Include files in all subfolders.

How to pause automation

To pause automation on a folder:

1. Log in to dropbox.com.
2. Hover over the folder you’d like to pause  and click the “…” (ellipsis) to the right, or check the box next to the folder then click “…” above the file/folder list.
3. Click Edit automation.
4. Click the Active/Paused toggle in the top-right of the window.
5. Click Save.

 

How to remove automation from a folder

To remove automation from a folder:

1. Log in to dropbox.com.
2. Hover over the folder where you’d like to remove automation and click the “…” (ellipsis) to the right, or check the box next to the folder then click “…” above the file/folder list.
3. Click Edit automation.
4. Click the trashcan icon in the top-right of the window.
5. Click Remove.

 

How to share an automated folder 

Automated folders can be shared the same as any other folder. The folder automation will remain for anyone the folder is shared with. Once an automated folder has been shared with someone, they'll see notation that the folder is automated as well as which automation option was selected.

What happens when I move a file to an automated folder?

You can move a file to an automated folder just like you would move a file to any other folder in your Dropbox account. When you move a file to an automated folder, the selected automation will take effect. This works the same for your folders as well as folders shared with teammates.
 

If a file was moved to an automated folder accidentally, you can click Undo in the panel at the bottom of your screen.