Table of Contents
Getting started with installation of DropBox on Ubuntu
Dropbox is the name of a file hosting service and networking application. It provides client services such as cloud storage, file hosting service, file synchronization. It provides up to 2GB of data storage to each user for free. It gives the opportunity to share files, but does not spread the shares such as torrents everywhere without the permission of the user. Allows folder contents to be shared only between users authorized by the user under a user privacy protection agreement.
There are 3 methods to install Dropbox on Ubuntu. You can download and install the Debian package, add Dropbox's repository to the system, or install it with the package in the Ubuntu repository.
Method-1: Install DropBox From Deb Package
Go to the official download address and copy the debian package link. Then download it with wget:
foc@ubuntu22desktop:~$ wget https://www.dropbox.com/download?dl=packages/ubuntu/dropbox_2020.03.04_amd64.deb
--2022-12-15 13:30:26-- https://www.dropbox.com/download?dl=packages/ubuntu/dropbox_2020.03.04_amd64.deb
Resolving www.dropbox.com (www.dropbox.com)... 162.125.66.18, 2620:100:6027:18::a27d:4812
Connecting to www.dropbox.com (www.dropbox.com)|162.125.66.18|:443... connected.
HTTP request sent, awaiting response... 301 Moved Permanently
Location: https://linux.dropbox.com/packages/ubuntu/dropbox_2020.03.04_amd64.deb [following]
--2022-12-15 13:30:26-- https://linux.dropbox.com/packages/ubuntu/dropbox_2020.03.04_amd64.deb
Resolving linux.dropbox.com (linux.dropbox.com)... 18.165.61.117, 18.165.61.77, 18.165.61.40, ...
Connecting to linux.dropbox.com (linux.dropbox.com)|18.165.61.117|:443... connected.
HTTP request sent, awaiting response... 200 OK
Length: 69360 (68K) [application/octet-stream]
Saving to: ‘download?dl=packages%2Fubuntu%2Fdropbox_2020.03.04_amd64.deb’
download?dl=packa 100%[=============>] 67,73K --.-KB/s in 0,04s
2022-12-15 13:30:27 (1,81 MB/s) - ‘download?dl=packages%2Fubuntu%2Fdropbox_2020.03.04_amd64.deb’ saved [69360/69360]
Install the downloaded package:
foc@ubuntu22desktop:~$ sudo apt install ./download\?dl\=packages%2Fubuntu%2Fdropbox_2020.03.04_amd64.deb
[sudo] password for foc:
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
Reading state information... Done
Note, selecting 'dropbox' instead of './download?dl=packages%2Fubuntu%2Fdropbox_2020.03.04_amd64.deb'
The following package was automatically installed and is no longer required:
systemd-hwe-hwdb
Use 'sudo apt autoremove' to remove it.
The following additional packages will be installed:
libpango1.0-0
Suggested packages:
python3-gpg libpangox-1.0-0
The following NEW packages will be installed:
dropbox libpango1.0-0
0 upgraded, 2 newly installed, 0 to remove and 228 not upgraded.
Need to get 16,5 kB/85,8 kB of archives.
After this operation, 426 kB of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue? [Y/n] Y
With your approval, the installation is completed. Click the Dropbox icon at the top right of the screen and sign in:
Enter your Dropbox account information and sign in:
You are logged in.
With Open Dropbox Folder, you can access the files you access from the web browser with the Files application.
Method-2: Install using Dropbox Repository
In this step the official Dropbox repository is added to the system. Create a file under the sources.list.d directory and type the repository address:
foc@ubuntu22desktop:~$ sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list.d/dropbox.list
deb [arch=i386,amd64] http://linux.dropbox.com/ubuntu disco main
Download the repository key:
foc@ubuntu22desktop:~$ sudo apt-key adv --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com --recv-keys 1C61A2656FB57B7E4DE0F4C1FC918B335044912E
Warning: apt-key is deprecated. Manage keyring files in trusted.gpg.d instead (see apt-key(8)).
Executing: /tmp/apt-key-gpghome.cMc7EUVlY8/gpg.1.sh --keyserver keyserver.ubuntu.com --recv-keys 1C61A2656FB57B7E4DE0F4C1FC918B335044912E
gpg: key FC918B335044912E: public key "Dropbox Automatic Signing Key <linux@dropbox.com>" imported
gpg: Total number processed: 1
gpg: imported: 1
Update the packages list:
foc@ubuntu22desktop:~$ sudo apt update -y
Then install the Dropbox package:
foc@ubuntu22desktop:~$ sudo apt install dropbox -y
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
Reading state information... Done
The following packages were automatically installed and are no longer required:
linux-headers-5.15.0-43 linux-headers-5.15.0-43-generic
linux-image-5.15.0-43-generic linux-modules-5.15.0-43-generic
linux-modules-extra-5.15.0-43-generic systemd-hwe-hwdb
Use 'sudo apt autoremove' to remove them.
The following additional packages will be installed:
libpango1.0-0
Suggested packages:
libpangox-1.0-0
The following NEW packages will be installed:
dropbox libpango1.0-0
0 upgraded, 2 newly installed, 0 to remove and 173 not upgraded.
Need to get 85,8 kB of archives.
After this operation, 426 kB of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue? [Y/n] Y
Log in with your account information after installation. Access the files you access from the web browser with Open Dropbox Folder with the Files application.
Method-3: Install DropBox Using Ubuntu Repository
The nautilus-dropbox package available in the Ubuntu repositories syncs with Dropbox and gives you access to your files. Install the package:
foc@ubuntu22desktop:~$ sudo apt install nautilus-dropbox -y
Installed version info:
foc@ubuntu22desktop:~$ dropbox version
Dropbox daemon version: 162.4.5419
Dropbox command-line interface version: 2019.02.14
Start Dropbox download with Start Dropbox:
Sign in with your Dropbox account information:
Installation is complete. Access Dropbox from the top left of the screen.
Summary
You should be careful while sharing your files and information with applications. Take care to download the packages you use from their official websites.
We set up Dropbox in 3 different ways. Of course, installation from Ubuntu repositories is recommended for both stability and reliability.
References
www.dropbox.com - Install Dropbox