Dropbox: sign in with Google

Martin Brinkmann
Oct 15, 2016
Internet
|
11

Dropbox users who have associated a Google email address with their account may use Google directly now to sign in to their account.

Dropbox users up until now could only use the service's own authentication system to create an account and sign in to it using apps, desktop clients or the web version.

This changed recently as it is now possible to authenticate using a Google account. While that means association the account with Dropbox, the solution may be preferred by some users to unify accounts on the Internet.

So, instead of having to use two accounts, one for Google and another for Dropbox, users could use Google for both.

Dropbox: sign in with Google

dropbox sign-in google

Users who are new to Dropbox can sign up to Dropbox using their Google account. This simplifies sign up as there is no need to specify a password for the account.

You are probably wondering if the change applies to Dropbox users who have set an email from a different provider as their Dropbox account email.

They don't directly. These users may change their Dropbox email address however to benefit from the new sign in option as well.

Here is how that is done:

  1. Load https://www.dropbox.com/account/security#profile in the web browser of choice.
  2. You may need to sign in using your existing account depending on your preferences.
  3. You find a "change email" option under personal email on the main profile page.
  4. Follow the steps outlined there to switch it to your Google email address.

dropbox change email

You should have a Gmail address listed under personal email after the process. Once that is out of the way, you may use the "sign in with Google" option on Dropbox to sign in to the account.

The first time you do that you are asked to add an account. Pick your account on the page that opens, or click on add account if it is not listed on that page.

select google account

The next page lists the permissions that Dropbox requests. This includes viewing your email address, basic profile information, and managing your contacts.

Please note that you cannot disallow this if you want to proceed. There is no option for instance to block Dropbox from accessing your contacts.

dropbox google

This process works only if the personal email listed under the Dropbox account is identical to the Google email address.

You will get an error message in the last step otherwise. Please note that Dropbox distinguishes between email addresses ending in gmail.com and googlemail.com.

You will still be asked to enter the two-factor authentication code of the Dropbox account if you have enabled it for the account.

Now You: Do you use Dropbox or do you prefer a different cloud storage provider?

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Dropbox: sign in with Google
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Dropbox: sign in with Google
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Dropbox users who have associated a Google email address with their account may use Google directly now to sign in to their account.
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Ghacks Technology News
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Comments

  1. Xysma said on April 7, 2019 at 5:49 am
    Reply

    Now that your Google account can access your Dropbox account by login, does this mean that Google has access into your files stored in your Dropbox acount? Are all your Dropbox documents private and secure from Google?

  2. Uhtred said on October 17, 2016 at 9:49 pm
    Reply

    if memory serves me rightly, you can have several gmails for one main account, so if you used an alt gmail, would it still access all your contacts or just that “associated gmail contacts?”

    The dropbox-google thing might be good for some, but I prefer to keep my eggs in separate baskets.

    I’ve given up on dropbox software for destop, and manually access its site online via browser… not only does dropbox software repeatedly fire up its updater and so on, but each time it syncs I find on win 7 it trips my file explorer from details view to icon view, which is very annoying.

  3. Jason said on October 16, 2016 at 6:18 pm
    Reply

    Judging from the comments here, I see that I’m not the only person wondering, “Why the hell would I want Google to be connected with my Dropbox account?” You people make me happy. :)

    For the record, I still have a Dropbox account for sharing stupid things with a couple of friends. But increasingly I am relying on OwnCloud running on my own little server. You should try it – it’s way easier than you may think. In fact there are some companies out there selling mini PCs that are pre-configured to run OwnCloud services. Alternately, you can rent some server space from a hosting company. Either way, only *you* will have the encryption keys. You won’t have to worry about Dropbox, or Dropbox’s business partners….

  4. Buddy said on October 16, 2016 at 12:32 pm
    Reply

    Exactly why is the following required? Just more stuff out there! No thanks.
    “The next page lists the permissions that Dropbox requests. This includes viewing your email address, basic profile information, and managing your contacts.
    Please note that you cannot disallow this if you want to proceed. There is no option for instance to block Dropbox from accessing your contacts.”

  5. Ted said on October 16, 2016 at 2:43 am
    Reply

    If your Dropbox account is hacked won’t both be hacked using that sign-in method?

    1. Martin Brinkmann said on October 16, 2016 at 6:03 am
      Reply

      To hack the Dropbox account, one would have to get into Google’s account first and then also somehow hijack the 2-factor auth of Dropbox.

  6. Gullible Box said on October 15, 2016 at 10:12 pm
    Reply

    Aah… The Cloud.

  7. Sean said on October 15, 2016 at 5:56 pm
    Reply

    Dropbox? OK but not for serious use.

  8. xeroxGuy said on October 15, 2016 at 3:06 pm
    Reply

    Google uh?

    “Freed From Gag Order, Google Reveals It Received Secret FBI Subpoena”

    https://theintercept.com/2016/10/14/freed-from-gag-order-google-reveals-it-received-secret-fbi-subpoena/

    1. bob said on January 26, 2021 at 4:36 pm
      Reply

      just tried to sign in to drop box and i cant unless i agree to let it to look at my gmail account ! which is just another way for google to look at what your sharing the in their bid to controll data on the internet..cunts, so all my personal stuff i have on dropbox i can not get in to delete, so its locked in unless i agree, so fuck them,

  9. Anonymous Coward said on October 15, 2016 at 9:36 am
    Reply

    I wouldn’t recommend it, with all the suspicious behavior of Dropbox lately. Continually forcing multiple background services and running processes in Session 0.

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