Note: This guide covers the automated asset migration from Dropbox supported by the Frontify Professional Services team only. It does not apply to migrations performed by third-party agencies, partners, or clients completing self-migration.

Overview

Frontify’s Dropbox automated migration is a structured way to move agreed Dropbox files into Frontify with minimal manual setup.

This migration is designed for teams moving large volumes of assets from Dropbox into Frontify who want to avoid downloading files, manually reuploading assets, or rebuilding folder structures from scratch. To get started, your team grants Frontify secure access to the Dropbox folder or folders you want migrated, confirms whether the folder structure should be preserved, and organizes your files before migration begins.

The migration is completed programmatically through API-based tools. Typical project duration is 1–4 weeks, depending on total asset volume, asset size, metadata complexity, folder structure, and customer readiness.

Important: This is a service-free automated migration. It does not include consultation, migration strategy, data analysis, metadata cleanup, folder restructuring, or working sessions with Frontify. All communication takes place asynchronously by email, and no meetings are included as part of this migration process.

Is this migration option right for you?

The Dropbox automated migration is a good fit if:

You are migrating assets from Dropbox to Frontify.
Your Dropbox files are already organized and ready for migration.
You want agreed Dropbox files transferred automatically.
You want to preserve your Dropbox folder structure in Frontify.
You are comfortable with file names becoming asset titles in Frontify.
You can grant Frontify secure access to the relevant Dropbox folder or folders.
You can confirm whether the full Dropbox or a specific parent folder should be migrated.
You can review the imported files after migration and remove access once the migration is complete.

This migration is designed to be fast and practical for straightforward libraries. However, it is not the right fit for every use case.

What is included

The automated migration can include:

Automated transfer of agreed Dropbox files
Preservation of Dropbox folder structure
File names used as asset titles in Frontify

The included content is based on the agreed migration scope and the files available through the Dropbox access provided to Frontify.

What is not included

The automated migration does not support every file, data point, or use case from Dropbox. The following are excluded:

Files over 500 GB
Version history
Only the latest asset version is migrated.
Issues caused by Dropbox API limitations
Metadata not listed in the inclusions
Data analysis or similar research
Manual asset metadata enrichment
Tags

These exclusions help keep the migration automated, predictable, and efficient.

Before the migration begins

Before Frontify can begin the automated migration, your team will need to complete the preparation steps below.

1. Share Dropbox access with Frontify

Frontify needs access to the Dropbox content included in the migration scope.

This includes:

Sharing Dropbox admin access with Frontify
Inviting Frontify as an editor to the target library

Access details should be shared through an approved secure channel.

2. Define the migration scope

Your team needs to confirm what should be migrated. This may be:

Migration scope	Description
Entire Dropbox	The full agreed Dropbox is included in the migration.
Specific parent folder	A selected parent folder and its subfolders are included in the migration.

Only files available through the agreed Dropbox access can be migrated.

3. Confirm whether to preserve folder structure

Your team needs to confirm whether the Dropbox folder structure should be preserved in Frontify.

If preserved, the Dropbox folder structure is used to create the corresponding structure in Frontify.

This is helpful when your Dropbox folders already reflect how you want assets to be organized in Frontify. If your Dropbox structure is outdated, inconsistent, or too complex, organize it before migration begins.

4. Organize files before migration

Because this is an automated migration, Frontify does not analyze, restructure, clean up, or enrich your files or metadata as part of the process.

Before migration begins, your team should:

Remove files that should not be migrated
Move files into the correct folder or parent folder
Confirm that filenames are suitable as asset titles
Check whether any files are over 500 GB
Confirm whether the folder structure should be preserved
Make sure the agreed Dropbox location contains only the intended migration scope

5. Avoid changes during migration

Once the migration starts, avoid making changes to the files or folder structure included in the migration scope.

Changes made in Dropbox during the migration may not be reflected in Frontify and can affect the consistency of the migrated library.

6. Remove access after migration is complete

After the migration has been completed and reviewed, remove Frontify’s access from the relevant Dropbox folder or account.

Migration process

The Dropbox automated migration follows three main stages.

Stage 1: Preparation

During preparation, your team works with Frontify by email to confirm access and migration scope. This stage includes:

Sharing Dropbox admin access with Frontify
Inviting Frontify as an editor to the target library
Confirming whether the migration should include the entire Dropbox or a specific parent folder and its subfolders
Confirming whether the Dropbox folder structure should be preserved in Frontify

The timing for this stage depends on customer readiness.

Stage 2: Execution

Once preparation is complete, Frontify sets up and runs the migration.This stage includes:

Allocating engineering resources
Preparing the migration setup
Scheduling the migration
Programmatically transferring files through the Dropbox API

Technical setup typically takes around 3 business days. After setup, import speed is typically around 10,000–30,000 assets per day, depending on asset size and metadata complexity. The exact timeline depends on total asset volume and migration scope.

Stage 3: Review and completion

After the migration is complete, Frontify performs a post-migration review and shares a migration report.

This stage includes:

Validating migrated assets
Generating and sharing a migration report
Customer review of migrated assets and metadata
Customer confirmation of completion by email

The post-migration review typically takes around 1 business day. One validation cycle is included.

Customer review period

After handover, you have a 1-month error reporting window to report migration-related issues.

During this period, review a representative set of migrated files to confirm that the migration has been completed as expected.

We recommend checking:

Files were migrated successfully
File names became the expected asset titles
Folder structure was preserved as agreed
The correct Dropbox or parent folder was migrated
Large files over 500 GB were handled separately
Any missing or incorrect source data is identified

Customer responsibilities

To keep the migration running smoothly, your team is responsible for:

Sharing the required Dropbox access with Frontify
Inviting Frontify as an editor to the target library
Confirming whether the full Dropbox or a specific parent folder should be migrated
Confirming whether folder structure should be preserved
Organizing files before migration begins
Ensuring files in scope are suitable for migration
Avoiding changes to files or folders during migration
Reviewing the migrated assets after handover
Reporting any migration-related issues within the review window
Removing Frontify’s access after the migration is complete

Important limitations

The automated migration depends on the files and folder information available through the Dropbox API and the access granted to Frontify.

This means some content may not be available for migration if it is not shared with Frontify, is restricted by permissions, exceeds the file size limit, contains metadata outside the supported inclusions, or is impacted by Dropbox API limitations.

Frontify cannot migrate data that is not available through the API connection used for the migration. If this affects a small, manageable number of files, we recommend uploading those files manually to your Frontify library through the UI.

Disclaimer

This article is intended as general guidance for the Dropbox automated migration process. Dropbox is a third-party platform and may change its API behavior, permissions, file access, supported file handling, or system functionality at any time.

Frontify does not control Dropbox’s API, system availability, permissions model, file structure, or how Dropbox exposes files and folders to authorized users. Your team is responsible for ensuring that the correct Dropbox location is shared, that the required files are available through the access provided for migration, and that files are organized before the migration begins.

The final migration scope, timing, pricing, and responsibilities are confirmed in the signed Scope of Work (SOW).

Download our a sample process timeline below:

Dropbox_auto-migration_timeline process.pdf

Dropbox Automated Migration to Frontify