We’re Still Here to Help (Even Over the Holidays!) - find out more here.
Forum Discussion
Google Drive Docs Sheets Migration Would move Much More Such As *.csv *.txt *.odt *.log files.
According to Dropbox, "How to find Google files in your Dropbox account" directions (copied below), all our plainTextFiles.txt, LogFiles.log files, OpenOffice.ods LibreOffice files, CommaSeparatedValues.csv files, ankiFlashCards.apkg files, critical Firefox files, and many other files will be automatically moved to google drive that I would never want in Google Drive. Many of them will never work in using Google Drive, such as our .key files to open our password databases because DropBox devs think keepass.key files are Google Slides. Now, we are talking a MAJOR SECURITY CONCERN in terms of password database confidentiality and Availability. Not only is gDrive much more expensive, but I pay for dropbox for a reason. Their directions are below, but it is basically find your files that will be moved to google drive by searching for .gdoc or .gsheet or .gslides.
Does not seem like this integration has been thought thru especially in the following scenarios:
- The millions of people that use a key file to open their password databases.
- The millions that use LibreOffice or OpenOffice particularly because you do not want to use a slow web browser to open your docs and you do not want to use o365.
- Have a python project in DropBox for importing CommaSeparatedValues.csv files? BROKEN.
- Depend on old versions of Firefox to manage NetGear switches and iot stuff? Firefox would be destroyed! These Firefox profiles contain LocalStore.rdf and MimeTypes.rdf and other .rdf files which will be detected as Google Sheets, thereby corrupting your Firefox profile.
- I had to post this rough draft in order to not lose it, so a moderator marked this as SPAM. NOW, I AM EXTREMELY ANGRY.
- I had really wanted to get some things done today, but now am forced to move my files elsewhere. TrueNAS ZFS SelfHosting would have already saved the time and money. The plugins are awesome. I believe I created my account in about 2008, so fifteen years as a customer is ending.
Dropbox devs, change this to search based on what the file MIME type program returns. Better yet, create an explicit Google Doc search.
How to find Google files in your Dropbox account
Use Dropbox search to review your Google files before uploading or converting your documents. To do this:
- Sign in to dropbox.com.
- Click the search bar at the top of the page.
- Search for each individual file type: .gdoc, .gsheet, and .gslides.
- Dropbox Help Center - How to use Dropbox
- Integrations
- How to move Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides
How to move Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides
https://help.dropbox.com/integrations/move-google-docs
22 Replies
- Nancy
Dropbox Community Moderator
Hi Robert T.26, and thanks for posting on our Community.
I’ve passed your feedback about this to the relevant team. This way, they can also see your comments and take this into account.
If there’s something else you may need though, please let me know.
I received the email "[Action Required] Migrating your Google files" and read the linked Help Center article "How to move Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides". The documentation is extremely confusing, and in one case the documented instructions do not work.
First of all, I do not knowingly have any Google docs in Dropbox. While I do have a Google account (presumably giving access to Google Drive), I have never created Google docs myself; nor have I used Google docs except in instances where other people have shared them with me. I do not understand why I (or anyone) would have Google docs in Dropbox. But even if I do, why should Dropbox care what types of files I have in Dropbox. The user model and the rationale for the forced migration need to be explained much better.
I have some Dropbox folders that other Dropbox users have shared with me. They might contain Google docs without my knowing. To find them, I attempted to follow these instructions given in the Help Center article:
Use Dropbox search to review your Google files before uploading or converting your documents. To do this:
- Sign in to dropbox.com.
- Click the search bar at the top of the page.
- Search for each individual file type: .gdoc, .gsheet, and .gslides.
When I search for .gdoc, it returns thousands of results for .doc, .docx, .txt, and other text file types. Likewise, when I search for .gsheet, it returns .xls, .xlsx, and .csv files. This behavior is very surprising; it certainly is not a useful way to find just the Google doc files.
The instructions are totally wrong and need to be changed to describe a way to find just the Google doc files that will be affected by the migration. The forced migration needs to be better thought out and better documented. For sure, there needs to be a reliable way to determine which files will be affected.
I got now totally messed up with this migration. I foolishly just press the button to connect. Now it is telling me that I need to have a brand new account. I don’t want a new account and it wants me to pay money for it. I want to go back to my old way, and I don’t want to do the migration. How do I undo what I did? Friggin mess.
I’m not sure I can find it but I will try. I’ll see if I can find the original request. I’m not sure if I got a prompt right away but all I know is that I received emails welcoming me to my new account. Also, my account was not full before and now it is. I’m going to have to delete some precious files.
Hi Robert, thanks for flagging this,
To the moderators, Hannah
Is it possible to limit the files transferred to google to being just actual google format files? Eg. when I search for .gdoc the results also include a significant number of large indd files that I don't want to move?
When all our files are replaced by links, will we have to open google drive to create new documents?
In the future, if I copy a link (within dropbox online/ dropbox for desktop) to a template file, will it create a new file, or will it link to the original template?
Will the links break if a filename gets changed while in the google editor?
Will the migration recreate our folder structure on google drive or will it be a file dump?
Many thanks,
BenDBXCommunity Manager
Hi KOMA,
Great questions. Thanks for your patience while I passed them onto our Google Drive migration experts. I've included the answers below:
Is it possible to limit the files transferred to google to being just actual google format files? Eg. when I search for .gdoc the results also include a significant number of large indd files that I don't want to move?
Non-GDD files will not get migrated, even if they show up in the .gdoc search query. INDD files should not get migrated.
When all our files are replaced by links, will we have to open google drive to create new documents?
No, the new creation flow on Dropbox for Google files will now create files in google drive instead of on Dropbox.
In the future, if I copy a link (within dropbox online/ dropbox for desktop) to a template file, will it create a new file, or will it link to the original template?
Links are very basic; it should just link you to the original template.
Will the links break if a filename gets changed while in the google editor?
Links will not break, but the file name will not sync up with the shortcut name on Dropbox.
Will the migration recreate our folder structure on google drive or will it be a file dump?
It will be a file dump in a folder called Dropbox.
Regards,
Ben
Thanks BenDBX very clear answers.
Following on from the template question. If we want to use a file as a template, what is the workflow to ensure the copied file shows up on dropbox with its own independent link?
If I make a copy of an existing file from within the google editor, will this automatically create an associated link on dropbox?
If I recreate my folder structure on google drive to organize the files, (at the primary level this is 78 folders), is there a way to ensure that newly created files (via dropbox) will be stored within them?
Many Thanks
- BenDBX
Hi KOMA,
Passing on the answers to your questions below:
Following on from the template question. If we want to use a file as a template, what is the workflow to ensure the copied file shows up on dropbox with its own independent link?
Links are just links. We don't do anything special with template files. A file derivative of the template file will need a separate link.
If I make a copy of an existing file from within the google editor, will this automatically create an associated link on dropbox?
Nothing special happens. We do not automatically create an associated link.
If I recreate my folder structure on google drive to organize the files, (at the primary level this is 78 folders), is there a way to ensure that newly created files (via dropbox) will be stored within them?
When creating new files, you can specify the location in GDrive. This will be manual.
Regards,
Ben
