Dropbox is a cloud service using which users can store their important data and sync files online. Unlike many other cloud services, Dropbox has a native Linux client that works well with Arch Linux and its derivatives (Manjaro and Garuda).

In this tutorial, I will guide you through the steps to install Dropbox on your Arch-based system. After the installation of Dropbox in your system, a folder called Dropbox will be created in your system Home Directory. Inside this folder, you can put the files to sync them across devices through Dropbox cloud storage.

Contents:

• How to Install Dropbox on Arch Linux
• Installing Dropbox from AUR
• Directly Install Dropbox AUR Package Using AUR Helpers (Recommended)
• Install Dropbox Using Pamac (GUI For AUR Packages)
• Install Dropbox Using Flatpak
• Install Dropbox Using Software Centre (GUI Method)
• Conclusion

How to Install Dropbox on Arch Linux?

To install Dropbox on Arch Linux, you can download its AUR package and build it into your system. Alternatively, you can also use any AUR helpers for downloading Dropbox on your system.

Apart from the AUR package of Dropbox, there are various other options available to download and install Dropbox. You can use the Flathub repository to download and install Dropbox, or you can use any Software Center like GNOME software center to get Dropbox on your system.

1. Installing Dropbox from AUR

To install Dropbox from AUR, first, you have to install some dependencies to build the AUR package. After that, you can clone the Dropbox git directory and install it on your system.

To get the AUR package of Dropbox, follow the given commands.

Start by installing the base-devel and git packages using the Pacman command:

sudo pacman -Syu --needed base-devel git

This command uses Pacman, to synchronize and update the package databases. This command also installs the base-devel and git packages if they are not already installed. The base-devel package group contains tools like makepkg. These tools can build packages using source files. The git package will clone the Dropbox AUR package repository.

Now use the git command to clone the Dropbox AUR package from the AUR repository:

git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/dropbox.git 

Here, cloning the package means copying the files and history of the package to your local machine.

Now, navigate from the current working directory to the dropbox directory that was created by the previous command:

cd dropbox

The dropbox directory contains the PKGBUILD file. This file tells makepkg how to build and install the package.

Next, use the gpg tool to receive the public key of the Dropbox developer from a keyserver:

gpg --recv-keys 1C61A2656FB57B7E4DE0F4C1FC918B335044912E 

The gpg is a tool for encryption and digital signatures. It can receive the public key of the Dropbox from a keyserver. The public key verifies the authenticity of the Dropbox source files. This public key is signed by the developer using their private key. The public key is also listed in the validpgpkeys array of the PKGBUILD file.

Finally, run the makepkg command to build and install the Dropbox package:

makepkg -si

This command uses makepkg with two options. The -s option will resolve and install the Dropbox package dependencies. The -i flag will install the Dropbox package once it is built. The makepkg will also create a package file of Dropbox that can be managed by Pacman.

Dropbox is successfully installed on your system. Now you can launch Dropbox from the terminal. It’s recommended to reboot your Arch system before launching the Dropbox.

To launch from the app menu, search Dropbox.

Setup Dropbox on Arch Linux

After launching Dropbox, the Login page for Dropbox will open in your default web browser. Enter your Login Email and Password to continue.

After that, click the Connect button to link your Dropbox account with your Arch Linux system.

Click Continue with installation button.

Once your Dropbox account is set up, you will see a new folder with the Dropbox name will be created inside your Home directory. Anything you copy or create in this folder will automatically be synced to your Dropbox online storage.

Here, you can see a template file inside my Dropbox account that is successfully synced with my Arch Linux system.

Removing Dropbox from Arch Linux

To remove the Dropbox AUR package along with its dependencies and configurations, simply use the Pacman command:

sudo pacman -Rns dropbox

Note:

After uninstalling the Dropbox, the Dropbox folder created inside your Home directory will not be removed. However, you can manually remove it to unlink your Arch system with Dropbox storage. The below image shows the popup which appears after deleting the Dropbox folder.

2. Directly Install Dropbox AUR Package Using AUR Helper (Recommended)

Not all Linux users prefer to manually download and build the AUR packages. You can get the Dropbox AUR package with just one command. But for that, your system must contain an AUR helper. Some popular AUR helpers are Yay, Paru, Trizen, and Pacaur.

Let’s check the steps of installing Dropbox using the two popular AUR helpers: Yay and Paru.

2.1. Installing Dropbox Using Yay

Yay is one of the most popular and updated AUR helpers used on Arch-based systems. It is written in Go language, and it automates the installation of packages from the Arch User Repository.

To get the Dropbox AUR package, you must have Yay installed on your system, or you can get it using the following commands:

sudo pacman -Syu

sudo pacman -S --needed base-devel git

git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/yay.git

cd yay

makepkg -si

If you have Yay already installed, run the following Yay command to install Dropbox:

yay -Syu dropbox

Launch the Dropbox from the terminal. But before that, reboot your system first.

Removing Dropbox Installed Using Yay

To remove the Dropbox AUR package, enter the following Pacman command:

sudo pacman -Rns dropbox

2.2. Installing Dropbox Using Paru

Another AUR helper that you can use to get Dropbox is Paru. It is written in Rust language. Paru design is based on the Yay. It can also build and install AUR packages, just like Yay.

If Paru is not installed on your system, run these commands to get it:

sudo pacman -S --needed base-devel git

git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/paru.git

cd paru

makepkg -si

Once the Paru installation is done, let’s get Dropbox using it:

paru dropbox

After running the above command, you will get a list of all packages which include the word dropbox. So type 1 to install the stable version of Dropbox.

Removing Dropbox Installed Using Paru

To remove the Dropbox installed using paru, run this command:

paru -Rns dropbox

This will remove the Dropbox package and its dependencies. If you want to remove the Dropbox folder from your hard drive, you can drag your Dropbox folder to Trash.

3. Install Dropbox Using Pamac (GUI For AUR Packages)

If you are tired of entering all these commands to get the Dropbox AUR package, why not get a GUI for managing the AUR packages? For that, you can get Pamac.

Pamac is a package manager in Manjaro. It supports various package formats like Appstream, AUR, Flatpak, and Snaps. It’s the best alternative to Pacman on Arch Linux. You can get Dropbox using Pamac both from the terminal and its GUI interface.

Installing Pamac Using Yay

You can get Pamac using the AUR helper, Yay:

yay -S pamac-aur

Otherwise, if there is no AUR helper installed, you have to select the difficult route.

Manually Installing Pamac Using AUR Package

To manually install Pamac, first update your system and clone the Pamac AUR package. After that, build the package to install it on your system:

sudo pacman -Syu

sudo pacman -S --needed base-devel git

git clone https://aur.archlinux.org/archlinux-appstream-data-pamac.git

cd archlinux-appstream-data-pamac

makepkg -si

Once you’re done with Pamac installation, open it from the application menu. Search Add/Remove Software and click on it. You can also type the Pamac, and it will show up.

Enable the AUR Package Support

Before you can install the Dropbox using Pamac, first you have to enable the AUR package support. Open Pamac and select the hamburger icon. Next, select Preferences.

Enter your system root Password.

Inside the Third-Party tab, turn on the AUR support option.

Now using Pamac you can easily download and install the Dropbox AUR package.

Installing Dropbox Using Pamac

To download Dropbox, search it in the AUR packages section. Select the package to download and click Apply.

Dropbox will be installed on your system.

To launch Dropbox, you can search it in the menu section or launch it using the terminal.

You can also use Pamac on the console for managing and downloading packages. To download Dropbox using the Pamac command, run:

pamac install dropbox

Removing Dropbox AUR Package Installed Using Pamac

To uninstall Dropbox, you have the option of using the Pamac graphical interface or this command.

pamac remove dropbox

4. Install Dropbox Using Flatpak

If you don’t like AUR packages and are looking for any other way of installing Dropbox. Then you can get the Flatpak to install Dropbox on your system. Flatpak is an open-source utility for managing packages.

To install Flatpak on the Arch system, run:

sudo pacman -Syu flatpak

Next, enable the Flathub repository on your Arch system:

flatpak remote-add --if-not-exists flathub https://dl.flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

Now, install Dropbox using the Flatpak command:

flatpak install dropbox

Here you will get two choices to install.

The first one is a CLI shell script that allows you to exclude specific folders and files from Dropbox sync using glob patterns and existing .gitignore files. The second one, app/com.dropbox.Client/x86_64/stable, is the official Dropbox desktop client that we are going to install.

Wait till all the required packages are downloaded and installed.

Once the installation is completed, launch Dropbox from the terminal or app menu.

Removing the Dropbox Installed Using Flatpak

If you want to uninstall Dropbox from your system, you can run this Flatpak command:

flatpak remove dropbox

5. Install Dropbox Using Software Centre (GUI Method)

If you are using any GUI desktop environment with your Arch Linux system, you can also get Dropbox from the software center. For example, if you have GNOME installed, you can use its software center for managing and downloading packages.

Here I have GNOME installed with Arch Linux. I can get Dropbox using its Software center.

Inside the software center, search for the Dropbox application.

Click Install to begin Dropbox installation.

Once installation is done, click the Open option to launch it.

Removing Dropbox Using the GNOME Software Centre

To remove the Dropbox installed using the software center, simply click the Delete icon. After that, confirm if you completely want to delete Dropbox or want to save the configurations for future installations.

Conclusion

Dropbox is a cloud storage service using which you can store and share digital assets from a centralized location. To install Dropbox on Arch Linux, you can either download it as an AUR package or install it using Flatpak. For the AUR package, you have numerous ways. You can download the AUR package of Dropbox using any AUR helper, or can manually install it by cloning the git repository for Dropbox.

The Flatpak option is also available for downloading the Dropbox. First, you have to set up Flatpak on your system and enable it. After that, you can continue with Dropbox installation. Among all these methods, I recommend you continue with the AUR helper method. Using this method, Dropbox is just one command away from you.