Remote destination

Configure Dropbox for WordPress backups.

Dropbox is a simple off-site destination for site owners who want folder-based backup storage, quick visual confirmation and straightforward account-level access management.

What you need

A Dropbox account with enough storage for your backup retention plan.
Access to the email address used for the Dropbox account.
WordPress administrator access.
StifLi Backup Tools installed and activated.
A folder naming convention, for example StifLi Backups / example.com.

1. Create or Prepare a Dropbox Account

Go to dropbox.com.
Create an account with name, email address and password, or sign in to an existing account.
Accept the Dropbox terms if you are creating a new account.
Confirm the registration from the email Dropbox sends you.
Choose the plan you want to use. A free account can work for small sites, but storage is limited.
Open the Dropbox dashboard and confirm that you can create folders and view files.

Recommendation: for production sites, use a dedicated Dropbox account or team folder for backups instead of a personal account with unrelated files.

2. Connect Dropbox in StifLi Backup Tools

Open StifLi Backup Tools in the WordPress admin area.
Go to Remote Destinations.
Select Dropbox.
If the destination is not authenticated yet, click the Dropbox authorization button.
Sign in to Dropbox if prompted.
Review the permissions requested by StifLi Backup Tools.
Approve the connection.
Return to WordPress and confirm that Dropbox shows as connected.

3. Choose Access Scope

If StifLi Backup Tools offers more than one Dropbox authorization mode, prefer the narrowest option that supports your workflow.

Mode	When to use it
App folder access	Recommended for most sites. Backups are stored inside a dedicated app folder and the plugin does not need broad account access.
Full Dropbox access	Use only if you intentionally need to store backups in a custom folder outside the app area.

4. Configure Folder and Retention

Set the Dropbox folder where backup archives should be stored.
Use a site-specific folder name, especially if the account stores backups for multiple websites.
Set the maximum number of remote backups to keep.
Save the destination settings.
Run Test connection if available.

Retention is important because Dropbox storage can fill quickly when full-site ZIP archives are uploaded on a schedule.

5. Run the First Dropbox Backup

Create a manual backup in StifLi Backup Tools.
Select Dropbox as the remote destination.
Wait for the backup and upload process to complete.
Open Dropbox in the browser.
Confirm that the archive appears in the configured folder.
Download the archive once as a sanity check if this is the first backup for the site.

Troubleshooting

Problem	What to check
Authorization fails	Sign out of Dropbox, reconnect from WordPress and confirm the correct Dropbox account is selected.
Backup uploads to the wrong folder	Check whether the connection is using app-folder access or full access, then review the configured folder path.
Dropbox storage is full	Lower the retention limit, remove old archives or upgrade the Dropbox plan.
Scheduled backups stop uploading	Reconnect Dropbox and confirm that WordPress cron is running correctly.
Team account permissions block uploads	Ask the Dropbox admin to confirm that third-party app access and folder permissions allow uploads.

Security Notes

Backup archives may contain private content, user records, order data, API keys and configuration values. Avoid public share links, limit team access and periodically remove old backups.

Best practice: prefer app-scoped Dropbox access when possible and use a dedicated backup account for client or production websites.