How do I import files from Dropbox into MONA?

Quick answer: Connect Dropbox once in Settings, then Integrations. Then, in your Library or a project’s Files tab, click the arrow on the Upload button, choose From Dropbox, tick up to 50 files, and click Import. MONA copies the files in. Nothing in your Dropbox is changed.

This is the fastest way to get the drawings, finish schedules, spec sheets, and client photos people send you by Dropbox link into the project where you actually work, without downloading and re-uploading them.

Who can use this?

• Plans: every MONA plan, including Free.
• People: anyone on your studio. Each person connects their own Dropbox. A connection is personal and teammates cannot browse it, but the files you import become ordinary MONA files your team can open.

How do I connect Dropbox to MONA?

1. Open Integrations. Click your profile photo in the top right corner, choose Team Settings, then Integrations. You can also go straight to monaverse.com/settings/integrations.
2. Click Connect Dropbox on the Dropbox card.
3. Sign in and allow access. Sign in to Dropbox if asked and approve access for MONA. You land back on the Integrations page and see Account connected. The Dropbox card now shows your account and a Disconnect button.

You can also start from the import window: if Dropbox is not connected yet, From Dropbox shows Connect Dropbox to import files with a Connect Dropbox button. After you allow access you come back to the Integrations page, so go back to your Library or project to import.

How do I import Dropbox files into MONA?

1. Pick where the files should go. Open My Library to import into the Library only. Or open a project and click its Files tab to file the imports onto that project too.
2. Choose Upload, then From Dropbox. The Upload button has two halves. The main half opens your computer’s file picker, as before. Click the small arrow on the right half and choose From Dropbox.
3. Find your files in the Import from Dropbox window:
   • Click a folder to open it. The breadcrumb trail at the top (starting with Dropbox) takes you back up.
   • Or type in Search your Dropbox to search across your whole Dropbox, not just the folder you are in.
   • Click Load more at the bottom of a long folder.
4. Tick the files you want. The footer shows how many are selected, with a Clear link. You can select up to 50 files at a time.
5. Click Import. The button names the count, for example Import 3 files. A progress bar runs while MONA copies them. When it finishes you see Imported 3 files from Dropbox and where they landed: in your Library, and on the project if you started from one.

If a file could not be copied (too big, empty, or a folder), MONA lists it with the reason and still imports the rest.

Where do imported Dropbox files show up?

• In the Library, as images or files like anything you upload. Click Filter in the Library header and, under Source, pick Dropbox to see only files that came from Dropbox.
• On the project, when you imported from a project’s Files tab. They land at the top level of the project’s files; move them into a folder from there if you like.

Images come in as images you can use in renders, moodboards, slides, and posts. PDFs, spreadsheets, CAD files, and everything else come in as private files. Dropbox Paper docs are converted to a Markdown file on the way in.

Can MONA find files in my Dropbox for me?

Yes. Once Dropbox is connected, ask the MONA agent in chat:

• "Find the finish schedule the architect sent in Dropbox."
• "What is in my Dropbox folder for the Elm Street project?"
• "Import the kitchen elevations PDF from Dropbox into the Elm Street project."

The agent searches file names and contents, lists folders, and reads plain-text files, CSVs, and Dropbox Paper docs directly. For a PDF, image, Word, or Excel file, ask it to import the file into MONA first. Then it is a normal MONA file the agent can work with.

What it does not do (yet)

• Saving back to Dropbox is not available yet. You may see Save to Dropbox on a file’s menu. Today it shows Saving to Dropbox is coming soon. Importing works now.
• No folder import or live sync. You import files, not a whole folder, and later edits in Dropbox do not update the MONA copy. Import the new version when a file changes.
• No subfolder choice on a project. Files imported onto a project land at the project’s top level.
• Limits: 50 files per import, 400 MB per file.

How do I disconnect Dropbox?

Go to Settings, then Integrations and click Disconnect on the Dropbox card. Files you already imported stay in MONA. If Dropbox ever expires the connection, the card shows an expired tag and a Reconnect button.

Want a hand?

If you are moving a big Dropbox archive into MONA, or want help organizing projects before you import, book a 30-minute setup call and we will do it with you.

Related articles

• What apps does MONA integrate with?
• How do I connect my Google account to MONA? for Google Drive files
• How do I organize my library, projects, and saved styles?
• How do I import Pinterest boards into MONA?

Frequently asked questions

Does MONA integrate with Dropbox?

Yes. Connect Dropbox in Settings, then Integrations. You can then import Dropbox files into your MONA Library or a project’s Files tab, and the MONA agent can search your Dropbox and find files for you.

Does importing from Dropbox change or move my Dropbox files?

No. MONA copies the files into MONA. Nothing in your Dropbox is moved, renamed, or deleted.

How many Dropbox files can I import at once?

Up to 50 files per import, and each file can be up to 400 MB. Run the import again for more.

Can I save MONA files back to Dropbox?

Not yet. You may see a Save to Dropbox option on a file’s menu, but saving to Dropbox is coming soon and it shows a message saying so. Importing from Dropbox works today.

Can I import a whole Dropbox folder?

Not as a folder. Open the folder in the Import from Dropbox window and tick the files inside it, up to 50 at a time. Files land at the top level of the project, not in a matching subfolder.

Can the MONA agent find files in my Dropbox?

Yes. Ask MONA in chat, for example find the finish schedule the architect sent. It searches file names and contents, can list a folder, and can import the file into your Library or a project for you.

Can my teammates use my Dropbox connection?

No. A Dropbox connection belongs to the person who connected it. Files you import become normal MONA files your team can open, but each person who wants to browse their own Dropbox connects it themselves.

Which MONA plans include Dropbox?

Every plan, including Free. You need to be a member of a MONA studio.