How to ignore files and folders in Dropbox
Last updated: July 14, 2026
Yes, Dropbox can ignore folders. Create a plain-text file named rules.dropboxignore in the root of your Dropbox folder. The catch for developers: that file does not sync between computers, its rules only apply to new files, and it does not reuse the .gitignore files already in your projects.
The quick Dropbox fix
Open the Dropbox desktop app, go to Preferences → Sync → Set Ignore Rules, and select Modify Rules. Dropbox will create rules.dropboxignore in the root of your Dropbox folder. For a typical developer workspace, start with:
# Dependencies and build output
**/node_modules
**/dist
**/build
**/.next
**/.venv
**/__pycache__
*.log
**/.cacheDropbox supports glob patterns, so **/node_modules matches that folder anywhere under your Dropbox root and *.log ignores log files. Ignored items remain local and do not count against Dropbox storage. This feature is currently limited to individual Dropbox accounts.
Why Dropbox may still sync node_modules
Dropbox ignore rules only work going forward. Adding **/node_modules does not remove a dependency folder that has already reached Dropbox. To make the rule take effect, move the existing folder outside Dropbox and then move it back after the rule is active. You may need to remove the already-uploaded copy manually.
Doing this because Dropbox is syncing a code workspace? rbox skips dependencies, build output, caches, and secrets automatically. It respects your existing .gitignore, and your optional .rboxignore travels to every machine with the workspace.
Dropbox ignore rules vs rbox
| Dropbox | rbox | |
|---|---|---|
| Dependencies and build output | Write patterns manually | Ignored automatically |
Existing .gitignore | Not used | Respected automatically |
| Custom ignore rules | Recreate on each computer | .rboxignore syncs with the workspace |
| Existing files | New rules are forward-only | Ignored during workspace scanning |
| Git checkout awareness | None; .git is a folder of files | Branch, index, stashes, and uncommitted work move together |
The bigger problem with syncing code through Dropbox
Ignoring node_modules fixes wasted storage, but not the risky part. Dropbox treats .git as unrelated files. It cannot tell the difference between committed history, your current branch, staged changes, or a stash—and two machines writing there can produce conflicts.
rbox was built around the whole developer workspace. Your source files sync continuously, rebuildable files stay local, and your checkout travels as coherent Git state. If the other machine has local work, rbox waits instead of overwriting it. Everything is encrypted on your device before upload.
Skip the per-machine workaround. Install rbox to start passive, encrypted sync for your developer workstations, or see the complete rbox vs Dropbox comparison. If your repository is already inside Dropbox, read about using Git with Dropbox safely.
Does Dropbox respect .gitignore?
No. Dropbox's ignore rules are separate from Git's. You need to translate the relevant patterns into rules.dropboxignore and repeat that setup on each computer. rbox reads the .gitignore files already maintained with each project.
Official Dropbox reference
Dropbox changes over time. For its current pattern syntax and restrictions, see Dropbox's official ignore-rules documentation.