How to Run Dropbox 24/7 as a Windows Service with AlwaysUp

Dropbox is a leading online storage service that helps you share and synchronize your files across multiple devices. It works well, and we use it in our company too.

But there's one drawback: Dropbox only starts after you sign in to Windows. If your computer reboots unexpectedly and you're not there to log in, your files won't be synchronized.

Don't worry, though — AlwaysUp fills that gap. Follow the steps below to create a resilient Dropbox service, in only a few minutes.

To install Dropbox as a Windows Service with AlwaysUp:

1. Download and install Dropbox, if necessary.

2. Next, let's prepare Dropbox to run in the background as a Windows Service:

   1. Start Dropbox.

   2. Click the Dropbox task tray icon () and select Preferences from the icon in the lower left corner to bring up the Dropbox Preferences Window:

      

   3. On the General tab, disable Open Dropbox upon startup. This functionality will no longer be necessary once AlwaysUp takes over.

      Note: That setting is misleading. It can only start Dropbox after you log on — not when your computer boots.

      

   4. On the Notifications tab, disable all notifications. That's OK because won't be able to see them when Dropbox is running invisibly in the background.

      Furthermore, we don't want any notifications holding up sync waiting for a response that will never arrive.

      

   5. Finally, on the Sync tab, make sure that your files are available offline:

      

      Unfortunately, the "Online only" option won't work when Dropbox runs in the background as a Windows Service.

   6. Now that you are done configuring Dropbox, close the application by clicking the task tray icon and selecting Quit from the menu.

3. Download and install AlwaysUp, if necessary.

4. Start AlwaysUp.

5. Select Application > Advisor to launch the Application Advisor:

   

6. Click Next to move past the welcome screen:

   

7. Choose Dropbox from the list of applications and click Next:

   

8. In this step, enter the password of your Windows account. Dropbox should run in this context (with your profile) since we know it works correctly there:

   

   Click Next to move on.

9. As the screen says, the Advisor has composed the best settings to run Dropbox as a Windows Service. Click Next to open the Add Application window with all the details.

   

10. At this point, the Add Application window contains all the recommended settings for running Dropbox 24x7 after your PC boots. If you like, you can cycle through the tabs and review the options that have been chosen for your installation:

    

    When you're ready, click Save to record your new Dropbox service:

11. The final step of the creation process reiterates the main changes you already made to Dropbox. Click Done.

    

12. You'll see an entry for Dropbox in the AlwaysUp window. Dropbox is now installed as a Windows Service but it isn't running yet. The state will be "Stopped":

    

13. To start Dropbox, choose Application > Start "Dropbox". The state should transition to "Running" and Dropbox will start synchronizing your files:

    

    Note: With Dropbox running as a Windows Service, your files will be synchronized but you will no longer see Dropbox's graphical elements.

    The task tray icon, the "overlay" icons that Dropbox places on your files in the Dropbox folder (such as the green check mark or the blue refreshing icon) and the Dropbox menu entries shown when you right-click on a synchronized file won't be visible.

    That's because Dropbox is running the background, in Session 0, and cannot interact with your desktop.

    If you wish to see the task tray icon and interact with Dropbox normally, choose Application > Restart "Dropbox" in this Session to have AlwaysUp restart Dropbox onto your desktop.

14. That's it! Next time your computer boots, Dropbox will start up immediately, before anyone logs on.

    We encourage you to edit Dropbox in AlwaysUp and check out the many other settings that may be appropriate for your environment.