Drime to Filen: Move European Storage to a Zero-Knowledge Encrypted Home

Migrate files from Drime to Filen for stricter client-side encryption. Covers browser download, desktop client bridge, and CloudsLinker cloud-to-cloud transfer.

Introduction

Drime and Filen both host data inside the EU, but they sit at different points on the privacy spectrum. Drime applies end-to-end encryption and markets around GDPR-aligned French hosting; Filen pushes further with a zero-knowledge design where filenames, folder names, and content are all encrypted client-side before upload. People typically move this direction when a workflow that started with shared files evolves into a private archive — tax records, personal photos, contracts — where even metadata exposure is unwanted. This guide covers two reliable migration paths: a manual browser download from the Drime web app followed by re-upload, and a direct cloud-to-cloud transfer through CloudsLinker using Drime's developer token.

Method 1: Download from Drime and Upload to Filen
Method 2: Cloud-to-Cloud Transfer with CloudsLinker
Drime vs Filen
Method Comparison
Practical Tips
Frequently Asked Questions

What is Drime?

Drime is a French cloud storage workspace with GDPR-aligned hosting, end-to-end encryption, and collaboration features such as password-protected sharing links. Files are organized as plain folders rather than an album or site structure.

French data residency: servers in France under GDPR.
End-to-end encryption: applied to stored and shared content.
Share links: password-protected, expiring links.
Cross-platform clients: web, desktop, and mobile apps.
Developer tokens: for API-based integrations including migration tools.

What is Filen?

Filen is a German end-to-end encrypted storage service. Encryption runs on the client before upload and covers filenames and folder names as well as content, so the service holds only ciphertext.

Zero-knowledge architecture: keys never leave the client.
AES-256 + RSA encryption: applied before anything leaves the device.
Encrypted metadata: filenames and folder names are not visible to the server.
2FA-gated API: required for migration tools.
EU hosting: servers in Germany.

Comparison: Drime vs Filen

Both services sit in the EU and both apply strong encryption, so choosing between them comes down to how much metadata exposure is acceptable and whether collaboration or pure archive storage is the main use case.

Feature	Drime	Filen
Data residency	France (EU)	Germany (EU)
Encryption scope	End-to-end content encryption	Client-side content plus encrypted filenames and folder names
Sharing model	Password-protected expiring links	Per-file and per-folder share links
Collaboration focus	Workspace features, sharing-first interface	Storage-first, minimal collaboration features
Best-fit use case	Shared files and external deliverables	Private archive with minimal metadata exposure

Preparing to Move Drime to Filen

On the Drime side

Check storage used: open Drime → account panel to see total consumption.
Audit active share links: any Drime share links stop working after migration. List the ones that still need to be reissued on Filen.
Generate a developer token: avatar → Settings → Developer → Create Token. Copy and store it — it is the CloudsLinker credential for Drime.
Empty Trash if any deleted items remain; they count against quota until the retention period expires.

On the Filen side

Pick a plan that fits: compare Drime usage against Filen tiers with a small buffer for growth.
Enable 2FA: required for CloudsLinker. Pair it with an authenticator app.
Save the recovery key: zero-knowledge storage has no provider-side password reset.
Plan folder structure: Filen uses plain folders, so decide whether to mirror Drime's layout or consolidate by project.

Method 1: Download from Drime and Upload to Filen

Step 1: Download Folders from the Drime Web App

Sign in to the Drime web dashboard. Select files or whole folders and click Download. Folder selections come down as ZIP archives. For large accounts, split the download into chunks to keep archives at a manageable size.

Step 2: Extract Locally

Unzip the archive. Drime preserves folder hierarchy in its downloads. Modification timestamps usually carry over; creation timestamps depend on the archive tool used.

Step 3: Upload to Filen

Open the Filen web app or desktop client, sign in, and drag the extracted folder into the chosen destination. Filen encrypts files on the client before upload, so upload throughput depends on CPU alongside upstream bandwidth. Interrupted uploads resume automatically.

Method 2: Cloud-to-Cloud Transfer with CloudsLinker

Move Drime Content Directly Into Filen

CloudsLinker connects Drime through a developer token and Filen through email, password, and 2FA. Files move directly between the two services without a local detour, which matters once the data passes the point where a download-and-upload cycle becomes impractical.

Step 1: Connect Drime

Sign in to Drime. Click the account avatar → Settings → Developer → Create Token. Copy the token. In CloudsLinker, click Add Cloud → Drime, paste the token, and confirm. Drime appears as a connected source.

Connect Drime to CloudsLinker using a developer token

Step 2: Connect Filen

Click Add Cloud again and select Filen. Enter the Filen account email and master password, followed by the 2FA code from an authenticator app. After authentication, Filen shows up as a connected destination. CloudsLinker uses the credentials only to authenticate against Filen's API — stored content remains zero-knowledge.

Connect Filen to CloudsLinker with email, password and 2FA

Step 3: Configure the Transfer

Open the Transfer section. Choose the Drime connection as the source and browse the folders to migrate. Set the destination to the target Filen folder. Filters support file type, path pattern, and modification date for selective transfers.

Use Copy for the first pass so Drime stays intact as a fallback. A later Move pass can clean up the Drime side once the Filen copy has been verified.

Configure the Drime to Filen transfer in CloudsLinker

Step 4: Start and Monitor

Start the task. The Task List shows transferred size, current speed, and items remaining. The job runs on CloudsLinker servers, so closing the browser or suspending a laptop does not interrupt it. Once the task finishes, open Filen and verify a sample of folders before making changes on the Drime side.

Comparing the Ways to Transfer From Drime to Filen

Method	Ease of Use	Speed	Best For	Uses Local Bandwidth	Skill Level
Browser Download + Upload	★★★★☆	★★☆☆☆	Small folders, under 20 GB	Yes	Beginner
CloudsLinker	★★★★★	★★★★★	Larger archives and unattended migrations	No	Beginner

Practical Tips for Moving Drime to Filen

Revoke the Drime developer token when finished: once migration completes, remove the token from Drime → Settings → Developer. A revoked token cannot be reused if it is ever exposed.
Reissue shares on the Filen side: Drime share links stop working after migration. Build Filen share links for recipients who still need access and communicate the new URLs.
Keep an eye on metadata exposure: Drime encrypts content; Filen extends encryption to filenames and folder names. If filename sensitivity is part of the reason for the migration, rename files on Drime before transfer only if that is easier than renaming them in bulk on Filen afterwards.
Save the Filen recovery key: zero-knowledge storage cannot be recovered by the provider. Store the recovery key offline or in a password manager.
Preserve modification timestamps: CloudsLinker carries timestamps into Filen. Browser ZIP exports may reset creation timestamps — if timestamps are important, use the CloudsLinker path.
Run a test folder first: migrate a single folder end to end, confirm the files open correctly in Filen, and only then migrate the rest of the account.

Frequently Asked Questions

Filen uses a plain folder-and-file structure. Drime's folder layout can be mirrored directly on Filen, or consolidated into a new scheme at migration time. Filen adds encrypted filenames on top of encrypted content, but the layout experience in the app is the same as any folder-based service.

Yes. ZIP downloads from Drime preserve hierarchy, and CloudsLinker mirrors the source folder tree into the selected Filen destination folder.

Filen treats file content as opaque encrypted data, so any format transfers unchanged — documents, video, RAW photos, encrypted archives, database dumps. Filenames transfer as stored in Drime, subject to any platform-level character rules.

Through a Drime developer token. Generate it in Drime → Settings → Developer → Create Token, then paste it into CloudsLinker under Add Cloud → Drime. No password is stored, and the token can be revoked from Drime after the migration.

The task pauses on the next upload that does not fit and flags remaining items as failed. Upgrade the Filen plan or free up space, then restart — CloudsLinker skips files that already completed, so progress is preserved.

Yes. The browser method is already selective. CloudsLinker supports folder-level selection plus filters on file extension, path pattern, and modification date — useful for leaving shared collaboration folders on Drime while migrating private archives to Filen.

TLS covers traffic between Drime, CloudsLinker, and Filen. Filen re-encrypts content on the client side as files land, so stored data remains zero-knowledge. CloudsLinker does not retain file content after the transfer finishes. Revoke the Drime developer token afterwards to close the loop.

Conclusion

For a small Drime footprint, downloading through the web app and uploading to Filen is straightforward. When the data is in the tens of gigabytes or more, CloudsLinker avoids the download bottleneck by connecting Drime through its developer token and Filen through email, password, and 2FA. Verify a sample of files in Filen before removing anything from Drime, and store the Filen recovery key somewhere safe — with zero-knowledge storage, the provider cannot restore access if the password is lost.

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