Keep Proton for Secrets, Park the Bulk in Degoo: A Two-Cloud Split

Q: "Does moving files out of Proton Drive break their encryption?"

"It changes their protection model. Proton files are end-to-end encrypted; CloudsLinker decrypts them during transfer (the same way any authorized Proton client does) and writes them to Degoo, where they're stored with Degoo's standard 256-bit AES — not zero-knowledge. For files that must stay zero-knowledge, either leave them in Proton or move them into Degoo's paid Top Secret folder manually through the Degoo app."

Q: "How does CloudsLinker log into Proton Drive?"

"With your Proton account credentials (and 2FA code if enabled) — Proton has no OAuth for third parties. The credentials establish an authenticated Proton session in the transfer worker; you can terminate sessions any time from Proton's account security settings."

Q: "Proton has no file size limit — what happens to big files at the Degoo end?"

"Degoo enforces its own caps regardless of source: 256 MB per file on free accounts, roughly 1 GB on lifetime plans, 50 GB on recurring subscriptions. Files above the cap are skipped and logged. In practice this matters for video projects and disk images; a 50 GB ceiling covers nearly everything a phone or camera produces."

Q: "Which files are actually worth moving to Degoo?"

"The bulk that doesn't need Proton's guarantees: camera rolls, screen recordings, downloaded media, finished project exports. A 500 GB Proton Unlimited quota fills fast with video; relocating it frees the encrypted space for documents where jurisdiction and zero-knowledge actually matter."

Q: "Will Proton's 10-year version history come along?"

"No. Transfers copy the current version of each file only — Proton's version history stays in Proton, and Degoo has no user-facing versioning. If old versions matter for a document, it probably belongs in the keep-in-Proton category anyway."

Q: "Is Degoo's free tier a sensible landing zone for a Proton offload?"

"For a first test, yes; for the archive itself, rarely. The free 20 GB carries a 256 MB per-file cap that blocks most video, and files are deleted after 90 days of account inactivity. The $2.99/mo Pro tier (500 GB, 50 GB per file) is the realistic entry point."

Q: "Can I do the reverse later — Degoo back to Proton?"

"Yes. CloudsLinker transfers run in either direction with the same two connections; Proton re-encrypts everything client-side on arrival. Note the asymmetry: into Proton there's no per-file cap to worry about, but modification dates from Degoo will reflect Degoo upload times."

How to move non-sensitive files from Proton Drive to Degoo and stop paying encrypted-cloud prices for camera dumps — manual and CloudsLinker methods.

Introduction

Degoo's pitch is volume: 5 TB for $9.99 a month, 20 GB free, mobile apps built for photo hoards. Proton Drive's pitch is the opposite — Swiss jurisdiction and end-to-end encryption, at 500 GB for the $9.99 Proton Unlimited bundle. Paying encryption-grade prices to store drone footage and phone camera dumps is the mismatch this guide fixes: keep contracts, IDs and health records in Proton, and move the space-hungry, non-sensitive bulk into Degoo at a tenth of the per-terabyte cost. What follows covers the manual export path and a server-side CloudsLinker transfer, plus the encryption caveats you should understand before either one.

Method 1: Export from Proton Drive, Upload to Degoo
Method 2: Server-Side Transfer with CloudsLinker
Quick Comparison
Practical Tips
Frequently Asked Questions

What is Proton Drive?

Proton Drive is the encrypted cloud from the Swiss team behind Proton Mail. Every file is end-to-end encrypted client-side; not even Proton can read it. Free accounts get up to 5 GB, Drive Plus offers 200 GB at $3.99/mo, and the $9.99 Proton Unlimited bundle includes 500 GB plus Mail, VPN and Pass.

End-to-end, zero-knowledge encryption by default
Swiss jurisdiction, GDPR-plus privacy law
No per-file size limit
Up to 10-year version history on paid plans

What is Degoo?

Degoo also comes from Northern Europe — Stockholm — but plays a different game: maximum gigabytes per dollar. 20 GB free, 500 GB at $2.99/mo, 5 TB at $9.99/mo. Standard folders use server-side AES; zero-knowledge protection exists only in the paid Top Secret folder. Access is mobile-first with a web app for subscribers.

10× Proton Unlimited's storage at the same price
Sweden-based (EU), single datacenter on free tier
Top Secret folder = optional zero-knowledge zone
Per-file caps: 256 MB free / 50 GB subscription

Comparison: Proton Drive vs Degoo

Feature	Proton Drive	Degoo
Free storage	2–5 GB	20 GB
$9.99/mo buys	500 GB (Unlimited bundle, with Mail + VPN)	5 TB (Ultimate)
Encryption model	Zero-knowledge on everything	Server-side AES; zero-knowledge only in Top Secret (paid)
Max single file	No hard limit	256 MB free / 50 GB subscription
Version history	Up to 10 years (paid)	None user-facing
Connection in CloudsLinker	Credentials (+ optional 2FA)	Credentials

Sources: Proton Drive pricing, Proton Drive support, Degoo: plans, Degoo Help Center: Account limits.

Preparing to Transfer from Proton Drive to Degoo

The essential preparation here is classification, not logistics: walk the Proton folder tree and split it into stays encrypted (identity documents, finances, anything legal or medical) and moves to cheap storage (media, downloads, completed projects). Restructure into clearly-named top-level folders so the transfer selection is one click, not fifty. Then confirm the Degoo side: plan tier sized to the bulk (Pro 500 GB / Ultimate 5 TB), and no single file above the 50 GB subscription cap. If your Proton account uses 2FA, have the authenticator ready for the connection step.

Method 1: Export from Proton Drive, Upload to Degoo

Step 1: Download from drive.proton.me

Select folders at drive.proton.me and hit Download — decryption happens in the browser, which makes large downloads CPU-heavy and slow compared with unencrypted clouds. Multi-folder selections arrive as ZIPs.

Proton Drive web interface with folders selected and the download option highlighted

Step 2: Upload to Degoo

Extract and upload via app.degoo.com (subscribers) or the mobile app (free tier). Files land in Degoo's standard storage — if any of them belong in the zero-knowledge Top Secret folder, move them there inside the Degoo app afterwards.

Degoo web app uploading a set of media folders exported from Proton Drive

Browser-side decryption makes this the slowest manual export among major clouds — acceptable for gigabytes, grinding for hundreds of them.

Method 2: Server-Side Transfer with CloudsLinker

Decrypt once, in the datacenter — not in your browser tab

CloudsLinker authenticates to Proton with your account credentials and performs the decrypt-and-forward on its servers, sidestepping the browser-decryption bottleneck that makes manual Proton exports crawl. Both clouds here use credential logins — no OAuth screens — and the whole media offload runs as one job, leaving Proton's encrypted space free for the files that earn it.

Step 1: Connect Proton Drive

Click Add Cloud → Proton Drive. Enter your Proton email and password; if 2FA is enabled, supply the current authenticator code. The session appears in Proton's security settings, where it can be revoked independently of your password.

Proton Drive credential login form inside CloudsLinker

Step 2: Connect Degoo

Click Add Cloud → Degoo and enter the Degoo account email and password. CloudsLinker validates against Degoo's API and caches the session. The Top Secret folder stays invisible — only standard folders are writable, which is exactly where non-sensitive bulk belongs.

Adding a Degoo account in CloudsLinker with email and password

Step 3: Configure the Transfer

In Transfer, set Proton Drive as source and tick the bulk folders — media, downloads, archives. Choose the Degoo destination folder.

Filters help enforce the split: restrict by file type (video and images only) or by size. Start with Copy mode; delete from Proton manually once you've confirmed the arrival, so nothing sensitive gets moved by accident.

CloudsLinker transfer setup with Proton Drive media folders selected as source, a Degoo Bulk Archive folder as destination, and a file type filter limiting the job to video and image files

Step 4: Start and Monitor the Transfer

Start the job; the Task List tracks decrypted-and-forwarded volume, speed and remaining files. Encryption overhead makes Proton reads slower than plain clouds — the job compensates by running around the clock without your involvement.

CloudsLinker Task List with an in-progress Proton Drive export job

Comparing the Ways to Transfer From Proton Drive to Degoo

Method	Ease of Use	Speed	Best For	Uses Local Bandwidth	Skill Level
Manual export / upload	Medium	Slow (browser decryption)	A few folders; files headed for Top Secret	Yes — twice	Basic
CloudsLinker	Easy	Fast (server-side decrypt + copy)	Bulk media offloads of 100 GB+	No	Basic

Practical Tips for Moving Proton Drive to Degoo

Sort by sensitivity before size: the point of the split is that IDs, contracts and medical records never leave Proton. Do the classification pass first, and only then look at what's big.
Remember what Degoo's standard folders are not: they're not zero-knowledge. Anything that needs that guarantee either stays in Proton or goes into Degoo's paid Top Secret folder via the Degoo app.
Check for 50 GB+ outliers: Proton happily stores files of any size; Degoo subscriptions cap at 50 GB per file. Long screen recordings and video masters are the usual offenders.
Use a dedicated Degoo folder like Proton-Offload/: it keeps the imported tree separate from phone backups and makes verification (and any future reverse move) trivial.
Version history is a one-way door: Proton keeps up to 10 years of versions; Degoo keeps none. Files whose history matters belong in the stay-in-Proton set.
Revoke the session when done: Proton's security settings list active sessions — terminate the CloudsLinker one after the migration if you don't plan recurring syncs.

Frequently Asked Questions

It changes their protection model. Proton files are end-to-end encrypted; CloudsLinker decrypts them during transfer (the same way any authorized Proton client does) and writes them to Degoo, where they're stored with Degoo's standard 256-bit AES — not zero-knowledge. For files that must stay zero-knowledge, either leave them in Proton or move them into Degoo's paid Top Secret folder manually through the Degoo app.

With your Proton account credentials (and 2FA code if enabled) — Proton has no OAuth for third parties. The credentials establish an authenticated Proton session in the transfer worker; you can terminate sessions any time from Proton's account security settings.

Degoo enforces its own caps regardless of source: 256 MB per file on free accounts, roughly 1 GB on lifetime plans, 50 GB on recurring subscriptions. Files above the cap are skipped and logged. In practice this matters for video projects and disk images; a 50 GB ceiling covers nearly everything a phone or camera produces.

The bulk that doesn't need Proton's guarantees: camera rolls, screen recordings, downloaded media, finished project exports. A 500 GB Proton Unlimited quota fills fast with video; relocating it frees the encrypted space for documents where jurisdiction and zero-knowledge actually matter.

No. Transfers copy the current version of each file only — Proton's version history stays in Proton, and Degoo has no user-facing versioning. If old versions matter for a document, it probably belongs in the keep-in-Proton category anyway.

For a first test, yes; for the archive itself, rarely. The free 20 GB carries a 256 MB per-file cap that blocks most video, and files are deleted after 90 days of account inactivity. The $2.99/mo Pro tier (500 GB, 50 GB per file) is the realistic entry point.

Yes. CloudsLinker transfers run in either direction with the same two connections; Proton re-encrypts everything client-side on arrival. Note the asymmetry: into Proton there's no per-file cap to worry about, but modification dates from Degoo will reflect Degoo upload times.

Conclusion

A two-cloud split plays each provider to its strength: Proton's 500 GB stays reserved for genuinely sensitive material, while Degoo's 5 TB absorbs the media archive. Manual export works for single folders; CloudsLinker handles the bulk move server-side after logging into both clouds with account credentials. Be clear-eyed about the trade: files leaving Proton lose end-to-end encryption unless you place them in Degoo's paid Top Secret folder afterwards — that's the price of the cheaper shelf, and it's why the sensitive tier stays behind.

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