Proton Drive to Drime: Keep Privacy, Gain Sharing and Collaboration

Move files from Proton Drive to Drime without losing privacy. Covers browser export, desktop sync and cloud-to-cloud transfer through CloudsLinker.

Introduction

Drime and Proton Drive both sit in the European, end-to-end-encrypted category, so a migration here is not about changing privacy posture — it is usually about collaboration. Proton Drive's sharing options remain limited compared with Drime's password-protected links, expiring access, and team folders. Users who outgrow Proton Drive's file-at-a-time sharing often move to Drime to keep the encryption guarantees while gaining more practical workflow features. Two methods work reliably for the move: a browser-based download and upload, and a cloud-to-cloud transfer through CloudsLinker.

Method 1: Browser Download and Upload
Method 2: Cloud-to-Cloud Transfer with CloudsLinker
Proton Drive vs Drime
Method Comparison
Practical Tips
FAQ

About Proton Drive

Proton Drive is the cloud storage arm of Proton AG, the Swiss company behind Proton Mail. It uses end-to-end encryption by design and stores data in Switzerland and Germany.

End-to-end encryption: applied to files, filenames and metadata.
Swiss and EU data centers: covered by Swiss privacy law and GDPR.
Sharing: link-based sharing with a fixed password model.
Plans: 5 GB free tier, paid tiers bundled with Proton Mail and VPN.
Clients: web, desktop for Windows/Mac, mobile apps.

About Drime

Drime is a French cloud workspace built around encrypted storage with collaboration and sharing features layered on top. Data lives in French data centers under GDPR.

End-to-end encryption: applied to stored and shared files.
French hosting: infrastructure located in France.
Advanced sharing: password-protected and expiring links, download limits.
Collaboration: shared folders with permissions.
Workspace features: notes and file requests alongside storage.

Comparison: Proton Drive vs Drime

Both providers encrypt end-to-end and host in Europe. The differences show up in how sharing and team workflows are handled, and in what is included with the storage plan.

Feature	Proton Drive	Drime
Data center location	Switzerland and Germany	France
Encryption	End-to-end, including filenames	End-to-end on stored files
Sharing controls	Link + optional password	Password, expiry date, download limit, access log
Collaboration	Shared folders (basic)	Shared folders with permissions, file requests, notes
Bundled services	Mail, Calendar, VPN in paid plans	Workspace tools (notes, sharing controls)

Preparing to Move from Proton Drive to Drime

On the Proton Drive side

Review storage usage in the Proton Drive web app so you know the total volume to move.
Organize before exporting: Proton Drive's file list does not include album-style grouping, so a flat structure already mirrors what Drime expects.
Note which items are shared: existing share links from Proton Drive will stop working after deletion. You will recreate them in Drime.

On the Drime side

Confirm plan capacity: your Drime plan must fit the Proton Drive volume.
Create a target folder in Drime such as /Proton-Migration/ so the imported files stay grouped.
Generate a developer token: Drime → avatar → Settings → Developer → Create Token. Save it for CloudsLinker.

Method 1: Browser Download from Proton Drive and Upload to Drime

Step 1: Download from Proton Drive

Open drive.proton.me and sign in. Select the files or folders you want to move. Right-click or use the toolbar to choose Download. Proton Drive decrypts files in-browser and packages folders into ZIP archives.

For large exports, download folder by folder to reduce the risk of a dropped session. Proton Drive's desktop app can also sync files into a local folder if you prefer a resilient local copy before uploading.

Step 2: Upload to Drime

Open the Drime web dashboard. Navigate to the folder where you want the files and drag the extracted content in, or use the Upload menu. Drime encrypts files during upload.

Verify a few files by opening them in Drime before deleting anything from Proton Drive. Because both services encrypt at rest, a corrupted file will not be obvious until you actually open it.

Method 2: Cloud-to-Cloud Transfer with CloudsLinker

Move the Library Without Local Downloads

CloudsLinker connects Proton Drive and Drime, then moves the files between them server-side. This avoids the full download-then-upload cycle that becomes painful above ten or twenty gigabytes.

Step 1: Connect Proton Drive

In CloudsLinker, click Add Cloud and select Proton Drive. Enter your Proton account email and password. If you have two-factor authentication enabled, enter the 6-digit code from your authenticator app. On confirmation, Proton Drive appears as a connected source.

Connect Proton Drive to CloudsLinker with account credentials

Step 2: Connect Drime

Click Add Cloud and pick Drime. Paste the developer token you generated in Drime → Settings → Developer. Confirm and Drime is ready as the destination.

Connect Drime to CloudsLinker with developer token

Step 3: Configure the Transfer

Open the Transfer section. Pick Proton Drive as the source and browse the files or folders you want to move. Select your Drime target directory as the destination. If you only want a subset, apply filters for file type, size or modification date.

Use Copy mode for the first run. Switch to Move mode later if you want CloudsLinker to delete the source files after a successful transfer.

Configure Proton Drive to Drime transfer in CloudsLinker

Step 4: Start and Monitor

Click start. The Task List view shows progress, transferred volume and remaining items. The transfer continues on CloudsLinker servers even if you close the browser. Once complete, open Drime and verify a sample of files before freeing up Proton Drive storage.

Method Comparison

Method	Ease of Use	Speed	Best For	Uses Local Bandwidth	Skill Level
Browser Download + Upload	★★★★☆	★★☆☆☆	Small libraries, one-off moves	Yes	Beginner
CloudsLinker	★★★★★	★★★★★	Large libraries, hands-off moves	No	Beginner

Practical Tips for Proton Drive to Drime

Recreate share links: Proton Drive share links become invalid when files are removed. Note which items were shared and regenerate share links in Drime afterward.
Keep the Proton account active: if Proton Drive is bundled with Proton Mail or VPN, do not cancel the subscription immediately after migration — you may still need mail or VPN access tied to the same account.
Watch for filename edge cases: Proton Drive supports arbitrary filename characters. If you see upload failures in Drime, check for very long paths or reserved characters like : and ?.
Migrate in stages: move one top-level folder at a time so it is easy to verify and roll back if something looks off.
Use 2FA on both sides: enable two-factor authentication on Drime as well. Coming from Proton's security posture, leaving Drime on password-only weakens the account unnecessarily.
Compare plan costs by usable storage: Proton bundles multiple products; Drime sells storage directly. Compare per-GB cost after accounting for any Proton apps you actually use.

Frequently Asked Questions

Drime uses a folder tree, the same model Proton Drive uses. Files land in the destination folder you pick. If you pointed the transfer at /Proton-Migration/, the Proton Drive folder structure is recreated underneath it.

Yes. Both the browser method (if you extract the ZIP intact) and CloudsLinker preserve the original folder hierarchy. Filenames and subfolders carry over identically.

Both Proton Drive and Drime support large files. CloudsLinker handles sizes into the tens of gigabytes without issue. Browser uploads can be fragile above a few gigabytes because of session timeouts, so for large files the cloud-to-cloud path is more reliable.

You provide your Proton email and password, plus a 2FA code if enabled. Proton Drive does not offer an OAuth flow for third parties, so the login happens with your account credentials. Use an application-specific password if Proton allows one, and rotate it after the migration if you prefer.

The transfer pauses and marks remaining files as failed. Upgrade the Drime plan or free space, then resume. CloudsLinker skips already-transferred files, so the job picks up from where it stopped.

Yes. CloudsLinker filters by file type, size and modification date. You can also select specific folders instead of the whole account. The browser method requires manual selection on the Proton Drive side.

Data travels over TLS between Proton, CloudsLinker and Drime. Proton Drive decrypts files on export; Drime re-encrypts on arrival. CloudsLinker does not persist file content after the transfer completes. You can revoke the Drime developer token and change your Proton password after the job to reset access.

Conclusion

If you are moving a handful of documents, the browser route is quick and transparent. For larger libraries — photo archives, scanned documents, design assets — CloudsLinker avoids the download-then-upload round trip and handles the transfer in the cloud. Whichever method you pick, keep Proton Drive intact until you have verified the files in Drime, since both services encrypt at rest and a broken file will not be obvious without opening it.

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