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Upload large files to Dropbox with chunking & web UI progress tracking

AnthonyAnthony
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2/3/2026
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Dropbox Large File Upload System

How It Works

This workflow enables uploading large files (300MB+) to Dropbox through a web interface with real-time progress tracking. It bypasses Dropbox's 150MB single-request limit by breaking files into 8MB chunks and uploading them sequentially using Dropbox's upload session API.

Upload Flow:

  1. User accesses page - Visits /webhook/upload-page and sees HTML form with file picker and folder path input
  2. Selects file - Chooses file and clicks "Upload to Dropbox" button
  3. JavaScript initiates session - Calls /webhook/start-session → Dropbox creates upload session → Returns sessionId
  4. Chunk upload loop - JavaScript splits file into 8MB chunks and for each chunk:
    • Calls /webhook/append-chunk with sessionId, offset, and chunk binary data
    • Dropbox appends chunk to session
    • Progress bar updates (e.g., 25%, 50%, 75%)
  5. Finalize upload - After all chunks uploaded, calls /webhook/finish-session with final offset and target path
  6. File committed - Dropbox commits all chunks into complete file at specified path (e.g., /Uploads/video.mp4)

Why chunking? Dropbox API has a 150MB limit for single upload requests. The upload session API (upload_session/start, append_v2, finish) allows unlimited file sizes by chunking.

Technical Architecture:

  • Four webhook endpoints handle different stages (serve UI, start, append, finish)
  • All chunk data sent as multipart/form-data with binary blobs
  • Dropbox API requires cursor metadata (session_id, offset) in Dropbox-API-Arg header
  • autorename: true prevents file overwrites

Setup Steps

Time estimate: ~20-25 minutes (first time)

  1. Create Dropbox app - Go to Dropbox App Console:

    • Click "Create app"
    • Choose "Scoped access" API
    • Select "Full Dropbox" access type
    • Name your app (e.g., "n8n File Uploader")
    • Under Permissions tab, enable: files.content.write
    • Copy App Key and App Secret

  2. Configure n8n OAuth2 credentials - In n8n:

    • Create new "Dropbox OAuth2 API" credential
    • Paste App Key and App Secret
    • Set OAuth Redirect URL to your n8n instance (e.g., https://your-n8n.com/rest/oauth2-credential/callback)
    • Complete OAuth flow to get access token

  3. Connect credentials to HTTP nodes - Add your Dropbox OAuth2 credential to these three nodes:

    • "Dropbox Start Session"
    • "Dropbox Append Chunk"
    • "Dropbox Finish Session"

  4. Activate workflow - Click "Active" toggle to generate production webhook URLs

  5. Customize default folder (optional) - In "Respond with HTML" node:

    • Find line: <input type="text" id="dropboxFolder" value="/Uploads/" ...
    • Change /Uploads/ to your preferred default path

  6. Get upload page URL - Copy the production webhook URL from "Serve Upload Page" node (e.g., https://your-n8n.com/webhook/upload-page)

  7. Test upload - Visit the URL, select a small file first (~50MB), choose folder path, click Upload

Important Notes

File Size Limits:

  • Standard Dropbox API: 150MB max per request
  • This workflow: Unlimited (tested with 300MB+ files)
  • Chunk size: 8MB (configurable in HTML JavaScript CHUNK_SIZE variable)

Upload Behavior:

  • Files with same name are auto-renamed (e.g., video.mp4 → video (1).mp4) due to autorename: true
  • Upload is synchronous - browser must stay open until complete
  • If upload fails mid-process, partial chunks remain in Dropbox session (expire after 24 hours)

Security Considerations:

  • Webhook URLs are public - anyone with URL can upload to your Dropbox
  • Add authentication if needed (HTTP Basic Auth on webhook nodes)
  • Consider rate limiting for production use

Dropbox API Quotas:

  • Free accounts: 2GB storage, 150GB bandwidth/day
  • Plus accounts: 2TB storage, unlimited bandwidth
  • Upload sessions expire after 4 hours of inactivity

Progress Tracking:

  • Real-time progress bar shows percentage (0-100%)
  • Status messages: "Starting upload...", "✓ Upload complete!", "✗ Upload failed: [error]"
  • Final response includes file path, size, and Dropbox file ID

Troubleshooting:

  • If chunks fail: Check Dropbox OAuth token hasn't expired (refresh if needed)
  • If session not found: Ensure sessionId is passed correctly between steps
  • If finish fails: Verify target path exists and app has write permissions
  • If page doesn't load: Activate workflow first to generate webhook URLs

Performance:

  • 8MB chunks = ~37 requests for 300MB file
  • Upload speed depends on internet connection and Dropbox API rate limits
  • Typical: 2-5 minutes for 300MB file on good connection

Pro tip: Test with a small file (10-20MB) first to verify credentials and flow, then try larger files. Monitor n8n execution list to see each webhook call and troubleshoot any failures. For production, consider adding error handling and retry logic in the JavaScript.

Upload Large Files to Dropbox with Chunking & Web UI Progress Tracking

This n8n workflow is designed to facilitate the upload of large files to Dropbox, incorporating chunking for efficient handling and providing a mechanism for web UI progress tracking. It acts as a backend endpoint, responding to HTTP requests.

What it does

This workflow provides a simple HTTP endpoint that, when triggered, immediately responds to the caller. While the provided JSON is minimal, in a complete implementation, this workflow would typically:

  1. Listen for incoming HTTP requests: A Webhook node would act as the entry point, receiving file upload requests from a web UI or another service.
  2. Process file chunks: It would likely receive file data in chunks, managing the upload state for each chunk.
  3. Upload to Dropbox: Utilize the Dropbox node (or an HTTP Request node for the Dropbox API) to upload the file chunks, potentially initiating a chunked upload session.
  4. Track progress: Update the calling web UI or a separate progress tracking service about the upload status and progress.
  5. Respond to the caller: The "Respond to Webhook" node would send a response back to the client, confirming receipt of the request or providing an initial status.

The current JSON only defines a Webhook trigger, an HTTP Request node (likely for interacting with Dropbox or another API), and a "Respond to Webhook" node, with a Sticky Note for documentation. A full implementation would involve more nodes for file handling, chunking logic, and Dropbox API interactions.

Prerequisites/Requirements

  • n8n Instance: A running n8n instance to host and execute the workflow.
  • Dropbox Account: A Dropbox account with appropriate API access for file uploads.
  • Web UI/Client: A client application (e.g., a web browser UI) capable of sending HTTP requests and handling responses to trigger and track the upload process.
  • Dropbox API Credentials: Configured n8n credentials for Dropbox (or API keys/tokens if using the HTTP Request node directly).

Setup/Usage

  1. Import the Workflow: Import the provided JSON into your n8n instance.
  2. Configure Webhook: The "Webhook" node will automatically generate a unique URL. This URL will be the endpoint your web UI or client application will call to initiate file uploads.
  3. Configure Dropbox (or HTTP Request):
    • If using a dedicated Dropbox node (not explicitly in this JSON but implied by the use case), configure your Dropbox API credentials within n8n.
    • If the "HTTP Request" node is intended to directly interact with the Dropbox API, you will need to configure its URL, headers (including authorization), and body to send file chunks to Dropbox's upload endpoints.
  4. Activate the Workflow: Ensure the workflow is activated in n8n to start listening for incoming requests.
  5. Integrate with your Web UI: Your web UI or client application should be configured to:
    • Break down large files into smaller chunks.
    • Send these chunks, along with metadata, to the Webhook URL provided by n8n.
    • Handle the responses from the "Respond to Webhook" node to track progress or confirm completion.

The "Sticky Note" node provides a place for additional inline documentation within the workflow itself, which can be used to explain specific logic or API endpoints.

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