Proton Drive

ApplicationProton AG

Also called proton drive windows, proton drive

Proton AGProductivity

Proton's cloud drive desktop client. The process is ProtonDrive.exe. It is not Dropbox.

What you need to know

ProtonDrive.exe is Proton Drive. Dropbox.exe is Dropbox.

Proton's desktop Drive client uses a Proton account. Dropbox is a different company. Proton Mail will not sync this folder by itself.

What is it?: Cloud sync
Still current?: Yes, see Current status
Official download?: Use the vendor link in this article

Feex says

If ProtonDrive.exe is the tray, that is Proton Drive, not Dropbox and not Proton Mail. I would not pause Dropbox.exe to stop this upload.

What is Proton Drive?

Proton Drive is Proton AG's encrypted cloud folder. ProtonDrive.exe is the Windows client. Dropbox is a different vendor. Proton Mail and Proton VPN are other Proton apps.

If you have never used it

If you already pay for Proton and want Drive on Explorer, this is Proton Drive, not Dropbox. Download ProtonDrive.exe from proton.me/drive/download. You sign in with a Proton account. Dropbox.exe is Dropbox. Proton Mail is a different Proton exe. This article is Drive.

What is it used for?

Sync a Proton Drive folder

Files tied to a Proton account. Dropbox will not open them with a Dropbox password.

Share links Proton documents

Proton Drive links. A dropbox.com link is a different host.

Use Drive next to Proton Mail

Same account family. Mail is still a different process than ProtonDrive.exe.

Who is it for?

Proton customers who want a desktop folder
People who already refuse Dropbox for vendor reasons
Anyone who should not install Dropbox for a Proton share

Current status

Actively developed. The Windows client is newer than Proton Mail. This article is Drive, not Mail.

How old is it?

Proton launched Drive later than Mail. The Windows desktop client arrived in the 2020s (TSV year 2022). Dropbox is a 2008 product. Proton's end-to-end story is Proton's, not Dropbox's.

Versions

Major channels first. Exact build numbers are not all verified here.

Desktop

drive.proton.me

System requirements

Values follow the publisher's public guidance. Workload still changes the real need.

Minimum

Minimum system requirements
Operating system	A current supported Windows 10 or Windows 11 release, per the vendor
RAM	Enough for Windows plus this app. Heavy projects want more.

Resource profile

CPU demand: Follows what you open inside the app
RAM demand: Follows documents, tabs, or libraries

Installed processes

These executables belong to this product when it is installed.

Installed processes
ProtonDrive.exe	Proton Drive desktop

Startup components

Proton Drive can start with Windows from its own setting. That is not Dropbox.

File locations

Common Proton Drive locations
Typical install	C:\Users\<you>\AppData\Local\Programs\Proton\Drive\ProtonDrive.exe

File formats

whatever you store in Proton Drive

Common problems

Client missing on an old guide

Early Proton Drive was web-only. Install the current desktop build from proton.me/drive/download.

Two clouds on Documents

Proton Drive plus Dropbox on one tree double-writes. Move one root.

Getting unstuck

Sign in with the Proton account, not a Dropbox email

proton.me is this vendor. dropbox.com is the sibling.

Install from proton.me/drive/download

A "Proton Drive Windows" search ad is the wrong file.

If you needed Mail, open Proton Mail

ProtonDrive.exe will not send mail. That is a different Proton app.

Alternatives

Dropbox, Tresorit, and MEGA overlap. Dropbox is the sibling this article is not.

Official help and downloads

Start with the vendor. Random exe sites are not a support channel.

Official contacts
Download	proton.me/drive/download Official installer or vendor page
Help	proton.me/support/drive Vendor support
Official site	proton.me/drive/download Start here, not a random exe host

Related hardware

First sync wants disk and network. Encryption work is CPU-light for everyday files.

Technical details

Vendor version numbers change. This article does not pin a build.

Sources and verification

Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. How we research.

Proton Drive official site · Vendor product page
Proton Drive help · Vendor support
Proton Drive support · Desktop and web Drive
Foxhole process map · First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark.

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