Setting up OneDrive & Dropbox (your own app registration)

Last reviewed: 2026-07-06

You normally don’t need this page: Plainva ships its own app IDs for OneDrive and Dropbox — you pick the provider, click Connect and sign in. This guide is only for the optional case where you want to use your own (free) app registration (e.g. for corporate restrictions). In the sync settings you reveal the ID fields via Use your own app ID, then enter a single public value:

• OneDrive → a Client ID (format 00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000)
• Dropbox → an App Key (a short string)

Both registrations are free, need no credit card and no paid subscription. You do not need a secret password (client secret) — the values above are public and safe to store.

This page is the detailed companion to the short versions under Sync Setup.

Plainva’s bundled IDs are already pre-filled — you only need Parts A/B below for your own registration.

Part A — OneDrive (Microsoft Entra)

Prerequisite: a Microsoft account (the same one whose OneDrive you want to sync). On first sign-in Microsoft automatically creates a free directory for you — no Azure subscription is needed.

1. Open the portal

1. Go to entra.microsoft.com (portal.azure.com also works).
2. Sign in with your Microsoft account.

2. Create a new app registration

1. Menu Identity → Applications → App registrations, then + New registration.

2. Name: free choice, e.g. Plainva (display only).

3. Supported account types: choose “Accounts in any organizational directory … and personal Microsoft accounts”. Only this option matches Plainva’s sign-in endpoint; “this directory only” makes personal OneDrive accounts fail.

4. Redirect URI — do this right here:

   • Platform: “Public client/native (mobile & desktop)”.
   • Value: http://localhost (exactly like this — no port, no trailing slash).

   ⚠️ Do not pick “Web” or “SPA”. “Web” requires a client secret and sign-in will fail.

5. Register.

3. Copy the Client ID

On the app’s Overview, copy the “Application (client) ID” — that is your value for Plainva. (You do not need the “Directory (tenant) ID”.)

4. Allow public client flows

1. Menu Authentication.
2. At the very bottom, set “Allow public client flows” to Yes.
3. Save.

5. Set the permissions

1. Menu API permissions → + Add a permission → Microsoft Graph → Delegated permissions.
2. Tick both:
   • Files.ReadWrite
   • offline_access (provides the long-lived sign-in token — without it Plainva refuses to connect)
3. Add. Admin consent is not needed for personal accounts; you consent yourself at sign-in.

Enter it in Plainva

1. Settings → Vault Settings → Cloud Sync.
2. Set the Sync Provider to OneDrive.
3. Paste the copied Application ID into the Client ID field; optionally set the OneDrive Folder (Name) (default Plainva).
4. Connect to Microsoft → sign in in the browser and confirm access. The browser then tells you that you can close the window.

Part B — Dropbox

Prerequisite: a Dropbox account.

1. Open the app console

1. Go to dropbox.com/developers/apps and sign in.
2. Click Create app.

2. Choose the app type

1. Choose an API: Scoped access.

2. Type of access: Full Dropbox — not “App folder”.

   ⚠️ Full Dropbox is required: “App folder” only sees an isolated subfolder and won’t find existing vaults elsewhere in your Dropbox.

3. Name: a globally unique name, e.g. Plainva-Sync-<yourname> (technical only, nobody else sees it).

4. Create app.

3. Register the redirect URI

Tab Settings → OAuth 2 → Redirect URIs: enter exactly http://127.0.0.1:41953 and click Add.

⚠️ It must match character for character: 127.0.0.1 (not localhost), port 41953, no trailing slash. Plainva binds this exact port; any deviation aborts sign-in.

4. Set the permissions

Tab Permissions — tick the following and click Submit at the bottom:

• files.metadata.read
• files.content.read
• files.content.write

⚠️ If you change the permissions later, you must Reconnect in Plainva, otherwise the old rights still apply.

5. Copy the App key

Tab Settings: copy the App key value — that is your value for Plainva. (You do not need the “App secret”.)

Your app stays in “Development” status. That is enough for private use; “Apply for production” is only needed if many other people use the same App key.

Enter it in Plainva

1. Settings → Vault Settings → Cloud Sync.
2. Set the Sync Provider to Dropbox.
3. Paste the copied App key into the App Key field; optionally set the Dropbox Folder (Path) (default /Plainva).
4. Connect to Dropbox → sign in in the browser and confirm access.

If something goes wrong

See also

• Sync Setup — short version and the other providers
• Sync Compatibility — which services work and how
• FAQ & Troubleshooting