Sync Apple Health Data to Dropbox
Configure automatic syncing of health data to Dropbox.
Last updated: October 31, 2026
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Save health exports to a folder in your Dropbox account.
Important — automation limitations: Your device must be unlocked to read health data, and iOS does not guarantee background runs at your chosen frequency. Review Automation Limitations before relying on automatic exports.
Open the automation
Open Export → Automated on iPhone, or Automations in the iPad sidebar. Select New Automation, or open an existing automation to edit it.
Name, status, and notifications
Enter a name that identifies this automation. Enabled allows automatic runs; leave it off until you are ready.
Choose any run notifications you want:
- Notify on Cache Update reports that export data was prepared.
- Notify When Run reports a successful upload to Dropbox.
Allow notifications when prompted. These notifications report activity; they do not schedule a run.
Connect Dropbox
- Choose Dropbox as the Automation Type.
- Select Connect Dropbox, sign in, and authorize access.
- Copy the authorization code, return to Health Auto Export, and paste it to complete the connection.
- Enter a Folder Name for this automation’s exports.
Exports are saved under Health Auto Export → [Folder Name] in the connected Dropbox account. The app creates the destination folder as needed.
To reconnect or change accounts, use Manage Connection.
Custom file name
Optionally set a filename prefix. Leave it empty for default names. The prefix names the JSON file and is prepended to CSV and Markdown filenames; invalid filename characters are replaced automatically.
Data Type Settings
Select one Data Type for this automation: Health Metrics, Workouts, Symptoms, ECG, Heart Rate Notifications, State of Mind, Cycle Tracking, or Medications. State of Mind requires iOS 18 or later; Medications requires iOS 26 or later and separate medication access.
Health metrics
Choose Health Metrics, then open Select Health Metrics and select the measurements you need.
To limit readings to particular apps or devices, open Preferred Sources, choose a metric, and select its sources. All allows every source that has not been excluded. Use Excluded Sources to ignore a source across this automation’s health metrics. Exclusions take precedence; an unselected source is not substituted when a preferred source has no data. Select Save to apply the source choices or Cancel to discard them.
Workouts
Choose Workouts to export workout records. Include Route Data adds available route points to JSON workout data. It does not create separate GPX uploads.
For Version 2, turn on Include Workout Metrics to add readings such as heart rate, active energy, and steps. Choose Minutes or Seconds for workout-metric Time Grouping; seconds produce more detail and larger exports. Version 1 always includes workout metrics.
Export Settings
Export Format
- JSON preserves structured data for integrations and analysis.
- CSV creates tabular files for spreadsheets.
- Markdown creates readable headings and tables for notes and archives.
Export Version
Choose Version 2 for the current data structure. Use Version 1 when an existing workflow depends on the older format.
Date Range
Choose Day, Week, Month, or Year to set the period covered by each file. Use shorter periods for smaller files; longer periods keep more history together.
Summarize Data and Time Grouping
For JSON + Health Metrics, turn Summarize Data on to combine readings into time groups, or off for individual readings where available. The summary depends on the metric—for example, steps are totaled and weight readings are averaged. CSV health-metric exports use summarized data.
When Time Grouping is available, choose how much detail to keep. Hourly or daily groups produce fewer rows than minute or second groups. Available choices depend on the date range and format. Workout time grouping is configured separately under Workouts.
Schedule Reminders
If you want a prompt to unlock and open the app, turn on Enable Reminders. Choose Hourly, Every Day, or Selected Days, then set the minute, time, and days as applicable. Allow notification access when prompted; if access is denied, use Open Notification Settings.
A reminder does not run the automation or confirm a successful sync. Tap it to open the automation, or use Open & Sync on the notification to request a run. The automation must be enabled; a reminder may still appear after a successful background run. Reminder changes apply when you save.
Sync Frequency and save
Choose a number and Minutes, Hours, Days, or Weeks under Sync Frequency—for example, every 15 minutes. This is a desired background cadence, not a guaranteed schedule.
Your device must be unlocked when health data is read. Enable Background App Refresh for Health Auto Export and turn off Low Power Mode for automatic runs. iOS may still delay runs when the device has been inactive or system resources are limited.
Turn on Enabled when you are ready for automatic runs, then select Update to save the automation. You can upload a selected date range immediately using the steps below.
Export historical or missed data
Use Manual Upload when you first set up the automation to export historical data, or later to cover dates missed by automatic syncing. You can also use it to check your setup.
- Open the automation and select Manual Upload under Export Existing Data.
- Set the Start and End dates, then select Begin Export.
- Open the destination folder in Dropbox and check the file’s dates and contents.
For separate GPX files, use Manual Export.
Troubleshooting
- Connection or token error: Use Manage Connection to reconnect the account.
- Upload failed: Check network access and available Dropbox storage.
- File missing: Confirm the folder name and connected account, then run a manual upload as described above.
Open the automation and select View Activity Logs to review a run. Warnings flag potential issues such as slow data retrieval; errors identify failed steps. For help reporting an issue, see Getting Help.