We're making changes to the Community, so you may have received some notifications - thanks for your patience and welcome back. Learn more here.
Forum Discussion
Kib_1
5 years agoNew member | Level 2
I can't see my personal, regular files. Help?
Hi, I can't see my Regular files- only my Shared ones- and I would like to delete them as they are taking up most of the space on my account. How do I first see what they are, and then how do I then delete them? Can you advise me how to do this step by step?
Thanks for getting back to me here yodave!
Any folder that are syncing with any devices or not will always show in your "All files" page in your account online. This is like your central hub for seeing everything in your account.
Can you use the steps outlined here to show the folder sizes to see if this helps with narrowing down the bulk of the data?
Your top level folders there should add up to the space usage you see in your plan page.
- DaphneDropbox Staff
Hi Kib_1, thanks for reaching out to us here!
Any shared folders in your account will have a folder icon with a silhouette of 2 people on it, but you can also check the Members column to see if the files show "Only you" or "x members".
To make some space in your account first, you can check out these steps on how to remove shared folders from your account either permanently or with the option to add them back later.
Both will free up the space used in your account.
For the personal files that you're missing, can you do a search in your account for some of the file names and let me know if you can locate them this way? The results will also show any files that have been recently deleted too.
Let me know how it goes!
- TH9Explorer | Level 4
Dear DropBox,
Respectfully, that did not answer his question and the question many have of this same issue. his question was..."How do I first see what they are, and then how do I then delete them?"
I have spent a lot of time searching for this answer to no avail. I now believe that it is intentional on DropBox's part to create a level of frustration and anxiety over the "free" space. after all, the free 2GB space is the marketing tool and its to DropBoxes advantage and desire that we all pony up for monthly payments. DropBox does not want us to have access to that free storage space to delete unintended synced "Regular" files or any management of the free storage space.
After all, how easy it would be to create the access to that storage space and have the ability to delete individual files or a select all prompt to delete. DropBox wants to keep flagging the [out of space] banner in your faces every-time you sign in.
Whatever!
- yodaveHelpful | Level 5
I have the same problem. 1.4Gb of 'regular files' ...but no visibility of them. All I can see is the shared files [280Mb]. I've followed the search procedure solution, but have no idea what I'm searching for ...because I can't see the 1.4Gb of regular files.
I'll keep going, and if I find a solution I'll come back here to share [assuming I can relocate this post].
- yodaveHelpful | Level 5
I can't find anything. I suspect that the 1.4Gb of 'regular files' is made up of video files that I shared with a third party, and subsequently deleted the folder. At the time I got a message saying something along the lines of ...the files being deleted for me, but still being available to the third party. My hunch is that those deleted files are still being included in my 2Gb plan usage, despite being deleted last year.
- DaphneDropbox Staff
Thanks for joining us here yodave!
If you see that there are files are taking space in your account, this won't include deleted files. You should see these files in your "All files" page here.
Are you not able to see any folders with a plain icon on them there?
If you can't see any non-shared files/folders, could you send me a screenshot of what you do see from the page I linked above?
Let me know what you find!
About View, download, and export
Need support with viewing, downloading, and exporting files and folders from your Dropbox account? Find help from the Dropbox Community.
Need more support
If you need more help you can view your support options (expected response time for an email or ticket is 24 hours), or contact us on X or Facebook.
For more info on available support options for your Dropbox plan, see this article.
If you found the answer to your question in this Community thread, please 'like' the post to say thanks and to let us know it was useful!