Your workflow is unique 👨‍💻 -  tell us how you use Dropbox here.

Forum Discussion

BrianSerrano's avatar
BrianSerrano
Explorer | Level 4
9 months ago
Solved

Can I delete the backup of PC that I can't access using my mobile browser?

I am running out of storage. But I do not have files on dropbox. But when I go to the backups page I saw a device which I think have linked to PC that I don't have access anymore. I cannot delete it. I tried to delete a file of that device then there pop up "delete [folder] from your [device] backup". I don't click backup settings because I don't have access to that PC. So instead I click "I don't have access" and it go me to settings/security and unlink the PC. But after unlinking I still can't delete the device or any of it's file from backup page of my browser. Can anyone help me to solve this issue.

  • Hi there, BrianSerrano, welcome to our Community.

    After unlinking your computer, you should be able to delete the backup folder from your backups page.

    If you're doing this on a mobile browser, it might be the reason you're unable to find the option to delete it; is it possible to try from a computer browser and let me know if you can see the option?

    Thanks.

9 Replies

  • Hannah's avatar
    Hannah
    Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
    9 months ago

    Hi there, BrianSerrano, welcome to our Community.

    After unlinking your computer, you should be able to delete the backup folder from your backups page.

    If you're doing this on a mobile browser, it might be the reason you're unable to find the option to delete it; is it possible to try from a computer browser and let me know if you can see the option?

    Thanks.

  • Walter's avatar
    Walter
    Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
    9 months ago

    We're glad to hear it's sorted now and thanks for keeping us in the loop too, Brian. 

    See you around the Community and enjoy the rest of your week!

  • Theresa's avatar
    Theresa
    Icon for Community Manager rankCommunity Manager
    9 months ago

    Hi BrianSerrano​  and welcome to the Dropbox Community. I am glad to see your issue has been resolved thanks to Hannah.

    I’m Theresa (aka your Dropbox Community Manager 😺), and you’ll probably catch me around here quite a bit 👩‍💻 I love connecting with our awesome members and hearing how Dropbox fits into your world 💙.

    If you're up for sharing, I’d love to know how you use Dropbox 💡. Whether it’s organizing projects, saving memories, or something completely unique. You might just spark some helpful tips for others or even inspire fresh ideas for our team 🤗.

    Looking forward to hearing from you,

    T 😺 (Dropbox Community Manager)

  • TomCard's avatar
    TomCard
    New member | Level 2
    1 month ago

    Hi Hannah, I have the same problem reported by Brian.

    However, even after signing out of devices I can't delete the files from the backup.

    This backup dates back years and those computers are long gone at this point.

    I'm making these changes from a Win11 desktop computer.

    Please help!

    Thanks

  • Jay's avatar
    Jay
    Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
    1 month ago

    Hi TomCard, are you trying to delete a computer backup, or an external drive backup from your Dropbox account?

  • MilJoh's avatar
    MilJoh
    New member | Level 2
    15 days ago

    Hi,
    I have the same problem. It is old computer backup and when I select Delete, it instructs to  "Go to backup settings" which does not open, and if I select "I don't have access" does not help as I already unliked the old computer and there is nothing else I could do. And files are not stuck in Dropbox folder.

  • MilJoh's avatar
    MilJoh
    New member | Level 2
    15 days ago

    Update to my  previous message - there was some kind of link to "new location" in Dropbox and after unlinked there, I was able to delete the whole back-up but it was not possible to delete only certain files or folders, which was a bit weird. 

  • Hannah's avatar
    Hannah
    Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
    15 days ago

    Sorry to hear that, MilJoh.

    Are you trying to do this from your phone or from a computer browser?

    Can you send me a screenshot of the options you see when you try to delete your backup files?

About Delete, edit, and organize

Solve issues with deleting, editing, and organizing files and folders in your Dropbox account with support from the Dropbox Community.

The Dropbox Community team is active from Monday to Friday. We try to respond to you as soon as we can, usually within 2 hours.

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, Facebook or Instagram.

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!