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Nemeziz's avatar
Nemeziz
Explorer | Level 3
5 years ago
Solved

Deleted Account still syncing files on my PC

I had a temporary job in which we used Dropbox so I had to set up a basic account using a temporary email I was given. Once the job ended, my Dropbox account was deleted. I uninstalled the Dropbox app from my PC (Windows 10) but now I still have all my files in my what used to be "This PC/Documents" folder in this mysterious "C://User/Username/Dropbox/My Laptop" folder. I can't login to my account to change any of the sync settings and I can't just delete the Dropbox folder because it says the files are in use. What on earth has happened?

  • Jay's avatar
    Jay
    5 years ago
    Hi Nemeziz, just to clarify, are the files actually syncing to the Dropbox site, or is it just that the location of the folders have changed on your computer?

    Have you tried resetting the folder locations using these steps?

10 Replies

  • Hannah's avatar
    Hannah
    Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
    5 years ago
    Hey Nemeziz, thanks for posting!

    Deleting the Dropbox account, sure just made things more difficult, but let's see what we can do. 

    This account that was created, did you join a Dropbox Business team with it, or did it just stay a free Basic account?

    Also, did you try to restart your computer, to see if that helps?

    Let me know what you find.
  • Nemeziz's avatar
    Nemeziz
    Explorer | Level 3
    5 years ago

    Hi,

     

    Yes, deleting it was not the way to go! It was just a free Basic Account - not connected to a team or anything. And yes, I have restarted my laptop but this hasn't fixed it.

     

    Thank you!

  • Hannah's avatar
    Hannah
    Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
    5 years ago
    Is it possible that the account isn't actually deleted?

    If you reinstall the Dropbox app and try to login, what do you see? Can you please send me a screenshot, while making sure you hide any personal info?

    Thanks so much!
  • Nemeziz's avatar
    Nemeziz
    Explorer | Level 3
    5 years ago

    Hi, sorry for the delay, here is what I see when I try to log in. I have tried every password I can think of in case it's just a matter of an incorrect password but still just says it's invalid.

     

     

  • Hannah's avatar
    Hannah
    Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
    5 years ago
    Thanks for the screenshot!

    Just to check, can you try to login through our website instead and try the 'forgot password' option, to see if you'll receive a password reset email?

    If not, can you try manually moving your desktop files back to their original locations, to see if that works?
  • Nemeziz's avatar
    Nemeziz
    Explorer | Level 3
    5 years ago

    I tried to reset the password beforehand and I didn't receive an email. The files are in the original locations, just syncing to the Dropbox folder. Not really a big deal, I suppose, but very odd because the Dropbox folder has somehow become the default save location and not my usual folders.  

  • Hannah's avatar
    Hannah
    Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
    5 years ago

    That's because of the computer backup feature. But it's strange that they are still syncing, if you uninstalled the Dropbox app and deleted the account.

    If you delete a file from the 'My PC' folder in your Dropbox, does it also get deleted from its original location on your desktop?

  • Nemeziz's avatar
    Nemeziz
    Explorer | Level 3
    5 years ago

    Yes, very strange! And yes, deleting files in the My PC folder of Dropbox does delete them on my actual PC folders.

  • Jay's avatar
    Jay
    Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
    5 years ago
    Hi Nemeziz, just to clarify, are the files actually syncing to the Dropbox site, or is it just that the location of the folders have changed on your computer?

    Have you tried resetting the folder locations using these steps?

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