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Forum Discussion
TV_brad
3 years agoExplorer | Level 3
deleted files keep returning
I get a notification from dropbox saying I'm over my storage limit. So I delete a bunch of files and folders but then a week later, they've returned. I have 3 devices, a Windows PC, Macbook, and iPhone. I've tried deleting them on all the devices and through the web UI and every time they return about a week later. Help!
9 Replies
- Jay3 years ago
Dropbox Community Moderator
Hi TV_brad, thanks for bringing this to our attention.
Could you check the events page to see where the files are being added from? Is it the same device you deleted them from?
This will help me to assist further!
- TV_brad3 years agoExplorer | Level 3
It just says that I added a bunch of files and folders on 2/27, which were all deleted on 2/7 from the web UI.
- Jay3 years ago
Dropbox Community Moderator
If you click one of the restored files from the Files page, are you able to see the version history of the file to see where it was added from?
- TV_brad3 years agoExplorer | Level 3
So the version history has the deletion, and then on the day that the events history says it was re-added, the version history just says it was edited that day, along with hundreds of other files and folders.
- Nancy3 years ago
Dropbox Community Moderator
TV_brad, the files that seem to be returning to your Dropbox account, is there any chance that they’re open by a third-party app on any of your linked devices?
- TV_brad3 years agoExplorer | Level 3
I don't believe so. Should I try signing out and removing the dropbox apps on my Mac and PC and iPhone, and then deleting the files through the web UI, then re-install the apps and allow the devices to resync to the cloud? I'm a little hesitant to remove all local copies of my dropbox files, but I'm not sure what else to do.
- Jay3 years ago
Dropbox Community Moderator
It should mean that an app of some sort is restoring the files into your Dropbox folder.
When you're deleting the files, are you doing so from your computer and then deleting them from the Recycle Bin/Trash? This will rule out one possibility of files being restored from there directly.
- TV_brad3 years agoExplorer | Level 3
I tried deleting them from the web UI and my MacBook (where it said it was restoring from) and emptied the trash. Now, 3 weeks later, everything has returned and I'm again over my limit and things won't sync. I'm really at a loss, but my next step will just be to uninstall dropbox on my MacBook and try a fresh setup.
- Hannah3 years ago
Dropbox Community Moderator
Hey TV_brad, are these files in a private or a shared folder?
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