Forum Discussion

Cadams's avatar
Cadams
Explorer | Level 3
6 years ago

How do I delete Dropbox files without deleting them on my hard drive?

I wanted to know *how* to delete/remove files/folders from Dropbox (files and folders that I did not intend to sync when I installed) without those files/folders being deleted on my hard drive - can ...
Computer Backup
Delete
desktop
norman un's avatar
norman un
Explorer | Level 3
4 years ago

I have a new iPhone that I cannot log in. It says The provided user information isn't valid 

I have an Android that I have access to Dropbox. It asked me, do I want to connect to a computer? Nothing about sync

I used Dropbox a lot on my old Nexus7. That is now gone.

I can log in on my Windows Computer but do not see anything about syncing. 

I have one more Apple computer, I have not used in a while. I will try that. 

Walter's avatar
Walter
Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
4 years ago

It's still not clear what exactly is not working for you norman un

 

Let me know more when you get the chance and we'll take it from there. 

  • norman un's avatar
    norman un
    Explorer | Level 3
    4 years ago

    I need your help, please

    I cannot find the place to uncheck syncing.

    I do not want to delete anything on my computer. When deleting my account.

    How do I do this on my PC ?

  • Megan's avatar
    Megan
    Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
    4 years ago

    Hi norman un, I'd be happy to help! 

     

    Is Computer backup enabled for your device? Can you clarify if you need to stop the app from syncing, or disable a specific feature? 

     

    Let me know more, and we'll take it from there! 

  • norman un's avatar
    norman un
    Explorer | Level 3
    4 years ago

    Hello Megan

    I am not using Backup. I cancelled my Plus account, retiring soon, not needed. Cancelling Evernote also

    I have 16.5G of stuff, and your free app is only 2G. I need to remove 16G of stuff so I can stop getting emails all the time that I need to upgrade.

    What do I need to do to guarantee not to lose and info???

    Stop syncing? How? I am using you Dropbox app on my PC. 

    Should I just delete a file I don't need, then wait 30 days and see if it disappears on my hard drive??

    Thank you

     

     

  • Megan's avatar
    Megan
    Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
    4 years ago

    Hi norman un, thank you for clarifying!

     

    If you uninstall the desktop app, your files will stop syncing with your account online. And you can of course, keep all of your content locally, as a backup. 

     

    However, if you need to free up some of your Dropbox space, you'd need to actually delete content from the account. You can use either the website, or the desktop app to download your content to the device, and then you can delete it from the account.

     

    Keep in mind, that you can always unsubscribe from any Dropbox related emails, if you don't wish to receive them. 

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.

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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.

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