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LynnMGallagher's avatar
LynnMGallagher
Helpful | Level 5
8 years ago
Solved

How do I delete files from Dropbox without deleting them from my computer and other devices?

I do not use Dropbox for backup storage; I use a different service for that.  But friends and fellow students sometimes want to share files in Dropbox, so I set up a free account.  Somehow, I don't k...
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Dropbox Basic
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  • Daphne's avatar
    Daphne
    7 years ago
    Hey peeps! 
     
    So I think there may have been some confusion here DG123. If you made a copy of the music folder into your Dropbox folder, then when you deleted the files from your account, you are right that the Dropbox folder copy will have been removed. The original folder will not have been affected at all as it has no connection to Dropbox.
     
    However, if the music folder was moved into the Dropbox folder and then the files deleted then you essentially moved the original copy and then deleted it. 
     
    If you no longer have the music folder on your desktop, then I can suggest you restore the folder from your Deleted files page. Then, allow the folder to sync to your desktop and then move the newly synced music folder out of the Dropbox folder onto your desktop.  
        
    Also, keenum_law, sorry for the tardy reply, I'm hoping that at least answering your question will help others with the same query!
     
    In this case, you can copy the content from the Dropbox folder and paste it in another location. If you remove the files from your account then, as it is shared, it will remove the files from the other connected Dropbox accounts. However, if their files are also saved on their devices, then these will not be affected by the copied being removed from their Dropbox.
     
    Let me know if you have any other questions - Thanks!
DG123's avatar
DG123
Helpful | Level 5
7 years ago
Thank you Daphne for replying so promptly. The thing is, I think I copied not moved those files from my music folder into my dropbox folder. The files are (Or were) still present in my original, non-dropbox music folder as well as in dropbox, so doesn’t that meaning I did a copy? That is , when I’m in the Dropbox folder, my music folder is there, and when I leave the dropbox folder and Do the usual FileExplorer thing, there’s a music folder there as well. I can see the music folder in both places.
Daphne's avatar
Daphne
Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
7 years ago
Hmm, I see. :thinking:
 
If the folder you found from the search isn’t within your Dropbox folder then it sounds like you did make a copy (file explorer search will bring up items within the Dropbox folder too). You can check this by right clicking the folder brought up from the search, click the “Properties” option and you will see the folder path of where the folder is located.
 
Should you see only one folder from the search, and the folder path shows “Dropbox”, then you should move the music folder to your desktop . If you see two folders (one without Dropbox in the file path), then deleting the folder within your Dropbox account shouldn’t affect the desktop copy.
 
Let me know if this helps - Cheers!
  • DG123's avatar
    DG123
    Helpful | Level 5
    7 years ago
    Thank you Daphne. What’s confusing to me is that When I erased the files on dropbox it seem to erase the corresponding non-dropbox folder. You’re saying that shouldn’t happen. Since I’m new with this it’s quite possible that I just Botched something without realizing it. My guess is that dropbox somehow tags The files that are synced, And that once so tagged, even if the files are moved outside of Dropbox they remain tagged. The blue checkmark is the indication that the file has been tagged. So if you copy INTO the dropbox, the original will not be tagged, but if you copy FROM dropbox the new copy will be tagged. Is that More less what’s going on?
    • Daphne's avatar
      Daphne
      Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
      7 years ago
      Hey DG123,
       
      Just to clarify, there isn’t any tagging or way that Dropbox can track files outside the Dropbox folder. When you move something from the Dropbox folder to another place on your desktop, these files are not “tracked” in any way, Dropbox will see this action as simply deleting the files from the account as they are no longer there.
       
      Did you check the folder path of the music folder you found from the file explorer search with the method I mentioned previously? Was the copy within your Dropbox folder or elsewhere in your desktop?
       
      When you refer to a blue checkmark, are you referring to a sync icon that looks like the one below? This icon shows that the file is syncing with your Dropbox account."Sync in progress" icon

      It wouldn’t make any difference if you copy the files to or from Dropbox, the behavior would be the same in that only the Dropbox folder copy would be deleted. 

       
      Let me know if this helps to clarify matters - Thanks!
      • Anna456's avatar
        Anna456
        Helpful | Level 5
        7 years ago

        I have a related but slightly different question:  I like to carry around only a few ESSENTIAL files on Dropbox since I have other backup systems AND I have a sneaky feeling that if I leave sensitive financial files on Dropbox they could be easier to hack than if I keep them 'at home' on my laptop and other harddisc devices. So - when I copy for example, five new files to Dropbox, after 2 wks I wish to delete them from DROPBOX ONLY and put up new versions or other files in their place.

        But like your other correspondents above, I'm warned by Dropbox that the original files I have on my laptop ('other devices') will be deleted. Yet I wish to keep these original or 'old' file versions on my laptop for easy referece from time to time. I don't want to put them in a difficult-to-retrieve other place. 

        So - the question remains: HOW TO DELETE specific files from Dropbox while retaining them on my laptop?

        Is the only solution to synch and then de-synch and then synch again ???? (I hope not. And is this even do-able? and wise?)

        I'd be very grateful for your advice.

  • LizMac42's avatar
    LizMac42
    Explorer | Level 4
    5 years ago

    Dropbox is so complicated..I dont think its dafe to use for non experts..I wouldnt use it again since I lost videos of my grandchildren..there is not enough immediate or understable help when using it.

    • 1jimco's avatar
      1jimco
      Explorer | Level 4
      5 years ago

      I agree with the other posters -- this software should come with a warning that you can potentially lose your files. Today I wanted to share a folder with my other laptop and in the process of doing that I saw a button to back up my documents. I clicked that, assuming that I could browse to the folder I wanted to share. Instead it staring uploading ALL of my documents. I realized that my account could not hold everything so I looked for a way to stop that. I found it in the Preferences and turned it off while it was still uploading. Now a great many of my folders are just GONE from my computer. Dropbox is saying that it has deleted files so they are not in Dropbox either. Will I get them back if I click restore? But there isn't room in Dropbox for them. What a freaking disaster! It's crazy that this software can just remove my files and folders.

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