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Forum Discussion
Lin-S
2 months agoNew member | Level 2
How to delete files in Dropbox without deleting them from my hard drive
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I'm on a Windows 11 laptop, but can't find the dropbox version number but I assume i...
Dell_Dropbox
Community Manager
2 months agoLin-S I hear how frustrating this has been, I want to clarify one important point.
The Dropbox desktop app is designed to keep your Dropbox folder fully in sync. This means any change made inside that folder, including deletions, is reflected everywhere. Because of this, there is no way to delete a file from Dropbox cloud storage while keeping it inside the synced Dropbox folder on your computer.
That said, there is a supported way to do what you want without losing your files. Selective Sync. Selective Sync lets you choose folders that stay online in Dropbox but are removed from your computer.
You can find instructions on how to turn on Selective Sync in the link above. Let us know if you run into any snags.
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