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How to permanently delete files or empty your trash bin without waiting for 30 days
How to permanently delete files or empty your trash bin without waiting for 30 days
This actually works and I added a few things to clarify.
Per Mark Mc (SUPER USER):
Completely ignore that Trash folder.
- Go to the link I gave (www.dropbox.com/home)
- There navigate to the folders where your were files are that you want permanently deleting
- Click on 'Show Deleted Items' - at the top, its a little trash can
- That shows, in grey, your deleted items.
At this point you will see all deleted items in all folders of your Dropbox mixed in with your active items.
- Click on one so it highlights, not the name of the item but the blank space after it.
- Press 'Permanently Delete' listed at the top.
- If you want to delete a batch, use the SHIFT or CTRL plus the mouse to choose or un-choose what you want to delete. For example, I clicked the top item and then scrolled down to the bottom and pressed SHIFT while clicking the last item. I could have permanently deleted everything but I need to remove the choosing of several items. For that I pressed CTRL and clicked each item. Then I clicked 'Permanently Delete' listed at the top. I had to do this within each folder to delete everything I wished to remove permanently. It is a pain but it is better than nothing.
Not sure why this guide is necessary, its all covered here - https://help.dropbox.com/delete-restore/delete-files
22 Replies
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- Mark
Super User II
Could you pop a screen shot of where you are seeing this Pam?
Also, remember, you need to be ignoring the 'Trash' screen part of Dropbox.
Mark Mc, You solved the problem! I was in the "Trash" screen part of Dropbox..... It all works fine when I use the trash icon and "show deleted files". Chalk this one up to user error...
THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My case is same as pam w. I tried two laptops and one desktop but no "permanently delete" was appeared. I re-install the updated version still can't help. Can you teach me how to fix it?
Richard P.Super User alumni
Florence, you can't "permanently delete" files from the desktop or mobile clients, only the website - follow the instructions in the link I give at the top and the advice that Mark gives later on.
I have a large number of deleted files that i need to permanently delete to recover space. Many are in folders and subfolders. I followed everything here, but no method lets me select all, only to permanantly delete one at a time. Windows 10, Chrome. That will take hours, surely there is a way to 'select all'
- MarkYou dont Paul - deleted files DO NOT USE QUOTA.
So, if you are over space ignore what is already deleted because it WILL NOT use up the quota. We'll, the amount of space it says I have used did not decrease after deleting a large number of files, some of them large enough to matter.
- MarkThen something else is using the quota, because as I said, deleted files do not use the quota.
In any shares? If so it could be that they are eating up your quota as soon as you delete things I think you were right, as son as one thing was deleted, the next file waiting to sync must have been replacing it and so on until I finally got enough space for all to be OK again.
I have two Dropbox accounts (linked), which I can view online. For my personal account I can permanently delete as described. For my corporate account, the "permanently delete" option is missing, only "restore" is visible in the same menu. The files are not shared, only I have access. What is this about?
