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Forum Discussion
How to STOP Dropbox from deleting files on my computer if I delete them from DB?
I am a new user and while setting up to backup my Mac pictures folder, a really TERRIFYING notice popped up. It stated that if I delete any pictures from DB then those would also be deleted from my c...
Walter
Dropbox Community Moderator
Dropbox Community ModeratorHey Tek Nomad - sorry to hear you're having issues with this.
It sounds like you may have enabled the computer backup feature on your computer - could you confirm if this the case please?
Also, is the app showing 'up to date' in your menu bar or is it still syncing?
Keep me posted!
It sounds like you may have enabled the computer backup feature on your computer - could you confirm if this the case please?
Also, is the app showing 'up to date' in your menu bar or is it still syncing?
Keep me posted!
Thank you very much for the reply, Walter, and the link.
I believe that I did enable the computer backup out of naïveté since I use the Mac’s Time Machine to do backups of my whole drive. I assumed that syncing on DB works the same way.
Yes, it is still syncing — and taking "forever" to do that.
DB seems to have moved some files around. They are no longer in their regular place in the sidebar. That too is scary and damned annoying!
If I delete files from DB I do NOT want DB to remove those files from my computer as well. For example, from the time I had the free version, I have some old photos on DB that are shared with others. I would now like to remove those files without removing them from my computer. These are only a few files, therefore I simply uploaded them, not using the backup or syncing feature.
Today, while setting up, I opened “System Preferences” along with “Security and Privacy” and put DB in there, that is when the system warned me about the removals across platforms. At that point, I stopped giving DB “Full Disk Access.”
How would I set up DB to prevent such removal? If I delete files from my computer, I of course expect DB syncing to reflect that.
It’s really terrifying to think that I could “lose” important files because of this feature!
I am feeling rather foolish, like some sort of neophyte who is afraid of pushing a button on the computer and deleting things in error. I cannot understand why DB backing up seems so “complicated”? It’s not as if I haven’t read some tutorial articles.
- JayHi Tek Nomad, since Dropbox is primarily a syncing service, and changes made in the Dropbox folder will sync to the Dropbox site, and the same is true when changes are made to the site.
This means that deleting files from the site would delete the file from the Dropbox folder on all connected devices. This isn't something that can be disabled, unless you prevent syncing entirely on the desktop machine by signing out of your account or uninstalling the app.
As you have the computer backup feature enabled, have you tried disabling it? Afterwards, you'll get the option to move the folders and files back to their previous locations, which will also delete them from the Dropbox account online.Hi Jay:
Thank you for the reply.
Despite having watched and read reviews on DB, I seem to have misunderstood how it actually works.
DB has been “backing up” my computer now for several days and is nowhere near done. Using Mac’s Time Machine with a new external drive to back up the whole computer merely takes a few hours. After that, Time Machine syncs any changes. That typically only takes a few minutes. What Time Machine does NOT do is to remove or move files on my computer!
I guess I will have to rethink this whole thing, disable the backup feature, and manually upload files that I want in DB. The whole thing seems like a terrible hassle!
It will remain to be seen whether DB was worth the upgrade to me.
To say that I am disappointed is an understatement. 😟
Thanks for your help!
