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Chicola's avatar
Chicola
Helpful | Level 6
5 months ago

I'm trying to permanently delete some shared folders, but it doesn't recognize me as the owner.

Hi everyone, I’m running into a serious issue with Dropbox and would appreciate any insight. I have several folders and files that I originally created and shared in the past. Now, when I try to ...
Delete
Error Messages
Shared Folders
Storage space
Chicola's avatar
Chicola
Helpful | Level 6
5 months ago

Hi Megan, thanks again for your quick reply.

Here’s a screenshot of my Plan page showing my storage usage and the breakdown between shared and regular files:
[link removed by moderator]

As you can see, I’m currently using 2.4 TB of 3.02 TB, including:

  • 1.9 TB in Regular files
  • 580.2 GB in Shared files
  • Only 612.4 GB of unused space remaining

Regarding the Help Center article you linked — yes, I’ve already followed all the steps there.
When I check the folder access info, I see myself listed as the only person, with “Can Edit” permissions — but there is no “Owner” listed, and I can't change that or permanently delete the folders.

These are folders I created and shared in the past, and now I need to delete them to free up space — but I’m blocked by the missing ownership tag.

Thanks again,
Chicola

  • Megan's avatar
    Megan
    Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
    5 months ago

    Hey Chicola​!

    Let's try something else. If you restore one of these folders, and then follow these steps to remove yourself from them, does it work? 

    One more thing: I checked your screenshots from the shared link that you provided. However, I'm going to remove it, in order to avoid further traffic gathering to this shared link since we're on a public Community.

    • Chicola's avatar
      Chicola
      Helpful | Level 6
      5 months ago

      Hi Megan​ ,

      Thanks again for getting back to me!

      I tested your suggestion and restored one of the folders to try removing myself from it.
      But unfortunately, when I checked the permissions, I saw that:

      • I'm the only user listed in the folder.
      • I’m marked as “Can Edit” (not "Owner").
      • And I don’t have any option to “Remove my access” — there’s no such button or dropdown next to my name.

      So it seems I’m stuck:
      I can’t delete the folder, can’t remove myself, and there’s no owner to transfer ownership from.
      I created these folders myself originally and have been using them for years for my RECORDING STUDIO — so I really need full control to either delete or clean them up. 

      I understand your concern about the public link. Let me know if there’s a private way I can share the screenshots with you again.

      Would really appreciate your help pushing this further — feels like these folders are stuck in a weird permission limbo.

      Thanks in advance!
      Chicola

      • Nancy's avatar
        Nancy
        Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
        5 months ago

        Hope it’s alright if I jump in, Chicola! I’d like to clarify one more thing regarding what Megan also mentioned above; you said that 580.2GB of space is taken up by shared files on your Dropbox account. Do you mean that this space still includes the folders that you deleted from your Dropbox account with these steps?

        If you have already done this successfully, then the folders should no longer be taking up space from your Dropbox account, even if you don’t manage to permanently delete them after that.

        Finally, if you want to share another screenshot with us, you can try pasting it in your reply directly.

        Thanks!

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