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My desktop files ended up in Dropbox - how can I undo this?
Dropbox has taken over my entire laptop, and there is no place outside of Dropbox on it. I would like my desktop to be non-Dropbox. My laptop does not have any files that aren't Dropbox, so I can't move anything. I tried deleting my desktop, but this proceeded to delete everything from my desktop and more. I restored it all, and am working to delete most of the desktop files. Thank you for any help.
4 Replies
- Rich
Super User II
Dropbox can't take over your entire computer. It sounds like you activated the legacy Backup feature, which moves your key folders (Desktop, Documents, etc.) into your Dropbox folder.
I looked at the backup page and my preferences, but I have no backups set up. I just need to 1) figure out how to create a non-Dropbox file folder, which I can probably figure out in Microsoft, and 2) figure out how to re-create a non-Dropbox desktop.
This was suggested on another thread as a solution, but most people seem to be leaving Dropbox because this problem seemed unsolvable. But these directions helped solve the problem.
You can reset the file path for these folders with the steps below:
- Navigate to the system's Desktop/Downloads/Documents folders via the File Explorer (not the folders in Dropbox). [Go to the Desktop file in File Explorer]
- Right click the folder and choose "Properties".
- Go to the "Location" tab.
- Choose to reset the default folder path.
If you're having trouble locating these folders, they would be under the path C:/users/[your username]/
No, this didn't work. I now have two Desktops: 1) that is offline and 2) a Dropbox desktop that has a backup from today in it. I am going to delete the back up and the file in hopes of having just one desktop.
