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Forum Discussion
Need to erase my hard drive safely, without affecting my Dropbox files.
Device iMac iMac Operating System/Browser (if using the web) macOS26 Dropbox App Version (if using the app)233.4.4938 233.4.4938 Syncing Status Syncing
Question or Issue I need to reinstal...
Unfortunately your reply came too late.
What I ended up doing was making all of the files "online only." I'm hoping that was good enough to keep them safe.
Rich
Super User II
Super User IIWhat I ended up doing was making all of the files "online only." I'm hoping that was good enough to keep them safe.
Making them online-only has nothing to do with that. It means the files are only stored in the cloud, and not on your computer, but you still have reference files, or pointers, of each file on your hard drive. If those files are deleted and Dropbox is still running, then the files are deleted from the cloud as well.
It's all going to depend on how you're erasing your hard drive. If you're manually deleting files while apps like Dropbox are running and signed in, then Dropbox is going to sync those deletions. If you're formatting the drive or using any other process where the drive is offline, then you'll be safe.
You should still visit the Security page I linked to previously and remove the computer from your list of active devices. When you reinstall Dropbox, it will appear as a new device to Dropbox and a new entry will be created.
