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Maeghan F.'s avatar
Maeghan F.
New member | Level 1
11 years ago
Solved

What happens to all my pictures if I delete the Dropbox app from my iPhone?

Will I lose all my pictures if I delete the app on my iPhone?

  • That just means it will delete the local data for that application, not your files, etc. Any app that you delete from your phone will say the same thing.

    Deleting the app from your phone will not delete any of the files in your account.

  • Do you mean deleting the photos on iPhone Photos app? In that case, it wouldn't delete them in Dropbox on your computer. However, if you delete the files in your iPhone Dropbox app, it will delete everywhere in Dropbox including your computer and Dropbox web.

19 Replies

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  • Pamela R.1's avatar
    Pamela R.1
    New member | Level 1
    10 years ago

    My iphone is running out of room. So if I delete DROPBOX from my phone, will the photos still be in "Dropbox" if I open it on my regular computer? I need space. I can delete the app. Do I have to manually delete the photos in dropbox on iphone as well?
    Thank you!

     

  • Gail W.2's avatar
    Gail W.2
    New member | Level 1
    10 years ago

    I downloaded the Dropbox app on my iPhone so I could sync photos I take with it to Dropbox. However -- big problem. Every photo already in various Dropbox files (some 5,000 in shared business files) has now populated on my phone, eating up almost all previously available storage.

    I tried deleting individual photos from my phone, but they just recycled to the bottom of the stack. I tried deleting an individual photo from the Dropbox.com photos folder, but that also deleted it from the business folder it was filed in.

    It seems my only option is to delete the app from my phone. If I do that, will all those photos remain in the Dropbox account folders?

    Thanks.

  • Rich's avatar
    Rich
    Icon for Super User II rankSuper User II
    10 years ago

    Every photo already in various Dropbox files (some 5,000 in shared business files) has now populated on my phone, eating up almost all previously available storage.

    Dropbox doesn't do that. The Dropbox app does not sync files to your phone. It only shows you what's in your account online. The only files that are stored on your phone are those that you open (which are stored temporarily in cache) or those that you've marked as available offline.

    I tried deleting an individual photo from the Dropbox.com photos folder, but that also deleted it from the business folder it was filed in.

    The Photos page on the Dropbox website is not a folder. It's a display of every image and video from every folder in your account. Deleting anything on that page will delete it from its actual location.

    It seems my only option is to delete the app from my phone. If I do that, will all those photos remain in the Dropbox account folders?

    Yes. Removing the app has no impact on the files in your account.

     

  • Gail W.2's avatar
    Gail W.2
    New member | Level 1
    10 years ago

    Rich - thanks for the quick response. I know my question is just another version of previous posts, so I appreciate the full explanations to help me understand better how Dropbox works. I rely on it for business but unfortunately don't have a good understanding of how it really works.

     

     

  • kathjaz's avatar
    kathjaz
    New member | Level 2
    8 years ago

    Will my photos that are downloaded to Dropbox on my computer stay on my computer if I delete them from my iPhone?

  • Elixir's avatar
    Elixir
    Star | Level 19
    8 years ago

    Do you mean deleting the photos on iPhone Photos app? In that case, it wouldn't delete them in Dropbox on your computer. However, if you delete the files in your iPhone Dropbox app, it will delete everywhere in Dropbox including your computer and Dropbox web.

  • karencrouch's avatar
    karencrouch
    Explorer | Level 3
    7 years ago

    Really?  I can't just delete the app and use the web version?  That is crazy.  I have an android.

  • karencrouch's avatar
    karencrouch
    Explorer | Level 3
    7 years ago

    I'm afraid to uninstall my dropbox app from my android.  has anyone actually done this and still the dropbox web version files remain intact?

  • Rich's avatar
    Rich
    Icon for Super User II rankSuper User II
    7 years ago

    Uninstalling the Dropbox app will have no impact on your account or the files within it. You can safely remove it from your device. Your files will not be deleted.

     

    [This thread is now closed by moderators due to inactivity. If you're experiencing a similar behavior, feel free to start a new discussion in the Ask a Question section here.]

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