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Alain C.4's avatar
Alain C.4
New member | Level 1
11 years ago
Solved

Trying to delete Dropbox from mac

I am trying to delete Dropbox from my Mac but theres a message saying "The item “Dropbox” can’t be moved to the Trash because some of its plugins are in use." I don't know what to do.

desktop
Setting up the apps
  • Lisa S.70's avatar
    Lisa S.70
    10 years ago

    I had the same problem and even after multiple restarts, I couldn't delete the app. What finally worked was right-clicking on the app and selecting "Show Package Contents." I then selected and deleted all of the files listed, including a Plug-ins folder. After I emptied the trash, I clicked on the app again and selected "Move to Trash." It worked perfectly and I was able to remove it and empty the trash again. I hope that helps someone stuck in the same situation. 

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  • jtokarski_vh's avatar
    jtokarski_vh
    Explorer | Level 4
    8 years ago

    YES... thank you. After trying every other suggestions, THIS did it!

  • Jane's avatar
    Jane
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
    8 years ago
    Hey all, 
     
    That’s some wonderful news & I was so glad to hear that Lisa’s tip did the trick for you. I’ve made sure to Accept her reply as a Solution :white_check_mark:, so that others may reference it in the future. 
     
    Once again, thanks to all for your contribution on the thread & keep on posting :pushpin:! 
  • Recce60's avatar
    Recce60
    New member | Level 2
    8 years ago

    Did not work for me after following Liza's advice. Still get 

    The item “Dropbox” can’t be moved to the Trash because it’s open.

  • Walter's avatar
    Walter
    Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
    8 years ago

    Sorry to hear this Recce60!

     

    In order to fix this issue, open the 'Activity Monitor' utility on your computer, normally located under Applications > Utilities, to see if there are any other processes associated with Dropbox that may be preventing Dropbox from being removed from your device.

     

    Once you have launched 'Activity Monitor', if you see any items that refer to Dropbox, or recognize any programs that you may have linked to Dropbox do the following:

     

    • Click on the line that references the process to select it
    • Click on the 'X' at the top left corner of the screen. Be careful not to click on the 'X' that closes the window, but the one that will 'Force a process to quit'.

    Follow the normal steps to unistall afterwards. You should be ready to go!

     

    Please keep us posted! 

  • Recce60's avatar
    Recce60
    New member | Level 2
    8 years ago

    After trying again re. Lisa's suggestion. I restarted, which I did not do originally and then was able to trash Dropbox app. Thanks to all for the info. and suggestion. 

     

    [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 Dropbox Community here.]

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