I'm quitting using Dropbox, how can I save all my files from my account?

Hi thomasnomad, thanks for messaging the Community.

In addition to what Rich said, I'd also check my shared tab to see if any folders are still being shared with others. You can remove everyone's access to those folders, or transfer the ownership to another user. Additionally, make sure to delete your shared links.

Secondly, check the Dropbox Backup page, and make sure it's deleted for any computer backup you have, and also download any backups there, if you need to.

If you have any further queries, feel free to message back.

thomasnomad wrote:

I am retiring and need to 1. back up all my files from my Mac to an external drive. 2. delete dropbox. 3. close my account!

First, verify all files are syncing to your Mac. Check Selective Sync and make sure all folders are checked and that they're visible in your Dropbox folder. Next, mark all of your files as Available offline so they're downloaded to your local drive. If you don't have enough drive space to do this for all of your files, you can mark a few at a time and them move them as noted in 1. below.

Then ...

1. Use whatever method you're comfortable with to copy or move the folders and files from your Dropbox folder to your external drive. Note that if you move them while Dropbox is running, they will also be deleted from Dropbox and any other devices you sync with.
2. Once you have all your files copied to the external drive, uninstall the Dropbox application.
3. You can delete your account from the bottom of your Plan page. If you have a paid subscription you'll need to cancel your subscription before you can delete the account.