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Forum Discussion
jtlever
1 year agoNew member | Level 1
Why does Dropbox remove a file from my hard drive when I "back up" to Dropbox?
Why does Dropbox remove a file from my hard drive when I "back up" to dropbox? The "dropbox help" info does not explain this. I've selected the option to "keep copies on my hard drive", but files sti...
- 1 year ago
Dropbox backup works by moving the directories in to the Dropbox folder and putting shortcuts in the original location. The exception to this is external drives that are backed up.
Personally I think backup is really, really counterintuitive and complicated.
jtlever
1 year agoNew member | Level 1
Hmm, I don't see shortcuts to anything on my desktop where the files originally were? However I do see the file in the folder on my desktop called "dropbox" - is the file actually in that folder on my hard drive now? Or is that just a link there to the file in the cloud? VERY confusing and counterintuitive.
Mark
Super User II
1 year agoDropbox's folder is on your hard drive, its using space like any other folder. It is then just 'replicated' to the cloud as long as the application is running.
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