Clarification Needed on Dropbox Backup - Unlimited Storage

[Nicky22]

Hi!  I have recently subscribed to the Dropbox Professional Plan (which provides 3TB of space).  I see that "Dropbox Backup" is included as part of this plan, which allows me to backup 1 computer and 1 HD with an unlimited amount of space.  I have installed Dropbox on a new MacBook Pro. 

My understanding of the way the storage limits would work is that anything in the Dropbox folder itself would count against my 3TB storage limit, but anything that is stored in other folders such as the computer's Documents or Music folder, for example, would be backed up to the cloud using the "Dropbox Backup" feature of the plan and would not count against the 3TB limit (since the space for this is advertised as being unlimited).

But currently, it appears that all of the files and folders are being counted as taking up my 3TB of storage.  I currently have about 1TB of files in the system Documents, Movies, Pictures, and Music folders (outside of the Dropbox folder) and about 300GB in the Dropbox folder.  Under settings, Dropbox is showing as 1.3TB of 3TB being used.

I would also like to backup an external HD in the near future and want to make sure that will not count against the 3TB of space.

Can someone please clarify how storage space works with this new "Dropbox Backup" feature?

Thank you!

[Rich]

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@Nicky22 wrote:
Can someone please clarify how storage space works with this new "Dropbox Backup" feature?

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@Hannah, @Megan or @Walter, please correct me if I'm wrong here as there really isn't much information on this, and I'm speculating that this is the case.

I believe you may be confusing the Backup plan with the Backup feature.

The Backup feature allows you to backup keys folders such as Desktop and Documents and save them to Dropbox. It does this by MOVING the folders into the Dropbox folder (just a side note in case you weren't aware). This feature is available to all users and they can use it to backup multiple computers in this manner, up to the storage limit of their account.

The Backup plan is it's own subscription, separate from Basic, Plus, Professional, etc., that allows for the unlimited storage backup of just a single computer. The Backup plan includes all the features of the Dropbox Basic plan, plus additional storage space, access to Dropbox Rewind, and no device sign-in limit.

Using the Backup feature with a Professional account does not grant unlimited storage space for any of the computers you back up.

[Walter]

You hit the nail on the head on this one @Rich - spot on!

Just note that the Backup plan includes an external drive as well with the backup of a single computer. 

Let us know if you need any further clarifications @Nicky22

[Nicky22]

@Rich @Walter Thank you for the reply.  It does seem that you might be correct and it is working in the way that you described below. 

But there are different sections on the Dropbox website for simply "Dropbox" and "Dropbox Backup", even when on the Professional Plan.  Furthermore, under the Dropbox Backup preferences it states that I am also able to backup an external HD.  If I were to try to backup my external HD, which currently has several TB of data on it, it would completely use up all of the storage allocation for my Dropbox plan.

To further add to the confusion on the Dropbox website under the backup plan section (https://www.dropbox.com/backup#dropbox-backup-plan) the choices are as below:

In my opinion, the wording above makes it seem like you can get the Dropbox Backup plan for $4.99/month but if you pick one of the other Dropbox plans they include Dropbox Backup and thereby allow for unlimited storage for one computer and one external drive.

It seems to me that it would be better to just stay on the Dropbox Backup plan which would allow me to backup an unlimited amount of data to the cloud as long as I don't need any additional features than what Dropbox Basic includes.

[Walter]

Thanks for the feedback @Nicky22 - I'll share it with the team right away. 

Let me know if you have anything else to add or ask!

[Nicky22]

@Walter Thanks for sharing it with the team.  I look forward to hearing their feedback.

With the current plan and pricing model, it seems that users are being penalized for being on a Plus or Professional plan, especially since Dropbox has decided to prevent sharing from Dropbox Backup.

In my opinion, "Dropbox Backup" should be included with unlimited storage for 1 computer and 1 external HD as a value added proposition to the Plus or Professional plan with the only caveat being that you cannot share from the "Backup" folders i.e. anything data in the Backup folders would only have the functionality of Dropbox Basic.  If you want added functionality, such as sharing, those files would then need to be moved into the Dropbox folder and would count against your storage limit based on your selected plan.

Thanks!

[Vini Figueiroa]

Hi!

I would like to add to this conversation since I had the exact same problem today. Dropbox's descriptions and resources in the help center are not clear about dropbox plan users not having unlimited backup storage (especially in the Backup Plan Homepage like Nicky also pointed out) and I agree when Nicky says that the feeling is that we are being penalized since we, as current subscribers to dropbox, would have to downgrade our plans to have the unlimited feature but someone who is not yet a client can purchase it separately.

I think offering this is an included feature (like wording already suggests in the Plan Comparison Page) is only fair and would add much value to us as clients like Nicky also beautifully suggested.