How to STOP Dropbox from deleting files on my computer if I delete them from DB?

[Tek Nomad]

I am a new user and while setting up to backup my Mac pictures folder, a really TERRIFYING notice popped up. It stated that if I delete any pictures from DB then those would also be deleted from my computer.

WHY on earth is this so? How do I stop DB from doing that?

I now feel very unsafe using DB!

EDIT: Now, I just checked and DB seems to be taking many of my files and is uploading to DB. Those files no longer appear properly on my Mac. They just have the DB symbol next to them.

WHAT is happening??? 😱

[Walter]

Hey @Tek Nomad - sorry to hear you're having issues with this.

It sounds like you may have enabled the computer backup feature on your computer - could you confirm if this the case please?

Also, is the app showing 'up to date' in your menu bar or is it still syncing?

Keep me posted!

[Tek Nomad]

Thank you very much for the reply, @Walter, and the link.

I believe that I did enable the computer backup out of naïveté since I use the Mac’s Time Machine to do backups of my whole drive. I assumed that syncing on DB works the same way.

Yes, it is still syncing — and taking "forever" to do that. 

DB seems to have moved some files around. They are no longer in their regular place in the sidebar. That too is scary and damned annoying!

If I delete files from DB I do NOT want DB to remove those files from my computer as well. For example, from the time I had the free version, I have some old photos on DB that are shared with others. I would now like to remove those files without removing them from my computer. These are only a few files, therefore I simply uploaded them, not using the backup or syncing feature.

Today, while setting up, I opened “System Preferences” along with “Security and Privacy” and put DB in there, that is when the system warned me about the removals across platforms. At that point, I stopped giving DB “Full Disk Access.”

How would I set up DB to prevent such removal? If I delete files from my computer, I of course expect DB syncing to reflect that.

It’s really terrifying to think that I could “lose” important files because of this feature!

I am feeling rather foolish, like some sort of neophyte who is afraid of pushing a button on the computer and deleting things in error. I cannot understand why DB backing up seems so “complicated”? It’s not as if I haven’t read some tutorial articles.

[Jay]

Hi @Tek Nomad, since Dropbox is primarily a syncing service, and changes made in the Dropbox folder will sync to the Dropbox site, and the same is true when changes are made to the site. 

This means that deleting files from the site would delete the file from the Dropbox folder on all connected devices. This isn't something that can be disabled, unless you prevent syncing entirely on the desktop machine by signing out of your account or uninstalling the app.

As you have the computer backup feature enabled, have you tried disabling it? Afterwards, you'll get the option to move the folders and files back to their previous locations, which will also delete them from the Dropbox account online.

[Tek Nomad]

Hi @Jay:

Thank you for the reply.

Despite having watched and read reviews on DB, I seem to have misunderstood how it actually works.

DB has been “backing up” my computer now for several days and is nowhere near done. Using Mac’s Time Machine with a new external drive to back up the whole computer merely takes a few hours. After that, Time Machine syncs any changes. That typically only takes a few minutes. What Time Machine does NOT do is to remove or move files on my computer!

I guess I will have to rethink this whole thing, disable the backup feature, and manually upload files that I want in DB. The whole thing seems like a terrible hassle!

It will remain to be seen whether DB was worth the upgrade to me.

To say that I am disappointed is an understatement. 😟

Thanks for your help!

[Tek Nomad]

OK, @Walter, @Jay

I have disabled the syncing backup feature. However, all of my files show that these are in DB somewhere?

QUESTIONS:

1) If I move the files back to where they should be on my Mac can I cause erasure of the files?

2) If I delete the files from my DB account, in an effort to start over, will they then be deleted from my computer? If so, HOW do I stop that?

[Walter]

What option did you choose when you disabled the computer backup feature @Tek Nomad?

Was it to 'keep content in folders on your computer' or to 'leave content in Dropbox'?

[Tek Nomad]

I chose to keep the contents on my computer @Walter.

I still see virtually all of my files in a DB folder on my computer. However, I am not sure that they are actually still there. 

This is so terribly frustrating!

I simply want to keep all of my files on my computer and delete whatever DB has uploaded. Then manually upload important files to the DB cloud. 

Thanks for your help!

[Hannah]

Sorry to jump in here, @Tek Nomad.

At the moment, where are you able to access and open your desktop files from? Your Dropbox folder?

If so, and since computer backup is disabled, you are free to move them back to their original locations.

Once that's done, you can move to your Dropbox folder only the files you want to have on Dropbox.

[Tek Nomad]

Thanks very much, @Hannah. I appreciate the reply. 

What I simply DO NOT understand is why DB moved my files/folders in the first place. 

This seems like a really convoluted way to do syncing. 

My Mac Time Machine simply backs up the system—period. No fuss, no muss, no worries!

This is one heck of a hassle! Not to mention worrying about anything "missing" (as in buried somewhere) on my large drive. 

Thanks again!