How to permanently delete files or empty your trash bin without waiting for 30 days

[Jesse D.1]

How to permanently delete files or empty your trash bin without waiting for 30 days

This actually works and I added a few things to clarify.

Per Mark Mc (SUPER USER):

Completely ignore that Trash folder.

• Go to the link I gave (www.dropbox.com/home)
• There navigate to the folders where your were files are that you want permanently deleting 
• Click on 'Show Deleted Items' - at the top, its a little trash can
• That shows, in grey, your deleted items. 

At this point you will see all deleted items in all folders of your Dropbox mixed in with your active items.

• Click on one so it highlights, not the name of the item but the blank space after it.
• Press 'Permanently Delete' listed at the top.
• If you want to delete a batch, use the SHIFT or CTRL plus the mouse to choose or un-choose what you want to delete. For example, I clicked the top item and then scrolled down to the bottom and pressed SHIFT while clicking the last item. I could have permanently deleted everything but I need to remove the choosing of several items. For that I pressed CTRL and clicked each item. Then I clicked 'Permanently Delete' listed at the top. I had to do this within each folder to delete everything I wished to remove permanently. It is a pain but it is better than nothing.

[Paul S.118]

I have a large number of deleted files that i need to permanently delete to recover space. Many are in folders and subfolders. I followed everything here, but no method lets me select all, only to permanantly delete one at a time. Windows 10, Chrome. That will take hours, surely there is a way to 'select all'

[Mark]

You dont Paul - deleted files DO NOT USE QUOTA.

So, if you are over space ignore what is already deleted because it WILL NOT use up the quota.

[Paul S.118]

We'll, the amount of space it says I have used did not decrease after deleting a large number of files, some of them large enough to matter.

[Mark]

Then something else is using the quota, because as I said, deleted files do not use the quota.

In any shares? If so it could be that they are eating up your quota as soon as you delete things

[Paul S.118]

I think you were right, as son as one thing was deleted, the next file waiting to sync must have been replacing it and so on until I finally got enough space for all to be OK again. 

[drgs]

I have two Dropbox accounts (linked), which I can view online. For my personal account I can permanently delete as described. For my corporate account, the "permanently delete" option is missing, only "restore" is visible in the same menu. The files are not shared, only I have access. What is this about?

[Zed]

Hey @drgs,

It sounds like the team admin of your Dropbox Business account has limited the ability to permanently delete content to team admins only.

Thanks!

[drgs]

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@Zed wrote:

Hey @drgs,

It sounds like the team admin of your Dropbox Business account has limited the ability to permanently delete content to team admins only.

Thanks!

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So, will it be deleted after 30 days?

[Mark]

If you are in Dropbox Business drgs they have varying levels of retention depending upon which plan they have varying from never being removed, to a year or 4 months.

You'd need to ask your admin which one they have.

[becalash]

Dear Sir,

Thank you so much it helped

Trevor Dsa