I installed Dropbox on my computer and I have no files on my computer. Any ideas?

[Kamasterson]

I have no files on my computer. I did a local install. If I resubscribe can I get the files back?

[Daphne · Accepted solution]

Hi @Kamasterson, I hope you're well today!

Could you clarify for me, are you not able to see any files within the local Dropbox folder on your computer? 

Or did you perhaps enable to computer backup feature to backup your Desktop, Downloads and Documents folders when installing the desktop app?

Any further info you can provide on the missing files would be very helpful.

Keep me posted!

[Kamasterson]

Thanks Daphene. I found them under the Dropbox folder listed as .My PC Desktop-8GGVVFK. I didn’t’t think to look in the Dropbox folder, just my This PC folder.

[Daphne]

Thanks for getting back to me here @Kamasterson!

From the folder name it does indeed look like the backup feature was enabled on your computer.

If you'd like to have these files backed up to Dropbox then you can simply work on them through the Dropbox folder.

Otherwise, if you'd like to return the files back to their original locations and remove them from Dropbox, you can follow the steps at the bottom of this article to disable the backup.

In step 8, you would need to choose "Keep content in folders on this PC" to remove the files from Dropbox.

Let me know if this helps!

[K Smithson]

I also have a question about this. I'd like to back up my whole computer, but I have some concerns. I don't want to lose my files!

1. If I have programs like Scrivner and iMovie that I use, can I store those files on dropbox but still access them to work on them?

2. If I remove them off my computer and store them in DropBox, are they safe?

3. If I'd like to have access to files or images or videos off line, do I need to return them to my desktop?

4. If I use iCloud with my photos, will this interfere with DropBox uploads of my images?

5. My desktop app is uploading and syncing photos from my phone (and laptop) but it appears that it's simply moving them to my computer, filling up my hard drive. Is there something I did wrong with this? They're on DropBox and my computer for some reason?

6. When I open up the browser and access my files that way, my photos seem to be loading really slowly. Is there a way I can speed it up so it's easier to access them?

7. Finally, if I delete an image from iPhoto, does it also delete from DropBox?

Thank you!

[Jay]

Hi @K Smithson, the computer backup feature only syncs certain folders to Dropbox, and not your entire machine.

Any file can be stored in the Dropbox folder, so you can edit them if they're visible in Finder. 

Just so you're aware, Dropbox is not a backup service, it is primarily a syncing service. This means files visible on the site will also appear in the Dropbox folder on your computer, as they're syncing there, and take up space. Deleting files from the Dropbox folder will also delete them from the site, and vice versa.

Other cloud providers, such as iCloud, might interfere with Dropbox depending on how it affects files on your machine. 

Lastly, the website's performance might vary depending on the speed of your internet connection.

[K Smithson]

Thanks for the clarification.