Backup, Passwords, Vault features - Safe to delete these files?

[zacanger]

Is it safe to delete these files if I don't plan on using these features? I use Dropbox almost exclusively from the CLI, and only to sync between computers, I don't use any extra features.

~/Dropbox/Computer\ backup.dbx-backup
~/Dropbox/Passwords\ app.dbx-passwords
~/Dropbox/Vault.dbx-vault

[Walter · Accepted solution]

Hi @zacanger; how are you today?

As you noticed, we’ve recently introduced some new features which are now available to all Dropbox Plus customers, namely Dropbox Passwords,  Vault and Computer Backup.

For ease of setup and access, we added entry points for these features to your Dropbox account so you may see icons for these features in your Dropbox folder on your computer, the Dropbox desktop app, Dropbox mobile app, and on dropbox.com, however, these icons don’t take up any additional space in your Dropbox account. 

Moving on to your concern, if you have not set up any of these new features, then you can delete the entry points to these features from your Dropbox account which can be done from the Dropbox folder on your computer, the Dropbox desktop app, Dropbox mobile apps, or from dropbox.com. 

Deleting the entry point does not remove the feature from your account, and if you change your mind, you can re-enable the features at any time. 

I hope this helps and please let me know if you have any follow up questions. 

[zacanger]

Thanks @Walter!

[keithBr]

What is an "entry point"?   I see three empty files which I did not create, which makes me worry I have been hacked.

Are these the "entry points"?   If so, why not call them "files"?

[mandals]

Some product feedback: please provide an option for paying users to opt-out of these enhancements by default. I understand the impetus behind positioning Dropbox as more than a sync n' share solution, and I'm mindful that for some people these features may be welcome if they don't have a PW manager or backup program, etc. 

But for users who use Dropbox for professional workloads, randomly inserting links into the Explorer/Finder and hoping I'll stumble upon them is...not great. One of the things I love about Dropbox is how simple and reliable it is -- an option to keep it that way for paying users seems appropriate.