How can I cancel my computer backup?

[timq]

I apparently selected pc backup when I installed Dropbox and naturally I'm out of storage on my Dropbox account now.  I don't want and have no need to have my pc backed up to it.  I have the desktop app but am not able to find the preferences section to stop it from backing up.  I did try just deleting My PC from Dropbox but a message comes up and says if I delete "My PC" it says it will be removed from my Dropbox and from the computer.  If I delete it in Dropbox, does that mean I'll lose everything on my laptop too?  Sorry if it sounds like a newbie question but I am. 🙂 Any help stopping the PC backup would be greatly appreciated.

[Hannah]

Hey @timq, welcome aboard our Community!

Indeed, with computer backup, if you delete your desktop files from Dropbox, they will also be deleted from your computer. 

If you want to disable the backup feature, you can follow the steps here.

You'll find the Dropbox app's preferences, if you click on the Dropbox icon in your system tray.

Let me know if you have any questions.

[timq]

When I click on the icon in the system tray, the window that comes up does not have a Backups tab.

[Jay · Accepted solution]

Hi @timq, after clicking the system tray icon, did you click the icon on the top right to then view the Preferences option, and then the Backup section?

[timq]

Told you I was a newbie lol.  Turns out I was not clicking the Dropbox icon in the system tray but the one in the taskbar.  Thanks so much for all y'all's help.  Got it changed.

[stuarts14]

What an absolute fiasco!

These instructions are UNCLEAR and AMBIGUOUS.

I've wasted my time on this, and now I have NO IDEA if my files are safe from being deleted by drop box.

[eschurr]

i agree!  i'm computer savvy and i have spent a long time trying to figure this out and i'm still baffled.  I vaguely remember being prompted by Dropbox to backup my PC, but the notification was an interruption to what i was doing and i just clicked "OK" to get rid of it....now i regret that. I can not figure out how to simply say "stop backing up everything."  I've gone to the Backups tab in the Preferences setting of the desktop app but there's no obvious way to just turn it all off.  When i open the tab everything is checked.  If i uncheck the choices, the Save button is disabled.  My only option now is to pause syncing, but that pauses everything!  Please help.

[dreambughell]

I too have activated PC backup.  I do not see a "preferences" tab when I click the upper right icon

[stuarts14]

Here's the obvious, related question:

WHY WOULD ANYONE WANT DROP BOX TO DELETE FILES FROM THEIR HARD DRIVE??

Please forgive me if I think drop box is deliberately "culling the herd" with this inanity  

[solargirl]

I too have been trying to figure out how to know if my files are safe. They were automatically backed up without my asking for that and now (of course) Dropbox is telling me that I'm at my limit and need to pay for more storage. My files on my computer did not need to be backed up and now I cannot figure out how to un-back them up. This is so f*%$ed up!