cancel
Showing results for 
Show  only  | Search instead for 
Did you mean: 
Announcements
Want to learn some quick and useful tips to make your day easier? Check out how Calvin uses Replay to get feedback from other teams at Dropbox here.

Storage Space

Looking for help with managing the storage space in your Dropbox account? Talk to the Dropbox Community and get advice from members.

cancel
Showing results for 
Show  only  | Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

How to free up space in your Dropbox account

How to free up space in your Dropbox account

John W.87
New member | Level 2
Go to solution

I've unshared many folders, permanently deleted lots of files but dropbox still reports that it is full.  How can I free up space?  I've already followed dropbox instructions with no results

1 Accepted Solution

Accepted Solutions

Rich
Super User II
Go to solution

Permanently deleting files isn't needed to clear space. Simply deleting them is enough. Files in the Deleted Files section do not count against your storage quota.

 

If Dropbox is saying your account is full, then it's still full. You need to remove enough files to bring your account back below your quota before that message will go away. It could be that you're still a member of a large share that just keeps filling your account as you make more room.

 

You can verify your storage usage on your Account page. It will show you a breakdown of what's using your storage (regular files, shared files, etc.), which hat may help you identify files that you can remove to free up some more space.

View solution in original post

106 Replies 106

Mark
Super User II
Go to solution
As well as unsharing you also need to delete the files. Basically if you can see things at www.dropbox.com/home they use your quota.

Deleted files use no space so permanently deleting makes no difference.

 


:penguin::penguin: - :penguin: - :penguin: - :penguin:


Heart Did this post help you? If so please mark it for some Kudos below. 


:white_check_mark: Did this post fix your issue/answer your question? If so please press the 'Accept as Solution' button to help others find it.


:arrows_counterclockwise: Did this post not resolve your issue? If so please give us some more information so we can try and help - please remember we cannot see over your shoulder so be as descriptive as possible! 


 

Rich
Super User II
Go to solution

Permanently deleting files isn't needed to clear space. Simply deleting them is enough. Files in the Deleted Files section do not count against your storage quota.

 

If Dropbox is saying your account is full, then it's still full. You need to remove enough files to bring your account back below your quota before that message will go away. It could be that you're still a member of a large share that just keeps filling your account as you make more room.

 

You can verify your storage usage on your Account page. It will show you a breakdown of what's using your storage (regular files, shared files, etc.), which hat may help you identify files that you can remove to free up some more space.

Norah
Dropbox Staff
Go to solution
 
Hey John W.87, welcome to Dropbox Community!
 
I ran a small search on my end and I was able to locate your open request on our system which is being handled by a higher level of Support. 
 
Feel free to let me know if you have any further inquiries!



Norah
Moderator @ Dropbox
https://dropbox.com/support


Heart Did this post help you? If so please mark it for some Kudos below. 
:white_check_mark: Did this post fix your issue/answer your question? If so please press the 'Accept as Solution' button to help others find it.
:arrows_counterclockwise: Still stuck? Ask me a question! (
Questions asked in the community will likely receive an answer within 4 hours!)

Matthew78
New member | Level 2
Go to solution
If you have Dropbox on your desktop/computer, copy the files onto your computer and then delete them from Dropbox. That way you will still have saved whatever files you copied and then they will be out of your Dropbox account. I suggest looking at what files are older and that you do not access frequently.

Jcaskey
New member | Level 2
Go to solution

Deleting very large files didn't free up any space acording to  my Dropbox message. My box still shows the same data as before I deleted them. Help please.

Mark
Super User II
Go to solution
If you deleted them from your computer have you given the account time to sync back to a green tick and thus update the online account?

 


:penguin::penguin: - :penguin: - :penguin: - :penguin:


Heart Did this post help you? If so please mark it for some Kudos below. 


:white_check_mark: Did this post fix your issue/answer your question? If so please press the 'Accept as Solution' button to help others find it.


:arrows_counterclockwise: Did this post not resolve your issue? If so please give us some more information so we can try and help - please remember we cannot see over your shoulder so be as descriptive as possible! 


 

Flow9
Helpful | Level 5
Go to solution
What you mean by Files in the Deleted Files section do not count against your storage quota?

Mark
Super User II
Go to solution
Once a file is deleted and you can no longer see it at www.dropbox.com/home Dropbox saves a version of that file for 30 days. Those files no longer count against your quota.

They obviously do, however, if you restore them.

 


:penguin::penguin: - :penguin: - :penguin: - :penguin:


Heart Did this post help you? If so please mark it for some Kudos below. 


:white_check_mark: Did this post fix your issue/answer your question? If so please press the 'Accept as Solution' button to help others find it.


:arrows_counterclockwise: Did this post not resolve your issue? If so please give us some more information so we can try and help - please remember we cannot see over your shoulder so be as descriptive as possible! 


 

jsailsbery
New member | Level 2
Go to solution

I'm having the exact same issue. Ironically, I have been moving files around to free up space. I did not add anything. Now DropBox says that I'm above quota. So, I deleted 15Gb of files from my Dropbox folder on my PC and, at the same time, on the Dropbox home online. It did not help. Dropbox still says the EXACT same amount used. And the **bleep** thing isn't syncing from my PC - because I've used too much space. Agh!

Feel painted into a corner on this one Dropbox.

Need more support?
Who's talking

Top contributors to this post

  • User avatar
    Karen D.22 Explorer | Level 4
  • User avatar
    Hannah Dropbox Staff
What do Dropbox user levels mean?