Your Dropbox is full and has stopped syncing. You’ve used 104% of your free storage

[Opus97]

The title is the message I get any time I open dropbox. I wanted to be able to transfer some larger files to friends regarding school reunion activity. Dropbox was suggested. I moved a dozen files totalling 1.3 Mb to a shared folder over the course o a couple of weeks. At some point I noticed that a couple of other personal files had found there way to the site from directories unrelated to dropbox. All of a sudden my dropbox was full. I did not make any changes or ask dropbox to sync or backup anything. Now I can't do anything but follow options to join a permanent payment plan to the authors of dropbox. The difficulty in even finding a backup directory and stopping it and deleting. I have wasted so much time on this and just want to leave the platform so I can find an easier app. I do not like leaving even any vestige of my files somewhere out in the cloud. Please can someone give me a roadmap to success? I work mostly from a Windows 7 laptop but also use a Windows 10 desktop and an iPhone with the latest IOS. Thanx

[Jay]

Hi @Opus97, thanks for bringing this to our attention.

To check if you have any backups running, you can view them from this page.

Also, shared folders do take up quota on your account, so if they're large you might run out of quota due to those folders.

Keep me updated with any progress!

[Opus97]

There are no backups running (0 files, 0 bytes). When I go to the plan page, it shows that I have 1.3 GB in shared files and 743.5 Mb in regular files. What are "regular files" and how do I delete them? But for what dropbox calls "regular files", I would not be over my storage space. The only files that I have consciously put up to dropbox has been the shared files. I assume that the "regular files" are what dropbox did as a result of it’s opt out automatic backup of desktop and other directory structure branches.

Thanx for any help

[Jay]

Regular files are basically the files in private (normal) folders on your account. Shared files are those in shared folders.

If you have a Basic account, 1.3 GB and 743 MB would make 2.0435 GB of quota used, so it does sound like the files are pushing you overquota.

[Opus9]

I appreciate all of the help but everyone seems to miss the point. I had to delete the account and am trying again with a new account. It would not let me use my old moniker so I am now Opus9.

The point is that Dropbox seemed to decide to back up a bunch of my files on its own without any input from me until it had used up my space allotment. There seemed to be no recovery. You can't see what files were backed up, where they went to or how to eliminate them from Dropbox's drives to free up the space again. The only option was to buy more space. Even deleting the account is fraught with danger and ambiguous warnings that threaten elimination of all instances of your files. Yikes. Surely the whole adventure could be streamlined with more explanations and help and less of a big brother feel. I only what to have a half-dozen friends access some largish .pdfs.

Thanks again.

[Mark]

Hi @Opus9 

Backups can only happen if they are set up by a user - they do not activate on their own. However, the onboarding for them is poor. So whats almost certainly happened is youve just hit next/yes/confirm or something on a popup when its been on screen.... I did the same. You only then notice when something like this happens - and the shockingly poor UI around the quota doesnt help as you have no idea where the space is being used. 

[Opus9]

It may have happened as you suggest. If so, it is a terrible way to opt users in to using up space and then having them adopt a scheme to perpetually purchase additional space. The fact that there is no way to recover from this, whether done intentionally or by mistake, proves further the desperate subscription grab. I am presently trying again.

[Mark]

You can opt out of Backups - you just turn them off in the App and then delete them online. 

[Opus9]

We seem to be labouring on a point. It is moot now but perhaps it could help someone in the future or catch the eye of the people who write the code or design the website or help files. It is easy to understand how it works but I needed help when it didn't work as it should. Thanks. The case is closed from my perspective.