I have exceeded my free Dropbox space---how can I move/save my files and then uninstall dropbox?

[MarthaDale]

I have exceeded my free Dropbox space---how can I move/save my files and then uninstall dropbox? I am old and unknowledgeable, so if you have an  answer, think of how you would explain it to your grandmother!!

[Megan]

Hi @MarthaDale, welcome to our Community! 

Let's clarify something first: do you wish to move/save files, in order to make extra space in the account or simply because you no longer want to use Dropbox? You also mentioned uninstalling Dropbox: are you referring to the mobile or desktop app? 

If you could share this info with me, then I'd be more than happy to provide you with the next steps, in order to guide you properly. 

If you have any questions, let me know! 

[MarthaDale]

To clarify, I just want to make sure I don’t loose any of the files/pictures that are in Dropbox.

[Hannah · Accepted solution]

Hey @MarthaDale, sorry to jump in here!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but what you'd like to do is save your Dropbox files somewhere on your computer, so that you can safely uninstall the Dropbox application, right?

So, if you'd like to do that, the first thing to check is if you have local copies of all your files in the Dropbox folder on your computer.

If all your files are there, you can simply unlink the computer from your account.

Unlinking the computer, disconnects it from your Dropbox account, but the Dropbox folder will remain on it.

That way you can safely uninstall the Dropbox app and you will have a local copy of your Dropbox files.

Otherwise, you can simply download all your files from our website and uninstalling the Dropbox app won't affect your downloaded files whatsoever.

If you will no longer be using the Dropbox application, unlinking the computer, as mentioned above, is always a good idea.

I hope this makes sense, but let us know if you have more questions.

[MarthaDale]

How do I unlink my computer from my dropbox acct?  Yes, I just want to make sure I save my files, I don't thnk I really need drop box--two old people just some pictures and a few files--nothing major.  Thanks a ton!! Martha

[Hannah]

Thanks for your reply, Martha!

To unlink your computer from Dropbox, you can either delete it from your connected devices at the bottom of your security page here, or just sign out of the Dropbox desktop app.

I hope this helps!