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Android phone storage is filled with dropbox files that have never been opened on the phone

Android phone storage is filled with dropbox files that have never been opened on the phone

Stuart C.4
New member | Level 1
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My phone is running out of storage because a very large number of my dropbox files are stored in the folder /storage/emulated/0/DocumentSync. Most of these were never opened on the mobile. I have no idea how or when they came to be downloaded. The cache was only a few megabytes, deleting it makes no difference. How can I get rid of these files without removing them from Dropbox and hence from my desktop and laptop computers?

2 Accepted Solutions

Accepted Solutions

Jane
Dropbox Staff
Go to solution

Hey @WonderWoman

 

I'm here to help you out install Dropbox across your devices. 

 

Please keep in mind that, when it comes to the Dropbox mobile application, it functions differently than the desktop one, hence the files are previews and they do not take up any space on your phone's memory, except from the ones that you decide to use offline

 

Moreover, if you'd like to free up some space on your phone, the ideal solution for you is to user the Camera uploads feature, that automatically adds photos and videos from your camera, phone, or tablet to Dropbox. Your photos and videos are then available and viewable from anywhere in your Dropbox account. 

 

If you'd like me to further clarify, just let me know in your reply, it'll be a pleasure to follow-up. 

 

Warm regards, 

JaneA

 


Jane
Community Moderator @ Dropbox
dropbox.com/support

 

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View solution in original post

Jane
Dropbox Staff
Go to solution

Hey @WonderWoman

 

Just keep in mind that anything outside the Dropbox application on your phone doesn't sync to the web, so it doesn't affect your Dropbox account at all. If you decide to use the Camera Uploads feature, you can go ahead and delete your files from your mobile after they're transferred on the web to free up some space. 

 

Happy Dropboxing, hope you have a great weekend ahead! 

 

Warm regards, 
JaneA

 


Jane
Community Moderator @ Dropbox
dropbox.com/support

 

Heart Did this post help you? If so please give it a Like below. 
:white_check_mark: Did this post fix your issue/answer your question? If so please press the 'Accept as Best Answer' 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!)

View solution in original post

15 Replies 15

Kaz
Dropbox Staff
Go to solution

It appears that these duplicate documents were added from the "Samsung Device" app. Samsung created a new deep Dropbox integration for their devices that allows access to all documents in your Dropbox account from a special "DocumentSync" folder on your phone. This DocumentSync feature allows you to add, edit, and delete any files that appear in this folder and these modifications will show up both on your phone and in Dropbox.

We've worked with Samsung on a fix for this duplicate file problem and it should be released sometime soon. In the meantime, if files are still being replicated, you can temporarily disable DocumentSync until the fix is released.

DocumentSync is different from the Dropbox application on your phone and disabling the DocumentSync feature will not impact the Dropbox app. You can turn off DocumentSync on your phone by following these instructions:

  1. Tap your device’s “Menu” button
  2. Tap “Settings”
  3. Tap “Cloud”
  4. Tap “Documents” or “DocumentSync”
  5. Toggle off

You can also disable this app from the Dropbox website. To do this:

  1. Log in to https://www.dropbox.com/account#security
  2. Under "Apps linked" find the Samsung Device app.
  3. Click the small "x" at the far right of where it says Samsung Device.

Sorry for any inconvenience this might have caused, but I hope this helps!

Roland Y.
New member | Level 1
Go to solution

I'm trying this tonight.  My android phone is at capacity.  I have a SD drive that I can't move pics to from the gallery and when I delete pics from the dropbox app on my phone it also deletes the pics in the cloud.  It's quite a mess.  

Marcus P.6
New member | Level 1
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I don't have a cloud entry in my settings on a Samsung galaxy tab 4. What is the work around for me?

ton v.1
New member | Level 1
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Hi,
With my old galaxy s3 Dropbox worked great.
Now I use an galaxy s5.
I can excess my Dropbox from my smartphone see /edit /and remove files, but can't upload any pictures from my phone.
I keep getting the message Dropbox is full
As I told before I have deleted many pictures and videos from my Dropbox, and have empty my cache, but keep getting the Dropbox full message.
I also connected my (new ) galaxy s5 phone to my Dropbox account.
Please explain how to solve this problem

Rich
Super User II
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but keep getting the Dropbox full message.

That message is referring to the space in your Dropbox account; not the space on your phone. You can view your Dropbox usage on your Account page.

sloppysmusic
Helpful | Level 5
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"That message is referring to the space in your Dropbox account;"

 

Really? then why do I pay to have the 1TB option, which at moment has LESS than 8GB in it?

The space in ac is fine so the message is NOT referring to that.

Tennisace
New member | Level 2
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Hi, your message regarding Dropbox using internal storeage on Samsung Galaxy devices was in 2015, with no more information since then.  My Samsung Galaxy 7 is at 95% storage and when I look at the details of the Droxbox App it says it is using 13.46GB storage so this is my problem.  I have just recently signed up for Dropbox Pro with a monthly payment.  Can you tell me why the app is using all my internal storage and cann I CLEAR DATA without it deleting photos from my dropbox??

Rich
Super User II
Go to solution

Make sure you're not using Samsung's DocumentSync.

 

WonderWoman
New member | Level 2
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Did you every get an answer to this? I'm having the same issues and my phone is grinding to a halt....
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Top contributors to this post

  • User avatar
    Rich Super User II
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    ton v.1 New member | Level 1
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    Marcus P.6 New member | Level 1
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    Roland Y. New member | Level 1
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    Kaz Dropbox Staff
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