We are aware of the issue with the badge emails resending to everyone, we apologise for the inconvenience - learn more here.

Forum Discussion

LynnMGallagher's avatar
LynnMGallagher
Helpful | Level 5
7 years ago

How do I delete files from Dropbox without deleting them from my computer and other devices?

I do not use Dropbox for backup storage; I use a different service for that.  But friends and fellow students sometimes want to share files in Dropbox, so I set up a free account.  Somehow, I don't k...
Delete
Dropbox Basic
FAQ
Sync
  • Daphne's avatar
    Daphne
    6 years ago
    Hey peeps! 
     
    So I think there may have been some confusion here DG123. If you made a copy of the music folder into your Dropbox folder, then when you deleted the files from your account, you are right that the Dropbox folder copy will have been removed. The original folder will not have been affected at all as it has no connection to Dropbox.
     
    However, if the music folder was moved into the Dropbox folder and then the files deleted then you essentially moved the original copy and then deleted it. 
     
    If you no longer have the music folder on your desktop, then I can suggest you restore the folder from your Deleted files page. Then, allow the folder to sync to your desktop and then move the newly synced music folder out of the Dropbox folder onto your desktop.  
        
    Also, keenum_law, sorry for the tardy reply, I'm hoping that at least answering your question will help others with the same query!
     
    In this case, you can copy the content from the Dropbox folder and paste it in another location. If you remove the files from your account then, as it is shared, it will remove the files from the other connected Dropbox accounts. However, if their files are also saved on their devices, then these will not be affected by the copied being removed from their Dropbox.
     
    Let me know if you have any other questions - Thanks!
DG123's avatar
DG123
Helpful | Level 5
This was not my experience. I deleted files on dropboxAnd the corresponding files on my computer were indeed deleted. And I’m not talking about the ones in the dropbox folder. I had originally copied my music folder on windows eight to the dropbox folder. According to the explanation above as I understand it, the files in the dropbox folder should’ve been deleted but the ones in the music folder Should’ve remained. Any thoughts?
Daphne's avatar
Daphne
Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
6 years ago
Hey peeps! 
 
So I think there may have been some confusion here DG123. If you made a copy of the music folder into your Dropbox folder, then when you deleted the files from your account, you are right that the Dropbox folder copy will have been removed. The original folder will not have been affected at all as it has no connection to Dropbox.
 
However, if the music folder was moved into the Dropbox folder and then the files deleted then you essentially moved the original copy and then deleted it. 
 
If you no longer have the music folder on your desktop, then I can suggest you restore the folder from your Deleted files page. Then, allow the folder to sync to your desktop and then move the newly synced music folder out of the Dropbox folder onto your desktop.  
    
Also, keenum_law, sorry for the tardy reply, I'm hoping that at least answering your question will help others with the same query!
 
In this case, you can copy the content from the Dropbox folder and paste it in another location. If you remove the files from your account then, as it is shared, it will remove the files from the other connected Dropbox accounts. However, if their files are also saved on their devices, then these will not be affected by the copied being removed from their Dropbox.
 
Let me know if you have any other questions - Thanks!
  • DG123's avatar
    DG123
    Helpful | Level 5
    6 years ago
    Thank you Daphne for replying so promptly. The thing is, I think I copied not moved those files from my music folder into my dropbox folder. The files are (Or were) still present in my original, non-dropbox music folder as well as in dropbox, so doesn’t that meaning I did a copy? That is , when I’m in the Dropbox folder, my music folder is there, and when I leave the dropbox folder and Do the usual FileExplorer thing, there’s a music folder there as well. I can see the music folder in both places.
    • Daphne's avatar
      Daphne
      Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
      6 years ago
      Hmm, I see. :thinking:
       
      If the folder you found from the search isn’t within your Dropbox folder then it sounds like you did make a copy (file explorer search will bring up items within the Dropbox folder too). You can check this by right clicking the folder brought up from the search, click the “Properties” option and you will see the folder path of where the folder is located.
       
      Should you see only one folder from the search, and the folder path shows “Dropbox”, then you should move the music folder to your desktop . If you see two folders (one without Dropbox in the file path), then deleting the folder within your Dropbox account shouldn’t affect the desktop copy.
       
      Let me know if this helps - Cheers!
      • DG123's avatar
        DG123
        Helpful | Level 5
        6 years ago
        Thank you Daphne. What’s confusing to me is that When I erased the files on dropbox it seem to erase the corresponding non-dropbox folder. You’re saying that shouldn’t happen. Since I’m new with this it’s quite possible that I just Botched something without realizing it. My guess is that dropbox somehow tags The files that are synced, And that once so tagged, even if the files are moved outside of Dropbox they remain tagged. The blue checkmark is the indication that the file has been tagged. So if you copy INTO the dropbox, the original will not be tagged, but if you copy FROM dropbox the new copy will be tagged. Is that More less what’s going on?
  • sms250's avatar
    sms250
    New member | Level 2
    10 months ago

    I dont understand to delete something from drop box but not my laptop what do I need to do?

    thanks

    • Mark's avatar
      Mark
      Icon for Super User II rankSuper User II
      10 months ago
      sms250 wrote:

      I dont understand to delete something from drop box but not my laptop what do I need to do?

      thanks

      Move it out of the Dropbox folder to a different directory on your computer.

About Delete, edit, and organize

Solve issues with deleting, editing, and organizing files and folders in your Dropbox account with support from the Dropbox Community.

Need more support

If you need more help you can view your support options (expected response time for an email or ticket is 24 hours), or contact us on X or Facebook.

For more info on available support options for your Dropbox plan, see this article.

If you found the answer to your question in this Community thread, please 'like' the post to say thanks and to let us know it was useful!