Can’t seem to physically move files from Dropbox to iPad, and then delete them from DropBox

     After getting an email that I am exceeding my DropBox quota limit, I attempted a few things to move just one of my DropBox files to my iPad. Something seemed to happen in only one of those attempts that resulted in the file showing up on both my iPad and DropBox. I think it may have been when I tried something like moving the file offline?! Drag&drop didn’t seem to work at all (integration stickler?!) The copy of my file that appears on my iPad seems as if it is just a link to the DropBox file, not the original file itself. I was also expecting the file in DropBox to disappear automatically after the move, but it’s still there and I can’t seem to delete it from DropBox.

     What is confusing the whole process for me is the integration that makes it very difficult to know which folder in DropBox’s folder menu actually contains my original file?! Forum posts I’ve read instruct me to open the DropBox folder and select the file I want to move. But there are afew other folders there too, such as iPad, OneDrive, Microsoft, etc., and the file I want to move pops up in more than one of those folders (I’m guessing due to integration!); eg, DropBox is preventing my Excel app from opening any of my spreadsheet files stored on DropBox from within my Excel app ?!?

     The 30 day-time limit (or else you will delete my DropBox files!) is a looming crisis for me with most of my upcoming income tax and security related docs still stored in the parts of my DropBox account that I can’t seem to access my originals any more. I can’t understand this particular, almost heavy-handed approach by DropBox that really hits hard the non-business customer community that DropBox has enticed over the past few years. I also can’t understand how my storage use got to more than double my quota without DropBox letting me know (one forum post I saw only provided links to a couple old, obscure Knowledge doc about a particular customer problem - how casual users are supposed to be on top of all that documentation is beyond me). I’m just a casual, residential user whose needs don’t even come close to your 2000 Gb upgrade  to the 2000 Gb (2Tb). Nor can I afford such a large upgrade - why not a cheaper 500 Gb or 1000 Gb upgrade?

     Please advise how I can download my files on DropBox to my iPad’s (and/or my iMac’s) internal storage, and subsequently delete them from DropBox in order to get back below my DropBox quota limit ASAP?  Thank you.