You might see that the Dropbox Community team have been busy working on some major updates to the Community itself! So, here is some info on what’s changed, what’s staying the same and what you can expect from the Dropbox Community overall.

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!
RINGDING's avatar
RINGDING
Explorer | Level 3
2 years ago

I want to delete files on my Dropbox but DONT want to delete on my laptop.  How do I do that?

  • Nancy's avatar
    Nancy
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
    2 years ago

    Thanks for posting here, @RINGDING!

     

    To make sure I get this right; do you wish to delete files from www.dropbox.com without deleting them from your local Dropbox folder? If yes, then you can ignore those files instead. 

     

    Do you want to delete files from your Dropbox account, in general, without affecting any local copies on your laptop (outside of the Dropbox folder)?

     

    Have you enabled computer backup perhaps, and you’d like to turn it off while returning your files to their original place on your laptop instead?

     

    Let me know.

    --------------

    [Moderator Note: The post was edited for clarity/more information/details.]

     

    • RINGDING's avatar
      RINGDING
      Explorer | Level 3
      2 years ago

      I want to delete files from my local dropbox folder and dropbox.com and not delete the original file on my laptop.

      • Nancy's avatar
        Nancy
        Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
        2 years ago

        RINGDING, in this case, you can delete your files either from the Dropbox website or the desktop app, and if you have a separate copy of them in another location on your laptop, these won't be affected at all.

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!