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philipfox
4 years agoExplorer | Level 4
How do I locate large files/folders on the web (not laptop)
I have a free version with a limit of 16.3GB. I normally have about 13-15GB in use, so around 85-90%. This morning DB tells me it can no longer sync, and apparently I have used 32.5GB of my allow...
- 8 years ago
But, how can my file be deleted?
A few ways actuallyâŠFirstly, if you install your Dropbox folder to an external drive, then there are always deletion risks, and I have listed them in a separate thread, which can be found here. However, Iâll repeat them in this thread later for the sake of convenience.Secondly, when I talk about deletions, I literally mean this definition: âDropbox cannot see the file any more, so the file is deletedâ.The question you should be asking is, âWhy cannot Dropbox see the file? Where did it go?âDeletions to Dropbox mean any deletions done on the site, the mobile app, third party apps, and of course the desktop app.All of these versions connect to Dropbox in more-or-less same way, meaning that they detect changes, and then change the files on the site, which then syncs to all devices.I know youâve heard this all before, but this is an incredibly important thing to understand.Syncing only acts if there is something to sync.The app doesnât do things on its own because it feels like it. If youâre staring at an empty spreadsheet, itâs not going to suddenly populate with your numbers and bar charts. A blank Word document doesnât begin typing out your final year dissertation without your input.The opposite is also true, a document doesnât slowly delete characters until youâve lost all your writing, or formulas, without you touching the keyboard.This is just how Dropbox works, except for entire files and folders. If youâre staring at your Finder or Windows Explorer window blankly for an hour, even outside the Dropbox folder, (almost) nothing will change in front of your eyes, since youâre not using the computer.I mention the âalmostâ part, since this is the crux of the matter. Narrowing down what made this âalmost nothingâ to âdefinitely somethingâ is the goal of this post.
PARTIALLY SOLVED THANKS
I found that a large folder (8GB) had been added to one of my existing shared folders, though neither of the people I share with were aware they'd tried to share this large folder. No idea why it took my storage from under 16GB to 32GB - looks as it is was double counted. Anyway, I've unshared and deleted it, and back down to 13GB.
I'd still like to be able to search for large files across all of my DB storage using the web version, if it's possible. Thanks.
Philip
Hey there philipfox, thanks for joininig our Community and I'm glad to hear you managed to find the culprit after all.
Regarding your additional concern, you can calculate the size of your files and folders on our website as outlined here.
Let us know if you have any more questions, Philip!
Regarding your additional concern, you can calculate the size of your files and folders on our website as outlined here.
Let us know if you have any more questions, Philip!
Thank you @Walter that's helpful. Is it possible to display size of all folders without having to select each one at a time?
And is it possible to order ALL files by size, and thus see, say, all files over 100MB in size in one list, whatever folder they're in (as you can do on Finder on a Mac, for instance)?
Thanks
Philip
- I'm afraid that's not possible on our website at this time, Philip.
That being said, note that you can post your ideas and suggestions in the relevant area of our Community so other users can upvote it to show your interest.
See you around!
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