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Forum Discussion
Dropbox shows that my files take up more space than they actually do
I align Dropbox with the computer. I see in the Dropbox folder two folders with dimensions 550 mega and 1 giga respectively. The Dropbox folder instead shows a size of 2.3 GB! What could be the problem?
Nicola wrote:
Do you know for how many time? In the last few weeks , in my understanding, I have moved a few KB but the dimension continues to remain over 2GB. Is there a way to clean the cache (for a non-expert)?Files stored in the local cache folder will typically remain there for about three days. The folder will store all the pieces of your files while they're syncing, as well as any files that you've deleted recently (to aid in fast recovery if needed). It's not unheard of to see the cache grow large, especially if you're deleting or moving files around.
While you can delete the content of the cache folder, it's not necessary and should usually be left alone. If you're wanting to do this just because it's larger than the content in your Dropbox, just leave it. This is normal. The only time I'd suggest clearing the cache is if you're experiencing a problem syncing, or you're critically low on drive space.
- Rich
Super User II
Nicola wrote:
I align Dropbox with the computer. I see in the Dropbox folder two folders with dimensions 550 mega and 1 giga respectively. The Dropbox folder instead shows a size of 2.3 GB! What could be the problem?The Dropbox folder contains a hidden .dropbox.cache folder and will store files there for a short time. When you're syncing all files and folders to your computer, your overall Dropbox folder will almost always be larger than the amount of data stored in your account.
@Rich
Thank you very much.
Do you know for how many time? In the last few weeks , in my understanding, I have moved a few KB but the dimension continues to remain over 2GB. Is there a way to clean the cache (for a non-expert)?
- Rich
Nicola wrote:
Do you know for how many time? In the last few weeks , in my understanding, I have moved a few KB but the dimension continues to remain over 2GB. Is there a way to clean the cache (for a non-expert)?Files stored in the local cache folder will typically remain there for about three days. The folder will store all the pieces of your files while they're syncing, as well as any files that you've deleted recently (to aid in fast recovery if needed). It's not unheard of to see the cache grow large, especially if you're deleting or moving files around.
While you can delete the content of the cache folder, it's not necessary and should usually be left alone. If you're wanting to do this just because it's larger than the content in your Dropbox, just leave it. This is normal. The only time I'd suggest clearing the cache is if you're experiencing a problem syncing, or you're critically low on drive space.
- Hannah
Dropbox Staff
Hey Nicola, thanks for joining the Dropbox Community!
To add to what Rich mentioned, if you also have any shared folders, keep in mind that shared folders also take up space in your account.
You can see how much space is taken up by shared files and non-shared files in the plan tab of your account settings.
How can I find and delete this file
- Rich
klausvielhauer wrote:
unintended stored large file does not show on dropbox
You likely have a backup enabled. Check your Backups page.
