How to free up space in your Dropbox account

[John W.87]

I've unshared many folders, permanently deleted lots of files but dropbox still reports that it is full.  How can I free up space?  I've already followed dropbox instructions with no results

[kattrin22]

I’ve deleted a number of files and their folders but my storage space amount is showing I have more space. What’s up with that?

[Jay]

Hi @kattrin22, could you clarify what you mean by 'more space'? 

Do you mean that you have free space on your account than expected?

[kattrin22]

I delete
files
but it doesn’t free
up
space. why not?

[cherie-sma]

I received a notice that my box is full. True. How do I show a listing of folders that shows the space usage of each folder? It would help me quickly decide where to start deleting content. [aside]Why is it impossible to submit a support request to Dropbox support? The "chat" dropbot was singularly useless.[/aside]]

[Megan]

Hey @cherie-sma, and welcome to our Community! 

I've moved your inquiry under this thread, since your question seems to echo the discussion here!

You can verify your storage using the Account page. It will show you more info, as to what's taking up space in your Dropbox account. 

In order for you to view the size of a file, or folder using the Website, you would need to access your Home page first.

Then under All Files you should be able to see some columns on top. Next on the Modified column, there should be a downwards arrow. You'd need to select that, then select Size. 

Then click on the folder you want to calculate the size of, click on ‘Calculate size” and there you go. Keep in mind, that if you select more than one folder the 'Calculate size' option will not appear.

Can you try, and let me know how it goes?

As for the Support of your account, that depends on the plan you're using. 

Let me know of any updates.

[Jay]

Are you deleting the files from the Dropbox site directly, or via the Dropbox folder on your machine?

How much quota are you using up according to this page?
 

[kattrin22]

deleting from their site and says using 1.6 of 2

[Jay]

Have you tried deleting large files to free up more space on the account? 

You can sort files by size, and determine folder sizes, using these steps.

[Stephen Allen]

I'm new to this. I set up a Dropbox account, and the first message I see tells me that my Dropbox is full. How? I didn't do anything to put files into a folder. So, where are these files, and how do I get rid of them to start again?

[Megan]

Hey @Stephen Allen, I hope you're having a great Friday!

You can verify your storage usage on your Account page. It will show you a breakdown of what's using your storage (regular files, shared files, etc.).

Could it be that you're a member of a large shared folder that just keeps filling your account?

Let me know more on this!