Hi, I have a lot of files and folders on backed up on 2 computers. If I delete a folder on one computer, will it still be both in the cloud and on the other computer? I need to free up some hard drive space on one of the computers. Thank you
Hi @newtonprints, thanks for messaging the Community!
If you delete a file from your Dropbox folder, this deletion will sync to the site, and also remove the file from other computers and devices.
If you need to free up space, you could mark files as available online-only, or by using selective sync.
If you need any further assistance, please let me know!
so how do people get to have complete backups done?
I have a 2TB dropbox, but my computer is only 1TB, I want everything backed up (phone #1 500GB, phone #2 250GB, computer 1TB, etc) but my computer can't handle all of that, obviously.
Are you able to tell / show / diagram the steps that once I have what I want to keep on the computer, the rest can be kept and accesible on the dropbox?
Could you clarify what you mean by backing up your phone? Are you referring to camera uploads?
Are you also looking to backup your entire computer, or just the files in the Dropbox folder?
Yes, I have my phone's pics backed up to the dropbox, not just the camera uploads, but I also make many folders which separate the photos by category, event, dates or what have you.
On the computer I have just certain folders backing up, but it's put a copy of everything on my actual computer in the dropbox folder.
I'm relatively new to dropbox as I found out iCloud was a waste of time and money, because if I deleted off the phone, it deleted from the cloud as well. Now I can free up my phone space by backing up to dropbox and deleting from phone, but now that has moved the storage problem from the phones to my computer.
So I want to know how to delete folders from the dropbox computer location and still have them in the cloud and accessible when I need them, whether it's via the phone or computer.
Have you tried using this feature to mark files on your computer as available online-only, so they don't take up space on your machine?
I cannot see where to mark folders as online only or offline
And if I switch to online only, will it automatically delete it from my hard drive?
The files will still appear in Explorer, but they won't take up any space on your device.
What Dropbox options do you see when you right click a file or folder in the Dropbox folder?
Oh! I found that option!
Once I do that, does it automatically come off my hard drive?
Sorry to jump in here, @newtonprints.
Indeed, when you set a file to "online-only", it stops taking up space on your hard drive.
It doesn't get completely removed, you'll still see it if you're connected to the internet, but it will just be a placeholder file, with no physical space.
I hope this helps!
OK I did that to all the folders that I needed to, restarted my computer but the space on the computer did not change
Could you try right clicking the Dropbox folder and clicking Properties to see the 'Size on disk' for the folder?
OK now when I right click I no longer have an option to choose between online only or view offline, why would this have gone away? It was there yesterday and was able to do it to some folders.
Nothing changed in that regard. I got a ext HD backup, and the folders that I made online only I then copied to the HD, and then deleted them, and I still have access when I log in and I can see them in the drop box.
But now, when I right click a folder in Explorer, that option no longer shows up. How do I get that back?
Could you try reinstalling the Dropbox desktop application using this link, while ensuring that you use admin privileges to do so.
OK but one question first, it says to uninstall the app I have now first, that won't delete any files will it?
You don't need to uninstall the app, you can just reinstall over the current version, to repair any issues with context menu items.
After that's done, reboot the machine and let me know if the menu items appear.
the install keeps failing
What error are you getting during the installation? A screenshot would help to determine what's happening.
a little box comes up and says installing dropbox, and it has a green bar that goes from left to right, and then after a few minutes the box says unable to install, and then this web page appears
https://www.dropbox.com/launch_desktop_app?_camp=15288&_tk=prompt_modal&view=sync_everything_onboarding
I can again and same thing happens
Yes, this much has been discussed, the problem is my inability to mark files as online only
That's strange, but thanks for the additional info here.
Does the Dropbox application on your computer work otherwise?
For example, if you edit a file in the Dropbox folder, does the edit appear in your account online?
Yes everything else seems to work fine.
It's just that anytime a new folder or new upload happens in the dropbox, it's copied onto my hard drive, and I'm maxed out, and now the performance of my computer is affected
Hey @newtonprints, sorry to jump in here, but could you send us a screenshot of the app's exact status and version as shown in your menu bar at the moment?
Also, are you able to set your files to online only now?
