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Trying to delete files, not working. I refuse to just buy more storage space.

I am trying to make space in my dropbox on my HP computer, since I am getting a warning about starting to delete files unless I buy more storage space. I absolutely do not want to buy more space! It is a good time to delete some unnecessary files. So now I am permanently deleting all my deleted files, one by one. At some point it does not allow me to delete any more of them. I get no message to explain why, it just does not function. I am pretty sure it just tries to force me to buy more space. Any thoughts on this? Or, do you guys know of any other cloud services that actually allow you to manage your own data?

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Comments

Megan

Hi @Katriina1, let's jump right into this!

Keep in mind that you actually don't need to permanently delete files to clear up space. Simply deleting them is all that is needed.

You should be able to remove files and folders, in order to free up some of your space without any issues.

Do you experience any issues when you access your local Dropbox folder and try to simply delete your files? If so, can you visit your account online and try that way?

Let me know more, and we'll take it from there!

Katriina1

I have deleted like 40% of the files I had yet the number is not going down

it is as if it is not being recorded.

Rich

Katriina1 wrote:
I have deleted like 40% of the files I had yet the number is not going down

Are you deleting the files from your local Dropbox folder or through the Dropbox website? It matters, because if you're over quota and syncing has stopped, the Dropbox service won't know about any deletions you make in your local folder because it's not syncing. In such a case you should try deleting files through the Dropbox website. Doing so, the service will register the deletions immediately.

You can also try quitting and restarting the Dropbox application on your computer, as that could trigger a reindex and Dropbox would then see that files have been deleted.

And just to stress what Megan mentioned, there's no need to permanently delete files from your Deleted Files page on the website. Doing so won't reclaim any space because the space previously occupied by those files was already reclaimed when the files were first deleted.

Katriina1

Indeed, I am on the website.

Megan

Hey @Katriina1!

Can you check the plan page, and let me know what it reports there? Do you have any shared content taking up space in your account?

Or perhaps you have any active Backups enabled. Can you check that as well?

Also, what happens when you delete files online? Do you notice the same behavior?

Katriina1

The horrors persist. Nothing works, and the clock is ticking. I have deleted so many files, and you guys push me to buy more space.. what the hell is this

Megan

Hey @Katriina1!

Sorry to push back on this, however in order for me to have a visual of the issue I'm going to need a screenshot of your plan page. It'll help me get a clear idea as to what's taking up space in your account, and how much your usage is.

Rich

Katriina1 wrote:
The horrors persist. Nothing works, and the clock is ticking.

What does "nothing works" actually mean?

Let start with your usage details. Take a screenshot of your usage from your Plan page and post it here. It should look like this:

Katriina1

I have shared content which I will need to disconnect from. No backups. And nothing seems to be deleted.

Katriina1

It says that I cancelled my Dropbox plus recently. I did not! I have a feeling I am being tricked to just pay more for the same price.

Katriina1

I mean for the same amount of storage.

Katriina1

Jay

Hi @Katriina1, I removed the image from your previous reply due to the personal information shown.

It looks like it was a chargeback, meaning the money was refunded to the payment method.

As this is related to sensitive billing info, I’d recommend getting in contact with our support team directly to look into this matter in more detail.

You can do this by opening an incognito/private browsing window, while not signed into any account, and accessing this link.

From there you should be able to contact support. Make sure to pick an email to which you can receive and send emails from.

kateparker7788

It sounds like you're hitting a "frozen" state because your account is over its storage limit. When a Dropbox account is full, the syncing stops, and ironically, it can sometimes glitch when you try to delete files through the desktop app because it can't "talk" to the server to confirm the deletion.

Don't worry, you don't have to buy more space. Here is the fastest way to fix this:

Use the Web Browser: Log in to your account at dropbox.com instead of using the folder on your HP. Deleting files directly on the website bypasses the sync issues on your computer.

Clear the "Deleted Files" Cache: Once you delete the files on the web, go to the Deleted files tab on the left sidebar and click Permanently delete. Dropbox keeps deleted files for 30 days by default, which can sometimes keep your "quota" full until they are purged.

Check Shared Folders: Sometimes people add you to a large shared folder that eats up your space. You can leave those folders to instantly reclaim your storage without actually deleting the files for everyone else.

Once you get below your limit on the website, your HP app should start functioning normally again and allow you to manage files locally.