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How do I unsync Dropbox from Ms Word so documents don't automatically download into Dropbox?

How do I unsync Dropbox from Ms Word so documents don't automatically download into Dropbox? I contacted Dropbox in frustration but they wouldn't help me as they said it was an "MS Word problem." However, I NEVER set up or changed any settings on MS Word that would authorize this automatic download of documents to Dropbox!

Basically, I don't want ANY thing downloaded (photos, docs, screen captures, etc) that I don't specify on an individual basis. (Though I don't mind if Sreenshots are turned on.)

So, does anyone know where in MS Word I can find and then change this setting? I feel like Dropbox has taken over my computer!

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Elixir

Hi @jennikeast, It seems to me that you using MS Word on Windows or Mac, and saving the files inside Dropbox folder. Note that anything you save inside your Dropbox folder will be synced. The default location for Dropbox in windows is C:\Users\UserName\Dropbox. In case you are using a Mac, it is /Users/UserName/Dropbox. If you do not want to sync certain files, you should save them in a different location than the Dropbox location.

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Jane

Great question @jennikeast & thanks for checking in with us on the Dropbox Community about it, welcome aboard!

You may keep in mind that the “Add a place” option is within your MS Word application & you can remove it if you go to the Word settings (note: I’m just referencing an online resource to send you the steps below):

Tap the arrow in the top left, then tap Open.
Tap Add a Place.
Unselect Dropbox.

That should do the trick for you, though as this setting is within Word, maybe you’ll need to contact their Support team for further assistance in case you may need to dig deeper, as it could be a different setting that has triggered the behavior.

I hope this is helpful to you & I’m always here, so please let me know how you’d like us to proceed on this discussion. Happy Friday!

Elixir

jennikeast

Thanks for this; however, I have no idea of what "arrow" you're referring to. Are you talking about Dropbox? If so, there isn't any arrow on the left—just the Dropbox symbol. If you're referring to MS Word, I also don't know what arrow you'd be referring to.

If you could be more specific, I'd appreciate it.

Thanks!

jennikeast

Apparently this is the case. But I don't have Dropbox as an automatic "Save As" default, so I'm wondering how this could happen?

For example, I have numerous folders with variations of the folder name "Disney." Before Dropbox (and for that matter, iCloud), I only had one option: My Documents on my Mac. Now it appears I will always have to click on "Save as" on any document I've just created to make sure it's going exactly where I want it (which 90% of the time will be under Documents vs. Dropbox or iCloud. Rather annoying I have to say!

When I discovered that several articles that I just wrote about Disneyland ended up in Dropbox Disney folder (which should only have my images that I will end up sharing with my editor), I had to immediately figure out a way to move them out of there and into my Disney folder in Documents. Turns out, there's no easy way to do that. Dropbox, from what I can tell, won't allow you to Move a Folder to a folder outside of Dropbox (onto my computer). Instead, I have to download those articles, then open up another Finder window and drag them to the correct Disney folder in my Documents.

Whew! Talk about a real time waster. (Not to mention having to REMEMBER each and every time to check and make sure I'm not saving something in Dropbox that I don't want to. Ugh.

Anyway, thanks for your help on this. Hopefully the problem is solved, unless you have something else to add that might be helpful to me in this regard?

Jane

Thanks for looping back with us here @jennikeast, I hope you’ve had a great Monday so far!

The arrow mentioned above is within Word, though based on a test I run on my end, it’s not necessary to tap it in order to follow the steps listed above. Since the steps I referenced are taken from Microsoft’s site, your view may slightly vary, depending on the your Word version &c. If you run a google-search though, you’ll be able to find the relevant resources, that’ll help you remove Dropbox as a “Save” location.

Anyhow, at this point I’d agree with @Elixir’s point, since, based on your description you’ve set the Dropbox folder to be the default “Save as” option within your Word settings, so you’d have to go to the Advanced section & modify the default behavior to your preferred one.

Hopefully if you’ve already checked within Microsoft’s help pages, this should now be resolved, though we’re always here in case you may need more Dropbox tips & tricks. Hope you have a beautiful week ahead! :slight_smile:

jennikeast

Thanks for all your input. I just forwarded this conversation to a friend who might be able to help me find this default setting on MS Office 2011. Because thus far, I haven't been able to find it. Googling it hasn't helped either, unless someone here knows where I can find that info (please send link if you can) for the 2011 version of MS Office.

If I can't get help with this, I'll have to buy the 2016 MS Office version for Mac just so I can get free tech support for this issue! I should probably buy a new version anyway since I have had compatibility issues with 2011 and other version of MS Word.

Once I find a solution (unless the solution means being forced to buy 2016 MS Office), I'll mark this as RESOLVED on this forum.

Jane

Quick tip: Have you tried googling: “How to change Microsoft Office default save locations” by any chance @jennikeast?

Please do let me know if this does the trick for you. Thanks! :slight_smile:

jennikeast

Tried it. But it's not a solution for reasons too complicated to post here. Too much minutiae and I don't have the time. Anyway, I'm done—going to have to just buy the latest version of MS Office and have them help me. Seems I have no other choice.

So I'm afraid I can't mark any of these posts as "Accept as Solution" only because I didn't find one. But hey, you all tried.

Elixir

Hi @jennikeast, if you have some more patience, can you please try this? Apology: I do not have a 2011 version of MS Word, and I found these information from the internet.

Go to Preference menu in Word

Screen Shot 2018-06-01 at 3.18.44 PM.png

Then go to File Locations.

There, I think, you shold see Dropbox path in the Location filed corresponding to Documents, chage it to another directory (say, ~/Documents). Hope this helps you.