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Deleted files but shared files are still there

I was notified two days ago that my storage space was full in my Basic account, so I copied some files to a memory stick and then deleted them from my Dropbox; however, my storage is still showing as full with the majority of it being 'shared files.' How can I get rid of these shared files in my storage and free up space? And no, I'm not using the backup feature and have no files in backup.

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Dentsville Masonic Lodge

First I unshared them, then I removed them by transferring them to a memory stick. Once I removed my access from them, the storage automatically updated and showed me that the storage was now being taken up by a regular file and not a shared one.

This was the last thing I could do, so I found myself with no alternative but to upgrade my account and increase the storage that way. The lodge is paying for it, anyway; I was just trying to save them some $$$.

Thanks for the help!

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Megan

Hi @Dentsville Masonic Lodge, thanks for posting here!

I'm happy to share this Help Center article, that describes how you can remove your access from shared folders, and therefore free up some of the space in your Dropbox account.

If you need anything else, let me know!

Dentsville Masonic Lodge

The files themselves have been deleted and are NOT showing up on my Home page; however, when I check my Storage I see that most of the storage is being taken up by 'shared files.' Since the now-deleted files aren't showing up on my home page, I can't remove my access from them.

Any suggestions?

Dentsville Masonic Lodge

Also, the now-deleted files were shared with others, but BEFORE I deleted them I removed the sharing of all files, so they shouldn't be shared with anyone.

Rich

@Dentsville Masonic Lodge wrote:
... when I check my Storage I see that most of the storage is being taken up by 'shared files.' Since the now-deleted files aren't showing up on my home page, I can't remove my access from them.

You can remove the shared folders from your account using your Share page.

Also, the now-deleted files were shared with others, but BEFORE I deleted them I removed the sharing of all files, so they shouldn't be shared with anyone.

"Shared Files" in your usage doesn't refer to files you've shared with others. It refers to folders from other people that you've added to your account. You can remove your access to these folders from your Share page.

Dentsville Masonic Lodge

How?

Megan

Hi @Dentsville Masonic Lodge, when you access your sharing tab, are you able to see the shared folders there?

If so, then you can follow these steps in order to remove yourself from said folders. If you face any issue while trying to do so, let me know.

Dentsville Masonic Lodge

When I go to my "Sharing" page all I see are the three active files still there. Nothing else shows. But when I check my storage in the Accounts tab, my storage is showing 2.7mg of storage being used up by "shared folders."

My frustration with this is nearing the breaking point. I'm the Secretary for my Masonic lodge, and we use Dropbox for all - and I mean ALL - of our administrative tasks. I have work that needs to be synced so the files can be updated, but I haven't been able to sync for four days due to this storage issue. And I'm VERY disappointed and dissatisfied that I can't contact anyone from Dropbox without buying a subscription.

I just want to get those shared folders (which I've already deleted) out of my storage space so I can continue work.

Dentsville Masonic Lodge

I checked my Shared Folders, and there aren't any folders or files there that have been shared with my account. Take into consideration that this account was already established by the previous Secretary, who I replaced in January, so I'm not sure what he may have done with the account. And he's not the most helpful person in the world, either, as all questions I've asked to him have gone unanswered. (He's pissed that I'm the Secretary now.)

Megan

Hi @Dentsville Masonic Lodge, could you send me a screenshot of these shared folders when you visit your Home page, with the size of each folder calculated and shown there?

You can calculate them using the info provided here.

I'd also love one more screenshot of your plan page, and the info it shows. Thank you!

Dentsville Masonic Lodge

Shared Folders.jpg Plan Page.jpg

Megan

Hi @Dentsville Masonic Lodge, thank you so much for the screenshots!

I can see that one of these shared folders takes up 3GB of space. I can also see from the All files page on the side, that this folder is still visible in the account.

Have you tried to remove it using the steps I mentioned above in this thread? Did you have any problems when trying to do so?

Dentsville Masonic Lodge

Prior to receiving your reply I removed those three files from the Shared page, and they're showing on my Home page now with access by "only you." So far my storage is still showing that I'm over; how long does it take for Dropbox to update?

Jay

Hi @Dentsville Masonic Lodge, the storage should be updated immediately. If it isn't, then it means that your account is still overquota.

When you say you removed them from the shared folder, did you delete them entirely, unshare the folder, or moved them to a private Dropbox folder instead?

Dentsville Masonic Lodge

Thanks for the help!