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I get an error when trying to delete my external drive backup.

When I go to back up (https://www.dropbox.com/backup/all?_tk=web_left_nav_bar) and select the external hard drive, there is a red X and the word Error under "Status", and when I click on it, it warns me that it can't back up device, and device needs to be plugged in to restart the backup process. It IS connected and visible on my Finder (I'm using MacOs 12.7.6). When I select the hard drive from Backups and choose "delete," I get another error message that says "1 item can't be deleted." This 1 item is the ONLY item in the back up, and it is clogging up my whole storage. I never asked for it to back up the external hard drive, and now I am stuck, unable to use Dropbox because I have exceeded storage. I tried to add a screenshot of the window, but it won't allow me to paste it here.

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JoySR

Yes, I did follow those steps, and got the same error message each time. This forum will not allow a drag and drop of the image. However, I restarted the computer, unplugged the external hard drive, and replugged it in after restart, and the Dropbox problem solved itself. I'm not sure why it got caught in that endless loop until I restarted.

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JoySR

I see the paperclip below, but it won't let me add an image of the problem.

Nancy

Thanks for letting us know about this on the forum, @JoySR!

Can you try copy pasting your screenshot instead and see if that works?

As for deleting your external drive backup, I believe you’re following the steps outlined here, correct?

Let me know.

JoySR

Walter

We're glad to hear it's sorted now and thanks for keeping us in the loop too @JoySR

See you around the Community and please let us know if anything else comes up.

Theresa

Hi, and welcome to the Dropbox Community. 😊 I’m glad to hear your issue has been resolved and that you’re no longer seeing that dreaded error message.

By the way, I’m Theresa, a Community Manager here at Dropbox HQ 👩‍💻. I noticed you were having trouble uploading a screenshot within the thread, and I’m sorry this happened. We’ve recently made updates to the Community, and I’ll make sure to log this to help resolve it and prevent it from happening to others in the future. 🔧

Thank you for sharing this information. It’s thoughtful contributions like yours that help keep the Community such a vibrant and supportive space. 🙏💙

T 😼 (Dropbox Community Manager)