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How can I free up hard drive space without deleting files from my account?

Apologies, I'm sure this has been discussed, I just don't know what search terms to use to find it. I have two computers that access my Dropbox. Both store the files on the local drive but the laptop's drive is so full, I can't update Windows. It doesn't need to store them locally and can access them online. How do I remove all the local Dropbox files from that machine without removing them from the cloud storage? Could you tell me what search to use or point me in the right direction to learn this?

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Hannah

Hey @MCMDave, thanks for joining the Dropbox Community and happy Monday!

No worries at all, let's get right to it.

So, if you'd like to free up some hard drive space without deleting files, you have two options:

You can use selective sync to remove entire folders from your Dropbox folder
Or you can make your files online-only

I hope the articles I hyperlinked provide enough info for you, but if you have any questions, feel free to let me know.

Cheers!

MCMDave

Hi Hannah, thanks! This sorta details my issue. I read both of these articles as well as to view a number of videos even before writing. I don't even know how to make a decision. I'm so afraid I'm going to do the wrong thing and lose files. I was hoping my description would help someone in-the-know advise me towards the best way forward. I need space, I don't want anything to change on my primary PC, and I definitely don't want to lose files.

This has been a problem for months. Some time ago, I believe I made the "selective sync" option, but the files are still on my laptop. I petrified of losing vitally important data.

Hannah

I understand what you mean, Dave, but not to worry! I can guide you through the process, if need be.

It's up to you which way you want to go, but either way, you won't lose any files, so there's that!

Now, when using selective sync, the folders will be gone from the Dropbox folder, but they'll still be available on our website and other linked devices.

And you can always go through the settings, to add them back.

When making files online-only, the files will still appear in your Dropbox folder, but they'll change into placeholders with no physical size so they won't take up space.

Have you tried any of the two processes with a few files or a couple of folders, as a test, to see how they work?

MCMDave

Hello, when I began this conversation, it was with the words, "the laptop's drive is so full, I can't update Windows. " I need to be able to use this machine and I need to know how to get to that point. A step-by-step guide might be helpful. If you could point me in that direction, I'll try. I don't even know what words to use in a search to find that.

Nancy

Hi from me as well, @MCMDave! Did you try these steps and you encountered a specific issue?

If yes, don’t hesitate to let me know what happened and I can further help you. You can also post a screenshot of what you see on your end.

MCMDave

This is ridiculous. I'm so done with this.

cassaperk

You need to use Dropbox's selective sync. Or the online-only feature to delete local copies without deleting them from the cloud.

cassaperk

You can try using Dropbox selective sync or alternatively make folders available online only. That is, so that they remain in the cloud, not on your laptop. So just search for - Dropbox selective sync or Dropbox files available online only and take certain steps to delete local copies without deleting them from the cloud.