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timq's avatar
timq
Helpful | Level 5
4 years ago

How can I cancel my computer backup?

I apparently selected pc backup when I installed Dropbox and naturally I'm out of storage on my Dropbox account now.  I don't want and have no need to have my pc backed up to it.  I have the desktop app but am not able to find the preferences section to stop it from backing up.  I did try just deleting My PC from Dropbox but a message comes up and says if I delete "My PC" it says it will be removed from my Dropbox and from the computer.  If I delete it in Dropbox, does that mean I'll lose everything on my laptop too?  Sorry if it sounds like a newbie question but I am. 🙂 Any help stopping the PC backup would be greatly appreciated.

  • Hey timq, welcome aboard our Community!

    Indeed, with computer backup, if you delete your desktop files from Dropbox, they will also be deleted from your computer. 

    If you want to disable the backup feature, you can follow the steps here.

    You'll find the Dropbox app's preferences, if you click on the Dropbox icon in your system tray.

    Let me know if you have any questions.
  • Hannah's avatar
    Hannah
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
    Hey timq, welcome aboard our Community!

    Indeed, with computer backup, if you delete your desktop files from Dropbox, they will also be deleted from your computer. 

    If you want to disable the backup feature, you can follow the steps here.

    You'll find the Dropbox app's preferences, if you click on the Dropbox icon in your system tray.

    Let me know if you have any questions.
    • stuarts14's avatar
      stuarts14
      Helpful | Level 5

      What an absolute fiasco!

       

      These instructions are UNCLEAR and AMBIGUOUS.

       

      I've wasted my time on this, and now I have NO IDEA if my files are safe from being deleted by drop box.

      • eschurr's avatar
        eschurr
        New member | Level 2

        i agree!  i'm computer savvy and i have spent a long time trying to figure this out and i'm still baffled.  I vaguely remember being prompted by Dropbox to backup my PC, but the notification was an interruption to what i was doing and i just clicked "OK" to get rid of it....now i regret that. I can not figure out how to simply say "stop backing up everything."  I've gone to the Backups tab in the Preferences setting of the desktop app but there's no obvious way to just turn it all off.  When i open the tab everything is checked.  If i uncheck the choices, the Save button is disabled.  My only option now is to pause syncing, but that pauses everything!  Please help.

    • timq's avatar
      timq
      Helpful | Level 5

      When I click on the icon in the system tray, the window that comes up does not have a Backups tab.

      • Jay's avatar
        Jay
        Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
        Hi timq, after clicking the system tray icon, did you click the icon on the top right to then view the Preferences option, and then the Backup section?
    • OVYM's avatar
      OVYM
      Helpful | Level 5

      If I click on the Dropbox icon on my computer desktop, it brings up an empty file since I don't have any files stored in Dropbox. I have been through all settings online and can not find where to disconnect back-up, yet Dropbox says that my storage is nearly full because of back-up. I can't see anything being backed up and yet keep getting messages that my storage is nearly full.

      • Rich's avatar
        Rich
        Icon for Super User II rankSuper User II

        OVYM wrote:

        I have been through all settings online and can not find where to disconnect back-up, yet Dropbox says that my storage is nearly full because of back-up.


        It's not the settings online that control this. You need to look in Preferences within the Dropbox application on your computer.

         


        I can't see anything being backed up and yet keep getting messages that my storage is nearly full.
  • PhilippePM's avatar
    PhilippePM
    Explorer | Level 3

    Hi, as said my Desktop is on Dropbox and I do not want that ! 

    /Users/philippePM/Dropbox/Mac/Desktop is how it is now but I would like to supress the Dropbox in the middle. I surely did something wrong but I do not know what. Can you help ? Thanks.

  • felixthecat's avatar
    felixthecat
    New member | Level 2

    I do not need dropbox for much so, for years I've had the basic. I recently saw that it has a new folder that I think is a backup of my complete PC and has obviously, exceeded my capacity. It asks for an update that I do not need. How do I get rid of the new folder? How do I go back to how it was? Thank you!

    • Hannah's avatar
      Hannah
      Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff

      Hey felixthecat, thanks for reaching out to the Dropbox Community!

       

      I moved your post to this thread, which is relevant to your case.

       

      It sounds like you have enabled our backup feature. If you want to disable it, you can follow the steps here.

  • AaronLevenstein's avatar
    AaronLevenstein
    Explorer | Level 3
    Solution:
    1) Backup your dropbox files on your computer
    2) Create a new dropbox account under a new email.
    3) Copy files from old dropbox to new one.
  • Jambo's avatar
    Jambo
    New member | Level 2

    Hi,

     

    I've recently added my Documents (Windows 11) folder to my Dropbox account.  It turns out that this wreaks havoc with a critical piece of software I use in my business.  How can I disconnect only the Documents folder from Dropbox, leaving the files in the Documents folder on my local PC, while continuing to back-up my other folders to the cloud?

     

    Thanks!

    • Hannah's avatar
      Hannah
      Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff

      Hey Jambo, thanks for reaching out to the Dropbox Community.

       

      If you want to disable backup for your Documents folder, you can follow the steps here.

       

      Note: Make sure to choose the 'Keep content in folders on this PC' option during the process.

       

      I hope this helps!

      • Jambo's avatar
        Jambo
        New member | Level 2

        Thanks, Hanna!  That did the trick.

  • Mariia Simonsen's avatar
    Mariia Simonsen
    New member | Level 2

     

    I don't need backup on dropbox. Saw the same question being posted, but couldn't find the answer!

      • Another Fed Up User's avatar
        Another Fed Up User
        New member | Level 2

        I have a similar problem.  A while ago I created a backup of my Windows 10 C-drive folders Pictures and  Documents.  Now I want to stop that backup happening so I stopped sync, deleted the backup, (that is, disabled it).  When I resume syncing it announces that it has almost 200,000 files to sync which will take over 2 days.  I have removed the folder for the C drive from the Dropbox folder also.  And renamed at least one of the very large folders of files (for Lightroom) on the C drive.  Still it tries to attempt to sync a disabled backup.  What can I do?

  • BobBurgess's avatar
    BobBurgess
    New member | Level 2

    I use Mac OS 14.3.1


    I cannot select the correct desktop when trying to "save as..."I have suddenly found that I cannot move a photo from Photos to the desktop.

    I was able to yesterday.

    I do not want Dropbox to sync to my desktop. It causes issues.

    How do I stop that sync?

    Thank you very much

     

    • Hannah's avatar
      Hannah
      Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff

      Sorry to see that you're having issues with the backup feature, BobBurgess.

       

      If you'd like to disable the feature, you'll need to follow the steps in this article.

       

      Let me know if you run into any issues.

  • DONUSA's avatar
    DONUSA
    Helpful | Level 5

    Those instruction are for setup and enabling DropBox backup.  The question is how to disable Dropbox Backup.  I am also using Time Machine and read that this is incompatible with Dropbox Backup, so I just want to completely disable the DropBox Backup function.  

    • Nancy's avatar
      Nancy
      Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff

      DONUSA, the Help Center article Hannah linked above is indeed to delete/disable the Dropbox Backup feature. 

       

      Can you clarify if you’re having trouble with any of the steps, so that I can further help?

      • DONUSA's avatar
        DONUSA
        Helpful | Level 5

        I got it sorted, thanks.  The way to disable backups is unnecessarily confusing.  If I click on a drive to enable it, I should just be able to disable it.  I can only pause it.  Thanks to Google is discovered how, but it seems to be intentionally unintuitive.  Just look at how many people are asking how to do it and you have to know there is something poorly designed.  

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