How to Free Up Space on Dropbox (Account and Computer)

There are two different kinds of space people mean when they say Dropbox is full. One is your Dropbox account, the storage you have online. The other is the hard drive on your computer, which the Dropbox app can fill up with synced files. The fixes are completely different, and mixing them up is why so many clean-ups don't work.

First, which space is full?

Message or problem	Which space	Fix
Dropbox says you're over your storage limit	Your Dropbox account	Delete files or leave shared folders
Your computer says the disk is nearly full	Your hard drive	Make files online-only
Files have stopped syncing and uploads fail	Usually your Dropbox account	Get back under your account limit

How to check your Dropbox storage

1. Log in at dropbox.com.
2. Click your avatar in the corner and choose Manage account.
3. Look at the storage bar.

On business accounts, it's under your avatar, Settings, then Plan. The bar splits your use into files you own, shared folders you've joined, and space used by Dropbox Backup or Replay, so you can see straight away what's taking up room.

How to free up space in your Dropbox account

1. Leave shared folders you don't need. Shared folders you've joined count towards your storage. Dropbox says shared folders you haven't joined don't, so leaving a big shared folder can free a lot at once.
2. Delete large files you no longer need. Sort by size and start with old videos, zip files and duplicate backups.
3. Download, then delete. If you want to keep something but not in Dropbox, download it to an external drive first, then delete it from Dropbox.
4. Check Dropbox Backup. If you back up a computer to Dropbox, old backups can take up a lot of space.

The good news: deleted files stop counting straight away

This is where Dropbox differs from some other storage services. Dropbox says deleted files don't count against your storage quota, so you don't need to empty a bin or permanently delete anything to get the space back. Delete a file, and the space is freed. You can still restore deleted files for a while, depending on your plan, if you change your mind.

The catch: online-only doesn't save account space

Right-clicking a file on your computer and choosing Make online-only feels like freeing space, and on your computer that's true. But Dropbox is clear that online-only files still take up storage space on dropbox.com. If your account is full, making files online-only won't help at all. It's the fix for a full hard drive, not a full Dropbox.

How to free up space on your computer instead

1. Open your Dropbox folder in File Explorer or Finder.
2. Right-click a large folder you don't use often.
3. Choose Make online-only.

The files stay in your Dropbox and you can open them whenever you're online, but they no longer take up space on your device. On your phone, switch off Make available offline on files you've saved for offline use.

What happens if you stay over your limit

Dropbox explains that when you're over your storage limit, files stop syncing and you can't upload anything new. Some sharing and preview features can be limited too. If you stay over for a long time, Dropbox may delete your least recently modified files, but only files you own, and it'll tell you before that happens. So it's worth sorting out sooner rather than later.

If photos are what's filling your Dropbox, clearing them at the source helps. My guide to deleting iPhone photos in bulk shows how.

Stop it filling up again

• Turn off camera uploads if you don't need every photo in Dropbox.
• Leave shared folders when a project ends.
• Keep big archives on an external drive rather than in Dropbox.
• Check the storage bar once a month.

Finding the biggest files quickly

On dropbox.com, open a folder and sort the list by size, so the largest files float to the top. Video files, raw photos, old computer backups and zip archives are usually the culprits. Check them one folder at a time rather than deleting in bulk, and remember that anything inside a shared folder may belong to someone else. If you delete a file in a shared folder, you remove it for everyone in that folder, so it's often better to leave the folder than delete its contents.

My verdict

Work out which space is full first. For your Dropbox account, check the storage bar, leave shared folders you've joined but don't need, and delete large files, which free space immediately because deleted files don't count. For your computer, make folders online-only, which frees your hard drive but not your account. If you keep running out, it may be time to compare Dropbox alternatives.

Frequently asked questions

Will Dropbox delete my files if I stay over my limit?

It may delete your least recently modified files you own, and it'll notify you first.

Can I get a deleted Dropbox file back?

Yes, within a time window that depends on your plan.

What usually takes up the most Dropbox space?

Videos, raw photos, computer backups and zip archives. Sort each folder by size to find them.

Do deleted files take up Dropbox space?

No. Dropbox says deleted files don't count against your storage quota.

Does making files online-only free up Dropbox space?

Only on your computer. Online-only files still use storage on dropbox.com.

Do shared folders count towards my Dropbox storage?

Shared folders you've joined do. Shared folders you haven't joined don't.

What happens when my Dropbox is full?

Syncing stops and you can't upload new files until you're back under your limit.

How do I see how much Dropbox space is left?

On dropbox.com, click your avatar, choose Manage account and look at the storage bar.