Dropbox Full Even After Deleting Files? Here's the Real Fix

Content at a glance:

• Dropbox Says Full Even After Deleting Files
• Why is Dropbox Still Full After Deleting Files?
• What Happens If Your Dropbox is Full?
• Backup Dropbox Files In Advance Before Deleting
• How to Fix Dropbox Full Even After Deleting Files?
• How to Permanently Delete Dropbox Files?
• The End

Dropbox Says Full Even After Deleting Files

Why does deleting files on Dropbox not free up space? You have to check files that take up space on Dropbox. The files and folders stored on your Dropbox count against space, including the shared folder you’re a member of. However, the deleted files do not count against your Dropbox storage quota. Thus, Dropbox remains full even after deleting files or permanently deleting them.

Don't panic, you will find effective ways to manage your Dropbox storage and troubleshoot the error message “Your Dropbox is full”, and free up space to store more new files.

Why is Dropbox Still Full After Deleting Files?

Why does deleting files on Dropbox not free up space? The answer almost always lies in one of these places: the Trash folder, the desktop application's synchronization process, or the shared folder.

• Dropbox needs time to update the storage space after deleting your Dropbox files. So wait for some time to check if your Dropbox is full.
• Dropbox shared folders might take up space. According to Dropbox, a shared folder might take up much storage space on Dropbox, because it’s a part of a team.
• Communication problems between the Dropbox servers and the Dropbox desktop app on your computer or phone. Sometimes, this communication gets interrupted. When this happens, a deletion command might get stuck, and you still see Dropbox is full error.

After getting reasons for Dropbox being full even after deleting files. Now, you have to take action to solve this problem.

What Happens If Your Dropbox is Full?

If you have got this message: Your Dropbox is full, or something else like that, your Dropbox can get into these situations:

• Dropbox sync process and camera upload will stop.
• Files might be read only.

And now, please organize your Dropbox files to free up space for Dropbox, to make it under the Dropbox quota limit. But first, backing up is the first thing.

Backup Dropbox Files In Advance Before Deleting

If you have important files in Dropbox and don’t want to delete them, it’s highly recommended to back up Dropbox files in case of data loss. Fortunately, here comes the powerful cloud storage manager - MultCloud to help.

With MultCloud, you can get these advantages:

Exclusive Backup. You can backup files from one cloud to another directly.

Keep Versions. To back up files regularly, you can keep the versions and restore the files in time if your files get lost.

40+ Clouds. You are able to add almost all clouds to MultCloud, including Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, pCloud, Box, Amazon S3, Wasabi, MEGA, MediaFire, etc.

Powerful Settings. You can configure filter, email, and schedule for the Dropbox backup.

So, are you curious about how to back up files in Dropbox to another cloud (Google Drive, for example) with MultCloud? Try the following steps for reference:

1. Apply for a MultCloud account for free, then log in to the MultCloud Dashboard.

2. Click Add Cloud, then choose Dropbox, then follow the guide to grant access to MultCloud. Add Google Drive as well.

3. Press Cloud Backup, choose files in Dropbox as the source and a location in Google Drive as the target.

4. Set up the settings and hit Backcup Now to back up Dropbox to Google Drive.

How to Fix Dropbox Full Even After Deleting Files?

Way 1. Wait for Some Time

The deleting process needs time to update your Dropbox storage space. Wait for hours or one day to check.

Way 2. Organize Files and Delete If Required

Now, it’s time to delete your unnecessary files from Dropbox to fix Dropbox is full error if you don’t want to upgrade to Dropbox Professional or other plans.

Way 3. Restart Your Dropbox Desktop App

Sometimes, it could be that the Dropbox desktop app does not show the correct storage space; restarting can open the engine again to make it right.

Tap your Dropbox icon, click your avatar image, and choose Quit to close it. Then run Dropbox again to check if your Dropbox storage is under the storage limit.

Way 4. Forcing a Re-sync to Update Storage Space

Once your Dropbox is under the storage limit, you can pause and resume sync to show the right storage space:

1. In your desktop taskbar (or menu bar on Mac), click the Dropbox icon.

2. Click your avatar/photo in the top right and go to Settings > Preferences.

3. Under the "Sync" tab, hit "Pause syncing" for 5 minutes.

4. Then, unpause it.

This simple reset can often kick the sync process back into gear.

Way 5. Relink Your Dropbox Account

If all else fails, you can disconnect and reconnect your computer.

1. Go to Settings > Preferences > Accounts.

2. Click "Sign out". Don't worry—this won't delete your files. It will simply break the connection.

3.  Then, open Dropbox again and log back in. It will have to re-establish the sync from scratch, which forces a full update of your storage status.

How to Permanently Delete Dropbox Files?

1. Open a web browser and go to www.dropbox.com. Log in to your account. It's crucial to do this on the website, as it provides you with the full administrative view of your account.

2. In the left-hand navigation pane, click on Deleted files. This is your Trash folder.

3. You'll now see a list of every file you've "deleted" recently. Above the list, you should see an option that says Empty trash or something similar.

4. Click it! Dropbox will warn you that this action is permanent. Confirm that you understand.

5. Give it a moment. Refresh your account page or your desktop app. Like magic, that stubborn storage bar should finally shrink, reflecting your newly freed-up space.

The End

Until now, you have fixed Dropbox full even after deleting files with the above solutions. Don’t worry, it’s easy for you to solve it. It’s strongly recommended to back up your files before deleting, and manage them regularly not to exceed the storage limit.

With MultCloud, you can also archive Gmail emails to Dropbox, real-time sync Dropbox to Box, and many more. So, why not give it a try now?