How to delete files or folders from Dropbox

You can delete or permanently delete any file or folder in your Dropbox account, even if it’s shared, as long as you’re the owner. Find out how to know who the owner of a file or folder is.

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Delete a file or folder

Follow the instructions below to delete a file or folder from your Dropbox account on dropbox.com, the Dropbox desktop app, or the Dropbox mobile app. Deleted files or folders can be restored within a certain window of time, depending on your Dropbox plan.

On dropbox.com

1. Sign in to dropbox.com.
2. Hover over the file or folder and click the "…" (ellipsis).
3. Click Delete.
4. Click Delete again to confirm.

In the Dropbox desktop app

1. Open the Dropbox folder on your computer. 
2. Right-click the file or folder you’d like to delete.
3. Click Delete (Windows) or Move to Trash (Mac).

On the Dropbox mobile app

1. Open the Dropbox mobile app.
2. Tap the “⁝” (vertical ellipsis on Android) or “…” (ellipsis on iPhone/iPad) next to the file or folder you’d like to delete.
3. Tap Delete.

Permanently delete a file or folder

Follow the instructions below to permanently delete a file or folder on dropbox.com. Permanently deleted files and folders can’t be restored.

You can permanently delete any file or folder that you own. You can only permanently delete files and folders that you don’t own if:

• You’re the admin of a Dropbox Business team.
• You’re not an admin, but you’re the only person who has taken any actions on or edited the file or folder.

Notes: 

• If you’re a member of a Dropbox Business team, your admin may have limited your ability to permanently delete files and folders, including with a data retention policy.
• Deleted files don't count against your storage quota, so permanently deleting them won’t free up space.
• If other Dropbox users have a copy of the files that you permanently delete, their copies won’t be deleted.

To permanently delete a file or folder on dropbox.com: 

1. Follow the instructions in the above section to delete the file or folder on dropbox.com.
2. Click Deleted files in the left sidebar.
3. Check the box next to the file or folder you’d like to permanently delete.
4. Click Permanently delete.
5. Click Permanently delete again to confirm.
   • Note: If you’re on a Business team and don’t see Permanently delete, your admin may have limited your ability to permanently delete files and folders, including with a data retention policy.