How to uninstall Dropbox

Uninstalling the Dropbox desktop app will remove Dropbox from your computer. Once Dropbox is removed, the Dropbox menu will no longer appear and Dropbox will no longer sync the files in your Dropbox folder. Uninstalling Dropbox will not delete your Dropbox account or remove the files in your Dropbox folder from your hard drive.

Select your system for instructions:

Uninstall the desktop app on Linux

Depending on your operating system and the package used during installation, certain command lines inputted into your terminal window will uninstall the desktop app. Copy and paste the following commands one-by-one into your terminal window, hitting Enter after each command. If some of the commands listed produce an error, do not be concerned. By the last command, the desktop app will be successfully uninstalled from your computer.


dropbox stop
dropbox status  # Should report "not running"
rm -rf ~/.dropbox-dist
rm -rf /var/lib/dropbox
rm -rf ~/.dropbox*
sudo apt-get remove nautilus-dropbox
sudo apt-get remove dropbox
rm /etc/apt/source.d/dropbox

Remove the files in your Dropbox Folder

If you would like to remove the files in your Dropbox folder from your hard drive, enter the following command into your terminal and hit Enter. This command may need to be altered if your Dropbox folder is not in the default location.

rm -rv ~/Dropbox

Be aware that this action will delete your local Dropbox folder. Any files in your local Dropbox folder that have not synced will not be available on dropbox.com.

Uninstall the desktop app on Mac OS X

Click the Dropbox icon in the menu bar.
Click your profile picture or initials and select Preferences...
Select the Account tab.
Click Unlink this Dropbox...
Click the Dropbox icon from the menu bar again.
Click your profile picture or initials and select Quit Dropbox.
Open the Applications folder in Finder.
Drag the Dropbox app file from Applications to the Trash.

Your Dropbox folder and its contents will remain intact. If you'd like to remove the folder as well, you can drag your Dropbox folder to the Trash.

Remove the files in your Dropbox Folder

If you would like to remove the files in your Dropbox folder from your hard drive, drag your Dropbox folder to the Trash.

This will delete your local Dropbox folder. Any files in your local Dropbox folder that haven't synced won't be available on dropbox.com.

If you’re having trouble uninstalling the Dropbox app, follow these steps:

Open Activity Monitor. This utility is usually located in the “Applications” folder, under “Utilities”.
In the Activity Monitor, look for lines that say “Dropbox.”
Click a line that says “Dropbox.”
Click the X to force quit the process.
Repeat steps 3 and 4 for each line that says “Dropbox.”
Try to uninstall Dropbox again.

(Optional) Uninstall the Dropbox contextual menu:

Open the Finder and select Go to folder... from the Go menu (or press Shift+Command+G).
A dialog box should appear. Copy and paste the following line into the box and press the return key:
```
                /Library                
```
Delete the DropboxHelperTools folder by moving it to the Trash.

(Optional) Removing your Dropbox application settings:

Open the Finder and select Go to folder... from the Go menu (or press Shift+Command+G).
A dialog box should appear. Now copy and paste the following line into the box and press the return key:
```
                  ~/.dropbox              
```
To remove your Dropbox application system settings, select all files in the folder and drag and drop them into the Trash.

Uninstall the desktop app on Windows

Search Control Panel at the Start screen and select it.
Under Programs, select Uninstall a program.
Select Dropbox from the list of programs.
Click Uninstall.
Restart your computer to complete the uninstall.

Uninstall Dropbox if it came preloaded on your computer

If the manufacturer of your computer preloaded Dropbox, you may also need to uninstall the promotional software that came with your device. To do so:

Launch the Add/Remove Programs utility.
- Windows 8:
  1. Click Start.
  2. Click Apps.
  3. Click Control Panel.
  4. Click Uninstall a program.
- Windows 10:
  1. Click Start.
  2. Click Settings.
  3. Click System.
  4. Click Apps & features.
Select Get Dropbox or Dropbox X GB from the application list, where "X" is the amount of space corresponding to your promotion.
Click Uninstall.
Restart your computer to complete the uninstall.

Remove the files in your Dropbox folder

If you'd like to remove the files in your Dropbox folder from your hard drive, drag your Dropbox folder to the Recycle Bin.

This action will delete your local Dropbox folder. Any files in your local Dropbox folder that haven't synced won't be available on dropbox.com.

If you’re having trouble uninstalling the Dropbox app, follow these steps:

Reinstalling the latest version of the Dropbox can fix the uninstall process.

Download the Dropbox app. The installer downloads automatically.
Double-click the downloaded file.
After the install completes, click the Dropbox icon in the system tray.
Click your profile picture or initials.
Click Quit Dropbox.
Try to uninstall Dropbox again.

If the app still won’t uninstall, follow these steps to manually uninstall:

Open Windows File Explorer.
Copy this line and paste it into the address bar. Press Enter.

%PROGRAMFILES(x86)%

3. In “Program Files,” open the “Dropbox” folder, then open the “Client” folder.

4. In “Client,” you should see a file named DropboxUninstaller.exe. Double-click this file to run the uninstaller.

If the uninstaller fails or doesn’t launch, try running the uninstaller as an administrator:

Right-click DropboxUninstaller.exe.
Select Run as Administrator.
Enter the computer admin username and password when prompted.
Follow the the steps in the uninstaller.

Learn more

Remove settings files

Uninstalling Dropbox using the steps above will remove Dropbox from your hard drive. Additionally, you can remove Dropbox settings files out of your Application Data folder.

In any Windows Explorer window (the program that you view files on your computer with), copy and paste the following code into the location bar at the top of the window and press Enter:
```
%APPDATA%
```
This will take you to your Application Data folder.
Move the folder named Dropbox to the Recycle Bin.
Paste the following code into the location bar at the top of the window and press Enter:
```
%LOCALAPPDATA%
```
This will take you to a secondary Application Data folder, which may also contain a Dropbox folder to move to the Recycle Bin.