How to uninstall Dropbox on your computer

Updated Sep 14, 2023

This article describes a feature available to all Dropbox customers.

Uninstalling the Dropbox desktop app on your computer won't delete your Dropbox account or remove the Dropbox folder from your hard drive. If you’d like to uninstall Dropbox from your computer, follow the instructions for your device below.

To uninstall Dropbox from the taskbar on your Windows device:

Click the Dropbox icon in the taskbar.
Click your avatar (profile picture or initials).
Click Quit.
In your taskbar, click the Start button.
Click Settings.
Click Apps.
Click Apps & features.
Click Dropbox.
- Note: If Dropbox came preloaded on your device, you may see Get Dropbox or Dropbox “x” GB instead.
Click Uninstall.
- Optional: If you wish to also delete the Dropbox folder from your hard drive, drag your Dropbox folder to the Recycle Bin.

Important: Before moving your Dropbox folder to the Recycle Bin, make sure you have a backup of your data stored in another location.

To uninstall Dropbox from the menu bar on your Mac device:

Click the Dropbox icon in the menu bar.
Click your avatar (profile picture or initials).
Click Quit.
Open Finder.
Click Applications.
Drag Dropbox to the Trash.
- Optional: If you wish to also delete the Dropbox folder from your hard drive, drag your Dropbox folder to the Recycle Bin.

Important: Before moving your Dropbox folder to the Recycle Bin, make sure you have a backup of your data stored in another location.

Some users might have two versions of the Dropbox desktop app installed after updating to Dropbox for macOS on File Provider. If you’re experiencing syncing issues, uninstalling the second app may help.

To do this, first check to see if you have the Dropbox desktop app in the following locations:

/Applications
~/Library/Application Support/Dropbox

If you see this file in both locations, delete the file in the second location (~/Library/Application Support/Dropbox). However, if you see the file in the second location but not in the first, move the file to the first location (/Applications).

Restart the Dropbox desktop app. If the issue isn’t resolved from there, contact support.

Learn more about expected changes with Dropbox for macOS on File Provider.

To uninstall Dropbox on a Linux computer, copy and paste the following commands one by one into your terminal window, pressing Enter after each command.

Note: Some of the commands listed may produce an error, but by the last command, Dropbox 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

If you’d also like to remove the Dropbox folder from your hard drive, enter the following command into your terminal and press Enter.

rm -rv ~/Dropbox

Note: This command may need to be altered if your Dropbox folder is not in the default location.

What to do if Dropbox failed to uninstall from your computer

If Dropbox failed to uninstall from your computer, open Task Manager (Windows) or Activity Monitor (Mac) and quit any Dropbox apps or programs, then follow the steps above to uninstall Dropbox.

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