If you’re a Dropbox Basic user, you'll have a free storage limit of 2 GB. If you exceed your storage quota, you may be subject to data deletion, and sync and upload restrictions. You may also experience restrictions on sharing and previewing files and folders. You’ll receive notifications about the deletion of your most recent data to make room within your plan limit. To prevent deletion, we recommend that Basic users manage their files to align with the plan limit or consider upgrading to a higher-tier plan for additional storage.
How did I get into this state?
You may be over your storage quota if one of the following occurred:
- You previously had a paid plan, downgraded to the Basic plan, and retained your uploaded data.
- You were part of a team account that was disbanded, or you were removed from a team.
- You were a trial user with a larger storage allowance but didn't upgrade to a paid plan.
- You may have joined a shared folder which other users contributed to.
What’s my Dropbox free storage limit?
Dropbox Basic offers 2 GB of starting storage space for free. To find out if you’re over your Dropbox free storage limit quota, check how much storage space you have.
How will my data be deleted?
If your account exceeds the free storage limit for Dropbox Basic, we'll notify you through multiple emails in advance. We’ll begin by deleting your least recently modified files first to bring your account under the limit. Only files you own will be deleted.
Files you’ve downloaded to your desktop or mobile device will remain available, even if other files are deleted from your Dropbox account. However, online-only files (placeholders on desktop) and files marked for offline use inside the Dropbox mobile app may be deleted, and won’t be automatically saved to your device’s local file system. If you want to keep a copy, make sure the file is fully downloaded to your device.
The deletion process includes:
Additionally, shared folders will be temporarily left based on ownership:
- Shared folders not owned by you will be removed from your directory without deleting contents.
- Shared folders you own will also be removed, allowing other users to maintain access.
Deleted files and folders are moved to the Deleted files tab in the left side panel, for 30 days before permanent removal. You can re-add shared folders and their contents back to your account once your account is under quota, or you have upgraded your account for additional storage. Permanently deleted files can’t be restored.
How can I avoid the deletion of my data?
Before any deletion occurs, we'll notify you multiple times and provide options to prevent the deletion of your files:
