How to Uninstall Dropbox on Mac, Windows, and Linux

Easy to do for whatever the reason

Despite Dropbox’s incredible popularity, you may have many reasons to get rid of it from your computer. Perhaps you find the basic plan too restrictive and want to switch to an alternative cloud storage service. Or, maybe you just want to delete the Dropbox installation fortroubleshooting purposes.

Regardless, you can quickly remove Dropbox whenever you want. The following instructions will show what you must do to uninstall Dropbox on Mac, Windows, and Linux.

How to Uninstall Dropbox on Mac

If you use Dropbox on a Mac, you can remove it just like any other application by moving it to the Trash. But first, you must stop Dropbox’s sync service from running in the background.

  1. Select theDropboxstatus icon on the Mac’s menu bar.

  2. Select your profile portrait and pick the option labeledQuit.

  3. Once Dropbox’s status icon disappears, open a Finder window and selectApplicationson the sidebar.

  4. Control-clickDropboxand selectMove to Trash. If your Mac prompts you to, enter the administrator password and pressEnter.

Uninstalling Dropbox will not remove the Dropbox sync folder on your Mac. However, if you don’t plan on reinstalling Dropbox later, you can choose to delete it.

To do that, go toMacintosh HD>Users>[Your User Name](or control-clickDropboxon the Finder sidebar and selectShow in Enclosing Folder). Once inside, create a backup of the Dropbox folder (if needed). Then, control-click and chooseMove to Trash.

If the Dropbox sync folder is of a substantial size, considerdeleting the Mac’s Trashto free up the storage space.

How to Uninstall Dropbox on Windows

Whether Dropbox came pre-installed on your PC or you installed it yourself, you can uninstall it quickly by visiting the Apps and Features pane on your PC. However, you must stop the cloud storage service from running in the background before you do that.

Note:If you use Dropbox for S Mode, skip steps 1 and 2.

  1. Right-click theDropboxicon on the system tray.

  2. Select your profile portrait and pick theQuitoption.

  3. PressWindows+X(or right-click theStartbutton) and selectApps and Features.

  4. SelectDropboxand pick the option labeledUninstall. If you use Windows 11, select theMoreicon (three dots) next to Dropbox to reveal theUninstallbutton.

  5. SelectUninstallagain to confirm. Then, follow the Dropbox uninstaller’s instructions to remove the program from your computer.

Despite removing Dropbox, its sync folder will continue to remain on your computer. If you want to delete it as well, open your PC’s system drive (Local Disk: C) and selectUsers>[Your User Name]. Then, right-click theDropboxfolder and selectDeleteor theTrashicon.

You might want to continue byemptying your PC’s Recycle Binto reclaim the space savings occupied by the Dropbox folder.

How to Uninstall Dropbox on Linux

Most Linux distributions feature a graphical software management tool that you can use to uninstall Dropbox. Or, you can run a series of commands in Terminal to get rid of the cloud storage service. We’ll useLinux Mintin both examples below.

  1. Select theDropboxicon on the system tray and chooseQuit Dropbox.

  2. Locate and openSoftware Manager.

  3. Select theMoreicon (three stacked lines) to the top-left of the Software Manager window and selectShow installed applications.

  4. SelectDropbox.

  5. SelectRemove.

  6. Enter your administrator password (if requested) to remove Dropbox from your system.

To remove the Dropbox sync folder, open the Files app and selectHomeon the sidebar. Then, right-click theDropboxfolder and selectMove to Trash.

  1. Search for and openTerminalin Linux.

  2. Run the following commands to stop the Dropbox app from running in the background:

  3. Run the following series of commands to remove Dropbox from your computer:

If you want, follow up with the command below to delete the Dropbox folder:

Uninstalled Dropbox Successfully: What Next?

If you don’t plan on re-installing Dropbox on your computer, you’ve got multiple alternatives to backup and sync files between devices. On the Mac, you’ve got iCloud Drive baked into the operating system. Likewise, you’ve gotOneDrive on Windows. Both services offer 5GB to start with, which is substantially more than the 2GB you get with Dropbox.

Or, you can use a multi-platform solution in the form ofGoogle Drive, which nets you 15GB of free cloud storage. Just note that Google Drive doesn’t offer a non-browser-based client for Linux.

Dilum Senevirathne is a freelance tech writer and blogger with three years of experience writing for online technology publications. He specializes in topics related to iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and Google web apps. When he isn’t hammering away at his Magic Keyboard, you can catch him binge-watching productivity hacks on YouTube.Read Dilum’s Full Bio

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