Dropbox uploads any files such as images, Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, PDFs, HTML files, text files, audios, videos and a few other types of files to the cloud. This allows you to access the file anytime and anywhere.
Depending on the plan you are on, you may have limited space available. Whenever you add a file to your Dropbox folder, even if those files already exist somewhere else in your Dropbox account, you may have duplicates of the same file.
This not only takes up valuable space, but it can make your Dropbox a mess, making it tedious to go through and find out which duplicate files to delete. Here are some tips to help you more easily delete these files.
Why is Dropbox duplicating the files?
After generating a conflicted file, Dropbox claims to ensure all the modifications are preserved and no other person can overwrite other’s work. It uploads all the files, even those files that are present somewhere else in your Dropbox account.
Dropbox will never change the modifications even if two people change the same file at a similar time. Instead, it creates a second version and saves the original file with a similar name, but it adjoins with a “conflicted copy.”
In addition, if you place the same file in another folder, that file will also be uploaded into Dropbox.
Use the Website to Find and Remove Files In Dropbox
Follow the below-mentioned steps:
- Log-in to your Dropbox account.
- Choose the option My Files. You will be able to see various criteria that you can utilize to sort your files at the top of the list of your items.
- Sort files by size, name, or extension, to find duplicate files to delete. Your files are organized by name in alphabetic order by default so that it becomes easy for you to find out the files by their size, type, and title.
- If you have already searched files with similar extensions and sizes, check next for similar content and delete any duplicate files you find. Click on Delete (that is visible on the right side of the menu), and click on the ellipsis next to it to. Choose the Delete option, which is visible from the pop-up menu.
This method can seem very complicated and time-consuming, even if you follow the instructions correctly. You can not guarantee that the similar looking files have completely identical data, even if the size, type, and name of the files are the same.
In such a situation, you can always use a tool that can save time and make it easier for you to find the Dropbox identical files on your Mac. One app that you can use is Gemini 2, that uses AI to try and find duplicate files by following these instructions.
How to remove Dropbox duplicates automatically?
After installing Gemini 2 on your Mac, it will scan your Dropbox’s storage and calculate the space that you may be able to free up after deleting duplicate files.
Gemini 2 utilizes an algorithm to select duplicate files after a complete scanning process. By clicking the Smart Cleanup button, you can quickly delete those files. You have the option to review each file before deleting as well.
If you use Dropbox regularly, especially with other people, you may find unnecessary space being used due to duplicate files. Before you delete any files, it’s recommended to keep offline desktop copies. Regularly go in and clean-up your files in Dropbox to organize and save space!