How to Cancel Dropbox
Dropbox is canceled through the website, not the desktop or mobile app. Canceling downgrades your account to the free 2 GB tier. Files over that limit are not deleted immediately, but syncing stops and you cannot add new files until you reduce storage or resubscribe.
Cancel online
Go to dropbox.com, sign in, open your profile icon, then Settings, then Plan, then Cancel plan. Dropbox walks you through a retention flow that may offer a discount or a pause before confirming. The cancel option is only available on the website. You cannot cancel through the Dropbox desktop app, mobile app, or system tray icon.
Read this before you cancel
Dropbox is billed through Dropbox directly in most cases. If you subscribed through Apple on an iPhone or iPad, billing runs through Apple and canceling on dropbox.com will not stop the charge. Check your bank or credit card statement to confirm who bills you. Annual plans are the bigger source of confusion. Dropbox annual plans charge upfront for the full year. If you cancel mid-year, your account stays active until the year ends, but Dropbox does not offer prorated refunds after the first 30 days. Monthly plans cancel at the next billing date with no penalty.
After you cancel
Your paid plan stays active until the end of the billing period. After that, your account drops to the free Basic tier with 2 GB of storage. Files already in your Dropbox are not deleted. But if you have more than 2 GB stored, syncing stops across all devices, shared folder syncing pauses, and you cannot upload new files. Dropbox keeps your files on their servers, but if the account stays over the storage limit for an extended period, you may receive warnings about potential data removal. Downloaded files on your computer remain yours regardless.
Related: Canceled but benefits still work
What to save as proof
If billing continues, these make the dispute faster.
- 1Screenshot of the Plan settings page showing the cancellation and plan expiration date
- 2Screenshot of your current storage usage before canceling
- 3Confirmation email from Dropbox with the downgrade or cancellation details
- 4If billed through Apple, screenshot of Apple subscription settings showing the cancellation
What goes wrong
- Tried to cancel through the Dropbox desktop app or mobile app. The cancel option is only available on the website at dropbox.com under Plan settings.
- On an annual plan and expected a prorated refund after canceling mid-year. Dropbox does not offer refunds after the first 30 days on annual plans.
- Uninstalled Dropbox from the computer and assumed the subscription stopped. The subscription lives in the Dropbox account on the web, not in the desktop app. Removing the app has no effect on billing.
- Did not check storage usage before canceling. After downgrading to 2 GB, syncing stopped across all devices because stored files exceeded the free limit.
- Shared folders stopped syncing for collaborators after the plan owner canceled. Shared folders tied to a paid account may stop working for everyone when the account downgrades.