Box Drive includes an automated uninstall process for Box Sync. When you log into Box Drive, Box Drive by default prompts you to begin the Box Sync uninstall process. Click Continue, and Box Drive proceeds automatically to uninstall Box Sync.
Uninstalling Box Sync via Box Drive does not disable the application. It only removes the local client. That means anyone who uninstalls Sync can still see the "sync to desktop" options in the Box Web app. The only way to get rid of those is to disable the Box Sync application in admin console. To do this, navigate to the Admin Console > Integrations > Box Integrations & Clients tab. In the Box Official Clients section, click Desktop and then click the Box Sync for Mac slider button and/or Box Sync for Windows slider button.
During the uninstall process Box also cleans up the remaining Box Sync content to reduce the content footprint on your machine. Here are the details.
However, admins can change the default uninstallation behavior. You have several options:
Control the behavior by setting a registry value (Windows) or plist preference (macOS).
On Windows:
- Add a REG_DWORD called SyncUninstallMode under HKLM\Software\Box\Box and set the data value to any of the options described below.
On Mac:
- Run this command:
defaults write com.box.desktop.ui SyncUninstallMode -int <MODE>
where MODE is a value of 0-4.
For the desired behavior to take effect, add the registry value or plist change before users log into Box Drive.
SyncUninstallMode Values
Use these values for Registry (Windows) or plist preference (Mac) values.
| Value | Description |
|---|---|
| 0 |
Skip uninstallation and skip Sync cleanup. Box Drive does not initiate either the uninstallation process or the cleanup process. We do not recommend this option, as it leaves both Box Sync and Box Drive installed on the machine, which we do not support. |
| 1 |
Silent uninstallation without Sync cleanup. Box Drive silently uninstalls Box Sync the next time Box Drive launches and a person logs in. The process ends after the Box Sync program is uninstalled; Box Sync content is not touched. The system displays a completion dialog indicating Box Sync has been removed, and prompts the person to clean up the content left in their Box Sync folder. |
| 2 |
Prompted uninstallation without Sync cleanup. Box Drive prompts a person to uninstall Box Sync the next time Drive launches and they log in (this step is identical to the default flow). The process ends after Box Sync is uninstalled; Box Sync content is not touched. The system displays a completion dialog indicating Box Sync has been removed, and prompts the person to clean up the content left in their Box Sync folder. |
| 3 |
Silent uninstallation and force Sync cleanup. Box Drive silently uninstalls Box Sync the next time Box Drive launches and a person logs in. After Box Sync is removed, Box Drive moves to the cleanup stage and displays a dialog that alerts the person the cleanup is in process. When the cleanup completes and non-synchronized items remain, Box creates the Archived - Box Sync folder, puts the non-synchronized items into this folder, and then prompts you to clean up these remaining items. |
| 4 (default) |
Prompted uninstallation and force Sync cleanup. See Uninstalling Box Sync Using Box Drive for details. |
Failure to Uninstall
On rare occasions Box Drive is unable to prepare the Box Sync folder for cleanup. Usually this is because a Box Sync file or folder is still open when the cleanup initiates.
If you see this error message, ensure the person has closed all files and folders. Then retry the uninstallation. If the uninstallation still fails, try restarting the machine. Box Drive attempts to resume the uninstallation the next time Drive launches after the machine restarts. If it succeeds, it progresses right into cleanup. If it does not succeed, it re-displays the error message. If this happens, please contact Box Product Support.