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Forum Discussion
Deleted folders keep reappearing
I'm hoping someone can help with this problem. I have been using Dropbox for a few years across a number of devices (2 desktop Macs, a laptop, an iPhone and an iPad). This last week, when I try to delete a folder it reappears a moment later. If I move it into another folder, the same thing happens. I have checked and all my other devices are switched off or not trying to sync while I am doing this. Any advice on how to stop it?
Thanks!
The web interface should only recreate the folder if a device connected instructs it to.
So one of your devices must not be selectively synced, or has some greater issue.
(1) Check each device to see if the folder is present on the device, and remove it. If it comes back its not that device that ordered it created. If it wont delete then thats the device that cant delete it so orders it recreated. Fix that device.
(2) Failing that, take all devices off line, delete the folder via the web, then bring devices online one by one, and watch for the folder being created, when it is, it was the device you just brought online.
So I have spent my entire Sunday reading these threads and trying to remid
I was having a related issue with a file (not folder) on my iPhone: even after permanent deletion on the website, the file kept showing on the phone's 'Recents' and any attempt to delete it generated a 'Deletion Failed' message. @travel r. suggestion did the trick: uploading a new file with the exact same name of the problematic one forced a clean sync and solved the issue.
I had this problem, tried a couple of the suggestions near the top of this list to no avail (but did clear out a lot of devices and apps that didn't need to be linked anymore via the website). I then thought I would try deleting the problematic folder from the website itself and bango...all gone. Noticed that a bit futher down this list Coe I. mentioned this working for him as well.
OK, but what if we are sharing between a coulpe of colleagues? Whenever I try to delete or rename a file/folder it reappears from someone else' computer?
Do you think dropbo business solve this issue?
@Ziaul I think your solution is a good one if the folder/item is showing in the browser. In my case it it not. I have a folder that keeps getting put on my computer from Dropbox. . . and when go to Dropbox using the internet browser this folder is not where to be found. I know Dropbox is putting it on my computer because if I exit dropbox. . . then delete the folder off my computer it will not come back. The minute I re-connect dropbox, the folder re-appears (even though it is not showing as a folder in my dropbox at all).
Add the folder to the cloud via the web browser, then once all is in sync delete it, if all parts think it exists, then all parts should be happy to remove it at once.
I think I finally figured this out for my situation. My folders had brackets [ ] around it so it appeared at the top of my folders list on my PC. Once I removed the brackets and had no special characters in the folder name it deleted fine. Hopefully it sticks.
I have been undertaking he massive re-filing project and found the same issue. Flders would not stay deleted.
My solution was to go to the online folder and I found files not showing up on my computer. These contained illegal characters in their names - ?|: etc. I renamed each one - using simple names like Amos - and then could delete the folder. At renaming they all showed up in my synced file.
This built on some of the advice above - thank you everyone.
- Rich
Super User II
AmosMoses wrote:
II found files not showing up on my computer. These contained illegal characters in their names - ?|: etc.
You can use the Bad Files Check to list any files in your account that could cause a syncing problem.
- Using the Bad Files Check to check for file that were not syncing revealed other folders I had been unable to delete. Renaming these - online - fixed this issue for me again.
Renaming the folder and then deleting it worked for me. I did this on the web/online.
I had this issue show up today and what ultimately solved it for me was unselecting the problematic folder under Preferences/Sync/Selective Sync and then once that was done on all machines, I logged into the browser version of Dropbox and deleted the offending folder. Folder no longer tries to reappear!
