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Judy12159's avatar
Judy12159
Helpful | Level 7
2 years ago

A '.dbxignore' file popped up on my desktop. Can I delete it?

I now have '.dbxignore'  on my desktop. Can I delete it or is it necessary to just leave it there.

(Sorry if this is an inappropriate category, but I couldn't find an accurate one!)

  • Jay's avatar
    Jay
    2 years ago

    HI Judy12159, Judy12205, if you have a different username, this means you've signed up on the phone using a different email from your current Dropbox account. 

     

    There isn't any issue with that, however, you might accidentally be saving files into a different account, since here are two different accounts. 

  • Walter's avatar
    Walter
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff

    Hey Judy12159, thanks for posting on our Community!

     

    Could you please send us a screenshot of where you're spotting this file exactly? 

     

    Also, what's your computer's OS version and the version and status of the desktop app as shown in your menu bar/system tray?

     

    Did you enable hidden files to show on your computer perhaps?

     

    Keep us posted, Judy. 

    • Judy12159's avatar
      Judy12159
      Helpful | Level 7

      It's just a simple file icon with the name dbxignore.
      Windows 10.
      Desktop app: Version 178.4.4811 "Up to Date."
      I believe that I enabled hidden files.
      I've read this online: "Dropbox ignores these to save space in your backup. To do so, it creates placeholder .dbxignore files that take up less space." But I didn't expect to see it on my desktop!

      Also, what's the secret to using my Android phone to reach the community? First I had to sign in but was only given the option to sign up. Then it asked for my user name, I typed what I thought was correct, and I got a message welcoming me at what was apparently a new user name! OY!

      • Hannah's avatar
        Hannah
        Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff

        Glad you figured out the hidden file on your desktop, Judy12159, so if you disable hidden files, it just goes away, is that correct?

         

        As for accessing the Community, after tapping the 'sign in' option, you should be given the option to sign in to your account, so I'm not sure what happened here.

         

        Can you reproduce this using a private browsing window and take a screenshot, so we can check it out?

  • Judy12159's avatar
    Judy12159
    Helpful | Level 7

    So .dbxignore is on my desktop because I've chosen to view hidden folders. "Some external hard drives need to create log files to function. Dropbox ignores these to save space in your backup. To do so, it creates placeholder .dbxignore files that take up less space."

    I'm not using an external hard drive but I'm wondering what happens if I get a new computer. Will the .dbxignore regenerate itself? Do I even need it?

    Thanks in advance.

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