Learn how to make the most out of the Dropbox Community here 💙. 

Forum Discussion

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

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!)
Delete
desktop
  • 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. 

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

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
2 years ago

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
    2 years ago

    Okay, so usually it's a hidden file. Does that mean I should just leave it alone? My original question was whether I could/should delete it.

    If I'm accessing the community on my phone, should I be using my usual DropBox login information? I thought that was what I was doing, but I wasn't able to reach the conversation.

    Thanks!

    • Jay's avatar
      Jay
      Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
      2 years ago

      Hi Judy12159, I'd recommend leaving the file as is to prevent any issues with the backup process.

       

      It's possible there was an issue logging into the site via the mobile device, however, it seems you're able to post normally.

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

        I'm posting on my laptop, not my phone. Well, I'll have to work on this. Thanks!

About Apps and Installations

Have a question about a Dropbox app or installation? Reach out to the Dropbox Community and get solutions, help, and advice from members.

Need more support

If you need more help you can view your support options (expected response time for an email or ticket is 24 hours), or contact us on X or Facebook.

For more info on available support options for your Dropbox plan, see this article.

If you found the answer to your question in this Community thread, please 'like' the post to say thanks and to let us know it was useful!