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Forum Discussion
Renaming files: windows re-selects entire filename when other files resync
Found a reproducible annoyance in Windows 10 with Dropbox. I often cycle through a lot of folders using the tab key to rename them one at a time, and this produces an issue where, as soon as the Drop...
- Hey AntennaMan!
Thanks for following up with us!
It looks like this is not a Dropbox specific issue, and it's appearing with other cloud programs as well.
Now, it'd be wise to note, that since this isn't an issue caused by Dropbox or pertaining just to us, we're not able to provide a precise solution.
I'd definitely suggest checking in with Microsoft about this, as well just to make sure you've exhausted all options and to also let them know about this.
Give me a nudge if you have any other questions!
I believe the problem is due to "Screen Refreshing" when Windows redraws the sync Icon Overlays on the desktop (little green tick marks, brown archive ready boxes, etc), and is related to the way File Explorer interacts with file syncing apps (not just OneDrive).
I found that if you go into File Explorer, select the Desktop folder and under Options/View, turn off "Show Sync Provider Notifications". This should significantly reduce the problem. If you are renaming multiple files and you select part of the next filename quickly, it might still default back to the full filename only once. But it won't keep re-selecting the full filename over and over again.
I'd be interested to know if this works for anyone else.
@Raft61, I haven't tried your workaround, but my own observations confirm that the filename highlighting problem is related to the icon overlays as you and others have suggested.
However, as to whether other sync services are affected, exiting only the Dropbox app switched off the problem for me, even with three other file sync services still running in Windows 11 (Google Drive, OneDrive, Sync.com).
And having now set "Preferences – General – Dropbox Badge" to "Never show", I no longer have the problem occurring.
