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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 Dropbox app has synced the previous file, Windows highlights all text in the currently-being-edited filename, even if I am tapping through it.
To reproduce:
- Open a folder containing many files that is currently synced in Dropbox
- Click on a file name twice (not doubleclick) to begin renaming it. Rename it however.
- Press the Tab key to flick down to the next file in the folder. If the previous filename was still in the 'editing' mode then you will automatically be editing the next filename.
- Quickly start using the arrow keys or Home/End to move around in the filename but do not start typing
- After a second or two, when the Dropbox App has re-synced the file you previously renamed, Windows will highlight the entire filename that you are currently arrowing-around in - maybe just as you were about to start typing.
I suspect this has something to do with updating the little blue and green file icon overlays.
If you were just about to start inserting some text somewhere in a filename, but hadn't started typing yet, then the fact that the filename has just re-highlighted itself might cause you to overwrite the entire filename instead of inserting the part you were planning.
When doing this with many files this can be a real annoyance. Is a fix possible?
- 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!
An update - This still a problem ... again.
This issue seemed to go away for me for a while and I posted in this thread that it fixed for me.
But soon after (a week or two), the issue was happening again. I just didn't get around to re-posting.
So yeah, this is still very annoying. And I agree with Fr0stbyte5 that solutions for this should be possible, like a user changing the frequency of the updating.
i.e. A user can find a threshold where conflicts would be very unlikely (Dropbox would even be able to recommend a time, calculated by folder shares + frequency of updates per user, etc), but where the refresh issue is non-existent.If I can make a recommendation to the Dropbox team, this is one of those issues that *SEEMS* small and likely very insignificant vs adding new features that could attract new users and revenue streams, but this is actually quite a big annoyance, and the ONLY annoyance that I have when using Dropbox, so if this problem was to be elevated in priority and addressed, then I'd not be surprised if you find retention increasing and churn decreasing.
Do some 'quality of life' updates to keep your existing customer base happy, and in turn create ambassadors out of them. Because right now, if someone asked me for a recommendation, my response would be "Yeah, it's good, but ..."
Get rid of that 'But', and good things could just happen.
"A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush"Instead of replying to this thread which is marked as closed and is no longer being read by anyone at dropbox:
* * * OPEN A SUPPORT TICKET * * *
This is the way.
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.
I see similar behavior throughout windows 10 caused by something else as well. Check out "bulk rename utility" by TGRMN software.
Sadly for me, and probably for most of other ppl, that works with word/excel templates and copypaste and rename only couple of files all the time, making new folders etc, it just aint reasonable to use another app, in that case you just need to develop a habit to wait 3 seconds before editing.
I have a very fast computer, with very fast harddrive, and still i see Windows "refreshing" my **bleep** folder in slowmotion, and for some reason, those that programmed that function, decided that they need to reselect after refreshing. I even notice a lag AFTER renaming, pressing enter, it can take 3 seconds for the file to "get sorted" after filename for example. Never had this problem in old windows 7...Then it looks like until Dropbox and Windows can collaborate on fixing this issue, we will have to continue pausing DB when renaming multiple files then unpausing after.
I've been having this problem for many years as well, and I finally got annoyed enough to look and find this thread today. I never assumed it would be a DropBox problem though. Still would be nice to have a fix.
If it makes anyone happier this crap happens on Onedrive as well. I use both since i have to pay for office anyway... So i assume this is a Windows file explorer problem for "attached drives", of any kind.
If this happens on Onedrive also, there's a chance microsoft will fix it for their product... and make it work also for dropbox. Could be an idea try to let them know the problem with onedrive thru the feedback app embedded in windows...
This happens to me in win10 File Explorer all the time, perhaps it's a OS problem.
In Fact I try to delay all my file renaming and sorting work for when using linux as windows does untold crazy **bleep** to the point I deleted a whole folder of over 2000 files that I had spent hours sorting and renaming and deleting duplicates, due to not noticing a window I had minimised while a large file deletion was in progress had stolen focus and I thought, as I'm experiencing a lot lately that the mouse click did not work and the finalising of what I was doing did not happen, the window that stole focus had similar files to the one I had emptied but was the finalized work which needed to be transferred to other backups of those same files, luckily I was able to restore them ... which meant I had to find 40 files which were unwanted which got restored as well FFS M$ ... you should have that **bleep** sorted by now!
I also rename files frequently and have been experiencing this issue on multiple machines for quite a while. I also assumed it was a Windows 10 issue but now seeing that this is an issue Dropbox has been aware of for literally years and has been unable to fix. We have multiple business licenses for our company, can you provide a timeline as to when this may be fixed?
- Walter
Dropbox Staff
Hey there Episode10 & JB40; thanks for your reports here.
If you notice this after performing an advanced reinstall, may we reach out via email to investigate further?
Same issue.
Easy workaround : just pause Dropbox sync while you're doing the renaming work, then unpause once you've finished.
I have experienced this same issue on both Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 computers. I have have had an open support request with Dropbox on this issue for about two months now, and their only resolution so far is to disable syncing when renaming files or folders. This is very inconvenient to do every time you rename a file.
- Daphne
Hey there everyone, thank you so much for your ongoing updates here!
Our team have been looking into this and would like to do a little further investigation and need some additional examples to help with this.
I've just sent a brief email to each of you here, if you have the time then please check your inbox for my message and we can go from there.
alexonskiPGC, I could see that you already have an open communication with our team regarding this so I've just passed along your comments there.
Thank you so much for your patience, let me know if you have any questions!
Same issue. Last windows update and last dropbox client as 09 june 2020.
I have the same problem.
This is the most annoying thing about Dropbox.
I rename files a lot.
Select a file, press F2 to rename, rename file, tab to next file, start typing (but when the resync of the previous file is complete and the dropbox icon updates the filename is reselected in full and you start typing over the filename again wiping what you just did).
This drives me insane!
The "fix" which is not a fix at all, turn off dropbox while renaming files. There has to be a better solution.
- Daphne
Hey everyone, apologies for the delay in getting back to you all here!
Just so I can have a little more info to have a better look into this with you, can you just let me know:
- The version of the desktop app you have installed.
- The OS version your device is running.
Let me know - thanks!
Hello, I experience the same issue for past several months working from home due to the quarantine:
Dropbox desktop v102.4.431
Windows 10 Home, v1903, OS build 18362.959
- Daphne
I've had this issue for years and always assumed it was a windows 10 issue, but the windows 10 solution to this issue (turn off auto accent colour) has never worked for me. It was only now that I realised that this was specific to dropbox only.
I do a lot of file renaming when working with game assets, sometimes hundreds, or thousands, at a time. A solution would be incredibly appreciated as this is incredibly annoying as it slows down work a lot!
N.B. My current work around is to copy all of my files out of dropbox, do my renaming, then copy them back into dropbox ... which is not at all how I intended to use dropbox, considering that dropboxes strength is that it can (or should be able to) operate is a live and frictionless local production folder.
FYI, I found posts where odrive had similar issues, and has a work around
https://forum.odrive.com/t/windows-file-explorer-annoyance-when-renaming-files-or-folders/2953/6
And there's a similar solution for Google Drive (at bottom of thread)
https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/explorer-keeps-refreshing-while-renaming-files/7398cbeb-1a1e-47b5-9015-5b9e79b10b06
And similar with One Drive
https://onedrive.uservoice.com/forums/913522-onedrive-on-windows/suggestions/35362708-bug-explorer-reselects-entire-filename-when-edit
- If you read the comments on these posts, you'll see how much this issue annoys everyone. Definitely worth fixing!Hi,
I have also had the same issue for years. Being a minor annoyance, I just put up with it, until I finally decided today to spend a few minutes looking into it.
My thanks to the posters above: I now know at least why it is happening, and when to expect it.
Windows 10 Home 1903 18362.778
Dropbox v95.4.441
Thanks in adance for a resolution.
I have been experiencing this exact issue forever on multiple Windows 10 machines, it is absolutely maddening. Please, please, please fix it, or at least acknowledge that you can reproduce it.
I have the exact same issue, can recreate it using the steps in the original post and get the exact same outcome.
Very annoying considering I rename files en masse regularly.
The only solution I have currently is to pause Dropbox and then unpause it when I'm done renaming, but this is a patch not a fix.
