This folder already contains a Dropbox directory. (Dropbox 3.03 on Fedora 21 (x64)

Same problem here. Looks like you ppl at Dropbox still haven't figured that one out since 2014. I'm not impressed. I purchased Dropbox business for my team. Maybe it's time I look somewhere else?

How haven't you not figure this out yet? This is outrageous and unacceptable. I used to love Dropbox.

Same problem... I reinstalled Windows. Now I have to redownload everything and put it in another folder even though I already have a 100% synched folder on another partition... Now I have E:\Dropbox\Dropbox.... Downloading thousands of files...

Same old issue. Why oh why can I not UNLINK a Dropbox folder, log back in and be asked WHERE DO YOU WANT YOUR DROPBOX FOLDER? (yes, SHOUT because you guys seems to be DEAF)

Then, if there is already a Dropbox folder at the specified place, ask "DO YOU WANT TO USE THIS DROPBOX FOLDER?" Then I can say "yes" and everything is sweet. But right now this problem has been ongoing and ignored for years. dudes... pull your collective corporate finger out. Pleeeease.

Seriously, this is a no-brainer, and I am baffled as to why this feature hasn't been implemented. I'm losing a lot of faith in DB this morning. It pains me, because I consider DB a fabulous application. But to reiterate, on Ubuntu 16.04, using DB 9.4.49, I can't link my existing DB (with 100s of GBs of data) when configuring the application. I put the DB on a separate hard drive (and thus partition), thinking this would save me time and keep my files more consistent... Seriously, after this and testing the Paper beta, I'm beginning to not like DB. Please get this working. You can't expect users to re-sync 100s of GBs like this!!!

I managed to reinstall Dropbox and get around this problem. I did the following:

1. Before starting Dropbox, rename your old Dropbox folder to something else, like "Dropbox_old"

2. Start Dropbox and enter your login information, then click on Advanced options.

3. Select where you want to put your Dropbox folder.

4. Immediately stop syncing files, then exit the Dropbox program.

5. Delete the new Dropbox folder.

6. Place the old Dropbox folder where you want it and rename it to "Dropbox"

7. Start up Dropbox again and it should start indexing the files in your old folder.

It took a while for Dropbox to check all the files to make sure they were the same, but I didn't have to redownload everything.

I hope this helps!

Dear Dropbox:

I see this has been a problem since 2015. Sorry, I read the others and I dont see any helpful answer. 

If however there is an answer after 2 years, can Dropbpx be more clear about this, please.

I recently HAD to delete and reinstall my Mac, threfore I had to re-install all my hardware. Dropbox Desktop app. included. This I guess is a very common thing in this world.

When I select my Dropbox location to my previous location ( an external hardrive Ive been succesfully syncing for a whole year) I get ERROR: This folder already contains a Dropbox directory.

Over 700 Gb of data that its very painfull to Sync again. With the fatal implications this might have.

Any solution for this? 

If However there is NO answer to this, I will appreciate if you let us know please,  and I´ll re-sync everything and stop killing myself  trying to figure out.

Until then Im pausing my sync.

Thanks.

Three years later this joke is still a joke. I've been using dropbox for years but there are so many options I shouldn't have to do this kind of jury rigging in 2017. How can you take THREE YEARS to patch something so simple?