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The dreaded grey minus

I see how this works. Folder FRED has a grey minus. When I enable selective sync on FRED it creates a new folder on my PC called FRED (selective sync...)

But the original folder FRED still keeps the grey minus. How do I return to a synchronised folder called FRED? On my system the folder names do matter...

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Lusil

Hi there, @Horace-Hedgehog.

The gray circle with the minus sign may appear on a file or folder when you're using the selective sync feature (meaning you've opted not to sync this file or folder on your computer).

In general, selectively synced files and folders won't appear in the Dropbox folder on your computer. However, if you create two files or folders with the same name, the gray icon will appear, indicating that one of the files isn’t being synced.

In such a case, you may have a selective sync conflict, which occurs when you create a folder with the same name and in the same location as an unsynced folder. For more info on how to tackle this, I’d recommend checking this article out.

Let me know how it goes!

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Lusil

Hi there, @Horace-Hedgehog.

The gray circle with the minus sign may appear on a file or folder when you're using the selective sync feature (meaning you've opted not to sync this file or folder on your computer).

Let me know how it goes!

Randyhd

I have the same problem, and all the answers say "the problem occurs when you create 2 folders with the same name"). WELL, it is not me that is doing the creating.

I need to free up space on the hard drive. So, before running out of space, and I make sure everything is synced. Then I go into Selective Sync and uncheck a large folder (like one with lots of videos).

What I am noticing Next is that the folder that gets unchecked now has the Grey Minus, and I also now have a same-Named folder with the (Selective cync conflict) appended in the folder name. Only some of the files in the new folder appear, but because they are big video files, I now have a worse problem with harddrive space.

HELP PLEASE! I have tried hard reboots, and having Dropbox start with startup and not with startup and cannot figure this out.

Lusil

Hi there @Randyhd!

Initially, I wanted to clarify that a selective sync conflict occurs when you sync a folder back to your Dropbox folder but there’s already a folder in that location/path with the same name.

Having said that, there are a few ways mentioned in this article on how to tackle a selective sync conflict.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

hels

This is exactly the problem I have, can anyone point me to a link that actually solves the problem and doesn't just say 'deal with two folders'? I want to free up space on my hard drive which is why I'm using selective sync to say "take these folders off my hard drive". Instead of deleting files locally, it just marks them with a grey minus. What use is that?

Do I simply delete the 'grey minus' folders locally? Is that the way to achieve my aim of (a) freeing up disk space and (b) leaving my files safely intact in my dropbox repository?

Lusil

Hey there @hels ,

If you have a folder with the grey minus icon in your Dropbox folder, it generally means that there is another folder with the same name in the same path which is selectively synced (not in your Dropbox folder).

Spoiler

For example, I have “Folder A” in my Dropbox folder with a grey minus icon. The reason for this is that I also have a selectively synced folder called “Folder A”, visible only in the Dropbox website. If I choose to sync ”Folder A” back from my selective sync settings, it will be synced as “Folder A (selective sync conflict)”, since there is another folder with the same name already there.

Having said that, if you have been editing content in the folder with the grey minus icon, to ensure that you don’t delete any altered files, I’d recommend syncing the same-named folder from your selective sync settings and comparing and consolidating the files in them. If you haven’t edited any content in them, you should be able to remove the folder in question.

You can also find more info about selective sync conflicts here.

Let me know of any updates!

hels

Hi @Lusil,

Thanks, but I think this is just a wee bug / quirk / misunderstanding about how the 'feature' is supposed to work.

Those folders are all green-ticks that I haven't changed anything in for years. All I did was unselect them in Selective Sync. In my mind, that shouldn't cause any type of 'conflict'. I just want it removed from my local repository.

That said, I did just delete the folders off my HDD and (thankfully) they remain in my online dropbox, so I've achieved my aim. It would be nice (and less stressful when pushing 'delete') if the selective sync had ditched them for me, but hey.

I noticed when I tried to run a test scenario (create a folder, see it exists online and locally, then uncheck it in selective sync) I did not get the grey minus. The local folder simply got deleted. So, I think the age of the folders in question has something to do with it. Maybe some backwards compatibility thing with the client? I don't know.

But, for now, I am where I need to be.

Lusil

Thanks for getting back to me, @hels.

The behavior that I was referring to before is what you did:

@hels wrote:
create a folder, see it exists online and locally, then uncheck it in selective syncBut, for now, I am where I need to be.

But then you’ll have to create another folder on your device with the same name as the one you just selectively synced and you should get the grey minus icon.

Nonetheless, I’m glad to hear that you were able to resolve your concern in the end. If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to give us a nudge.

Cheers!

Horace-Hedgehog

Exactly my problem, but some people here seem quite unable to grasp it but just churn out huge undigested chunks of the manual.

Lusil

Hey there @Horace-Hedgehog, sorry to hear that you’re also having the same issue.

You mention that you’re having the same experience, but could you please elaborate on what you’re seeing? A screenshot (without any personal info) would also be very helpful.

Thanks!