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Suddenly getting sync errors related to file names with special characters

I'm on Windows 10 and have been using dropbox for 5+ years. In the last 2 days, suddenly I have been getting sync errors for around 2500+ files and the error is related to file naming issues. The odd thing is these files have been in dropbox for over 3 years and have always synced with no error messages - so why won't it sync now?

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Lusil

Hey @JuliaG, sorry to hear that.

Could you also let me know if you’re seeing any errors and what the Dropbox icon next to your desktop’s clock reads when you hover over it? A screenshot (omitting personal info) would be much appreciated so as to have a better visual understanding of the behavior.

Thanks in advance!

All comments

Lusil

Hey @ChrisYMY, could you please elaborate a bit on this? For example:

What is the error message that you’re seeing?
What does the Dropbox icon that’s next to your computer’s clock show when you hover over it?

Any screenshots (without any personal info) that you could attach in your next reply would also be very helpful.

Thanks in advance!

JuliaG

I'm having the same problem suddenly today. I started trying to fix them but suddenly loads more are appearing. I'm using a Mac and have been using it without errors for years.

Julia

ChrisYMY

Error message is as follows:

"Couldn't sync 1488 files.
View sync issues on Dropbox settings menu."

There are 2 options beneath the error message, "view" and "dismiss". If I press view, I get a list of the files that fail to sync and message suggesting I remove special characters. (the characters that seem to be an issue are ">" and "?" and "_").

The dropbox icon in the system tray (next to the clock) shows a "1" in red.

Lusil

Hey @JuliaG, sorry to hear that.

Thanks in advance!

Lusil

Thanks for getting back to me, @ChrisYMY.

Hmm. Could you check if you have the latest stable version installed (70.4.93)? Please remember that a beta version can be recognized by a xx.3.xx, instead of the xx.4.xx. So if you’re on a beta build, it means that you have opted in to Early Releases in your online account settings.

If this doesn’t apply to you or you’re still having trouble with this, could you please send me a screenshot (without any sensitive info) of the error message? You can do so from one of the following options:

Let me know what you find!

ChrisYMY

I'm on Beta build, using v71.3.102. Have unchecked the option for early release on Dropbox website just now.

Should I downgrade to stable release?

JuliaG

I'm on the same - v71.3.102. I tried installing 70.4.93, although it still says I'm on v71.3.102 after the update. However, it does seem to be working fine now.

Lusil

Thanks for getting back to me on this, peeps!

@JuliaG, I’m glad to hear that this seems to be working as per normal now. Let me know if you have any other questions or if the behavior persists.

@ChrisYMY, try running the stable version and let me know how it goes. Thanks again!

ChrisYMY

I've downgraded to stable version.

I no longer get the red icon "1" on the dropbox icon in the system tray next to the clock
BUT, it still doesn't seem to sync the files with the special characters.

Question : are special characters in filenames not allowed now? The web version seems to suggest this - although the file names with special characters actually are visible on the webpage (so I assume it had been upload successfully in the past). Just want to confirm if I need to rename all these and avoid them in the future.

Lusil

Glad to hear that you’re not getting the red icon, @ChrisYMY - one down!

As for the special characters one, if the files appear in the bad file check, those files may be potential cause for syncing issues. You can read more on this here.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

ChrisYMY

OK. Think I understand what the issue might be - seems to be caused my mixed use of Mac and Win based machines.

Thanks

Lusil

No worries, @ChrisYMY.

If you have any other questions in the future, don't hesitate to give me a nudge. In the meantime, have a wonderful day ahead!

Darwin63

Hi,

Very unclear how this can be solved. I will NOT rename my 2000 files that have now suddenly became problematic.. How can I automatically replace all special characters by normal characters?

Thanks

Lusil

Hey there @Darwin63,

In general, if you find that you have file names that include one of these characters, the most common solution is to rename the original file without these characters.

However, could you please elaborate a bit on this? Did you find that you have file names that appear in the bad files check? Or are you experiencing any other syncing-related behavior?

Any additional info and screenshots (without personal info included) so as to have a better understanding of your concern would be very helpful.

Thanks in advance!

MRShepherd77

I am experiencing the issues as well... Files that have been synced between my Mac laptop and Windows 10 desktop for years now (I'm getting errors all of a sudden on files from 2012). I am using a beta (although I don't remember signing up necessarily but I've used Dropbox for forever so who knows when I might have done that). Current version 73.3.94. Issues on about 800 files w/ " . " and " : " that used to not be an issue... Like the previous poster said, renaming those files (especially going back so many years) is not an obvious option.

Rich

@MRShepherd77 wrote:
Issues on about 800 files w/ " . " and " : " that used to not be an issue...

The colon " : " has never been a valid character on a Windows system. It's reserved by the operating system, used primarily in drive letters, and Dropbox has never synced files with a colon to a Windows system.

There are other characters that are very similar to a colon that will sync. A Fullwidth Colon " ： " and a Modifier Letter Colon " ꞉ " will both sync to a Windows system. A regular Colon " : " will not, and never has.

The period " . " shouldn't be an issue, as long as it's not the last character in the file name. That, also, has always been the case.

mottensmeyer

Hello - same problem here. All of the files that I have that now have filename issues are shared with people who are Mac users and were originally saved on or created on the Macs. Some of the files date back to 2008 (nearly the beginning of Dropbox!), some are quite recent. My experience of this issue probably dates from about the same time as the other posters. The files in question include not only files with names that have invalid characters, but also files in directories that have names with invalid characters.

Is there any new information on this issue? I'm also facing >2000 files with filenames/directory names that are now throwing this error message

This issue affects both my personal and my corporate dropbox accounts. I believe the other users who originally created the files are using personal accounts.

Lusil

Hi there @mottensmeyer ,

@mottensmeyer wrote:
Is there any new information on this issue?

I’m afraid not. The general idea is still that if sync isn't working on your OS and your file name includes one of the characters included in this article, the easiest solution is to rename the original file so that it doesn’t include them.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

99gov

I have the same problem, and can't change the name on 1405 files. Surely there must be a better fix than this? Why has this issue only just now emerged?

Lusil

Hey there @99gov,

Could you please provide some information as to why you’re unable to rename files? Are you getting any errors? Are you trying to rename them from the website, the desktop app or the mobile app?

Any screenshots (without personal info) illustrating this would also be very helpful.

Thanks in advance!

mitchrosefelt

This has been periodically occurring in our DBox.

Files that have been synced for years abruply show with "unsyncable" error. I know that nobody has changed the files - something else is doing that.

It has probably occurred 4 times this year, with all of the affected files in the same folder.

Walter

Hey @mitchrosefelt, sorry to hear about this.

Can you let us know some additional information in order to have a better look into this issue for you?

For example, what is the exact OS of the devices that have this issue and, also, what is the version of the desktop app installed there?

Could you send us a screenshot of the exact error you're noticing as well?

Thanks so much!

mitchrosefelt

I am able to rename the files. The problem is that they are being mysteriously renamed with illegal characters that causes DBox to throw an error. This is 4 or 5 files this year - all reside a the same folder in my DBox. I'm not running any processes which would rename the files and I've not noticed it anywhere else in my file system. Next time I'll take a screen grab.