Locked folder that can't be removed?

@enjayare, may be something else have happened. Probably immutable flag have been set. If so, you can trow it out using: "sudo chflags nouchg /Users/njrcon/Dropbox/Tender\ -\ 160\ Brook\ St\,\ Coogee" and/or "sudo chflags noschg /Users/njrcon/Dropbox/Tender\ -\ 160\ Brook\ St\,\ Coogee". Try it, just to be sure.

Finally give the result from "ls -lO /Users/njrcon/Dropbox/Tender\ -\ 160\ Brook\ St\,\ Coogee" or just take a look on get info window to check is "Locked" is still checked.

All comments

Hey @enjayare, thanks for the screenshot, definitely provides a better understanding of your concern.

In general, the red circle with the x means that something is wrong, and Dropbox isn’t syncing this folder.

For this reason, could you please check if the desktop app is running by locating the Dropbox icon that should be next to your computer's clock?

If you don't find it, it means that the desktop app isn't running and thus not syncing. In this case, please manually relaunch it from your applications menu.

If you do see it, could you please send me a screenshot (without any personal info) of what it reads when you hover over it?

Let me know how it goes!

Hello Lusil,

Is this one you mean?

Screen Shot 2019-08-26 at 7.39.56 pm.png

Hi @enjayare,

The problem is not in the application. Seems you have changed access rights to that folder (probably by mistake). Fix the permissions (through folder settings) and lets hope everything will be fine.

Hope this helps.

Hello 3Apabko,

Thanks for you reply.

I have opend the get info window for this folder and attach a copy below.

According to the window the test user is the only one with read and write permossion. So I will try and log in as test and see if I can unlock the folder.

Screen Shot 2019-08-27 at 3.03.06 pm.png

Hello again 3Apabko,

This did not work because when I logged in under test the folder did not show up in my drop box. It only seems to show up in the finder window when when I open my dropbox files from the icon in the top menu bar??? Even when I open dropbox.com on the web the folder does not show up???

Hi @enjayare,

The problem seems not just permissions, but owning. Your can read this for more information how to revert owning. It's normal when you switch to different user not to see directly Dropbox folder of the initial user. Every user have their own such folder. You have to be still able to navigate to appropriate Dropbox directory - just go to appropriate user directory first. Or may be the terminal solution would be better. The choice is yours.

Hope this gives additional direction.

Hi again @enjayare,

Adding to what @Здравко suggested, can you try and remove the folder by quitting the Dropbox desktop app and dragging it to another location or outside of your Dropbox folder?

Let me know if that helps!

Hello 3Apabko,

I tried to use the terminal but it kept saying illegal user name? Maybe I wasn't entering the info correctly? Also becasue the file was not mine in the first place does this mean that I can never remove it?

Hello Lusil,

I'm not usre how to do this? how do I drag the folder out after I have closed the desktop application?

You can quit the desktop app by:

Clicking on the Dropbox icon that's next to your computer's clock.
Selecting your profile picture or the initials that are on the top right corner of the pop up window.
Click on Quit Dropbox.

From there, try to either drag the folder outside of the Dropbox folder to, for example, your desktop, or deleting it.

If this doesn't do the trick, please let me know or send me a screenshot (again, without any personal info) of the error message that you're presented with.

Thanks in advance!

Thanks Lusil, I tried to move the folder to the trash but got this error message - The operation can’t be completed because the item “Tender - 160 Brook St, Coogee” is locked. Also every time I drag the folder out of the window it just copies a new version to the destination and the original remains in dropbox.

When I log into dropbox on the web this folder does not appear in the list.

Should I try and restart my computer maybe?

Cheers Nick.

Hi @enjayare,

Strange... :thinking: Did you try "ls /Users/"? What is the result? Also, what gives the command "whoami"?

You can give a reboot a shot and, if that doesn't work, try uninstalling the desktop app and then deleting the folder in question.

If you get the same error message, then that could mean that the cause is related to something outside of the Dropbox app, in which case I'd recommend contacting Apple support for more info on this.

If you do manage to delete the folder though, you can then reinstall the latest version of the desktop app (79.4.143) and run it.

Thanks for your ongoing effort on this, @enjayare! Let me know what you find.

No, no, no, ... @Lusil this is not Dropbox application problem. Definitely!

Whoami = njrcon

The folder name is Tender - 160 Brook St, Coogee so I typed the following in terminal: -

sudo chown njrcon ~/Dropbox/Tender\ -\ 160\ Brook\ St\,\ Coogee

It told me

Operation not permitted

Oh.. And don't ask for your password?

Sorry yes it did ask for my password but then it said No such file.

Here is the whole script

Last login: Tue Aug 27 18:17:47 on ttys000

Nicks-27-iMac:~ njrcon$ sudo chown njrcon ~/Users/njrcon/Dropbox/Tender\ -\ 160\ Brook\ St\,\ Coogee

Password:

chown: /Users/njrcon/Users/njrcon/Dropbox/Tender - 160 Brook St, Coogee: No such file or directory

Nicks-27-iMac:~ njrcon$ sudo chown njrcon ~/njrcon/Dropbox/Tender\ -\ 160\ Brook\ St\,\ Coogee

chown: /Users/njrcon/njrcon/Dropbox/Tender - 160 Brook St, Coogee: No such file or directory

Nicks-27-iMac:~ njrcon$ sudo chown njrcon ~/Dropbox/Tender\ -\ 160\ Brook\ St\,\ Coogee

chown: /Users/njrcon/Dropbox/Tender - 160 Brook St, Coogee: Operation not permitted

Nicks-27-iMac:~ njrcon$

@enjayare, Are you admin on the your machine? It looks like no! Do you know the root pasword? If so, you can use the following:

su
chown njrcon /Users/njrcon/Dropbox/Tender\ -\ 160\ Brook\ St\,\ Coogee

Try this.

@enjayare, another option, without to know root password, is while log in as 'test' to execute "sudo chown njrcon /Users/njrcon/Dropbox/Tender\ -\ 160\ Brook\ St\,\ Coogee". In such a case no so much privileges will be need.

Finally give the result from "ls -lO /Users/njrcon/Dropbox/Tender\ -\ 160\ Brook\ St\,\ Coogee" or just take a look on get info window to check is "Locked" is still checked.

Thank you I will try all these tomorrow and let you know what happens.

The Folder is in the Bin!!!

Thank you so much everyone for your on going help, it was "sudo chflags noschg /Users/njrcon/Dropbox/Tender\ -\ 160\ Brook\ St\,\ Coogee" that unlocked the folder.

Cheers Nick.

I have recently loaded my Personal Account on a Business Account and due to a locked file on my Dropbox-folder on my Macbook the Dorpbox-app can no longer sync.

On Finder it says I have no permission to delete the locked folder and I cannot unlock the folder. What to do?

Hi @Willem Groenewald, thanks for nudging us on this thread.

Since you mention that you're unable to delete a folder from your account, could you send me a screenshot (without any personal info) of the notification that you get when you try to remove it?

Keep me posted - thanks!

Hi Lusil, please send me your email address so that I can send you the screenshots of the locked file.

I will need to take a decision soon whether to continue with Dropbox or not. My folders are not syncing and it seems as if no-one has an answer to resolve the lock-file issue that prevents syncing.

Regards, Willem

Hello Willem, this is what worked for me last year, just substitute "Tender 160 Brook St Coogee" with your file name accordingly.

"sudo chflags noschg /Users/njrcon/Dropbox/Tender\ -\ 160\ Brook\ St\,\ Coogee" that unlocked the folder.

Thank you for the assitance!

Please guide me where to incert the new file name on Finder? I am working on macOS Mojave Version 10.14.6

I am not an expert with this sorry but I think you need to go to applications, then utilities, then terminal to enter the filename etc.

Hi, the following worked for me:

Typing " sudo rm -r " in the Terminal and thereafter dragging the folder from the Finder into the Terminal to get the path - worked to delete the locked files and folder.

Thank you!