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In dropbox.com/Camera Uploads, file names with colons are not synched to Windows

At Dropbox.com in my Camera Uploads folder I have over 900 jpg files which contain a colon (i.e. : ) in their file names. For example 20161202-15:51 - 15.51.19.jpg

It seems these files will not synch to my Windows laptop. What should I do about this?

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Jay

Hi @XLRotor, thanks for messaging the Community!

This is a limitation on Windows systems, as they don't support certain symbols in file or folder names.

You'll need to change these files to remove the colon symbol to another supported character.

If you have any further queries, feel free to message back.

XLRotor

When I saw that some files synched to Windows, where others did not, I figured colons must be the reason.

Why did jpg files get named in a way not compatible with Windows? I certainly didn't do it. A bigger problem is how do I rename 900+ files.

What controls dropbox's file naming process? The iphone Dropbox app does not seem to offer any control over this. I can see from my list of 1200+ file names that the naming convention changed at various points in time. Starting sometime around August 2022 jpg file names began using a period in place of colons.

Jay

Did you use the camera upload feature, or did you upload images manually to the Dropbox site around the time of the change?

Regarding renaming the files, you'll need to find a program or service to rename them in bulk from your Mac device.

XLRotor

I don't know how to upload photos manually. I don't have a Mac. I have an iPhone 12 and Windows laptop. Photos I take on my phone upload automatically to Dropbox when the iphone Dropbox app is open. Dropbox evidently names and/or renames them when uploading. I have no idea how an iPhone names photo files. The only file name I see is what ends up in Dropbox.

I may have found a way to rename the files.

The following is done while logged in at dropbox.com

1. Create a subfolder under Camera Uploads named temp

2. In subfolder temp, create a naming convention from the "Organize" drop down.

3. copy the files that need renaming from Camera Uploads to temp.

I tested with a single file, and it worked. However, after my successful test with a single file, Dropbox seemed to forget the naming convention I had created for the temp folder. Very strange. However #2, I copied another file and it did get renamed just like the first file. Very strange #2.

I am amazed that a Google search or a Dropbox forum search found nothing helpful when I looked for colon-related problems with file names in Camera Uploads. I can't believe I'm the only person to fight this problem.

XLRotor

This is an update to my method. For the copy step, don't use the ... button to the right of the file list. Use the ... button above the file list.

Rich

@XLRotor wrote:
Dropbox evidently names and/or renames them when uploading.

Dropbox does rename photos and videos when using the Camera Uploads process, but it doesn't use colons. The format used by Camera Uploads is YYYY-MM-DD hh.mm.ss.jpg. If your files have colons in the name, something else is causing it.

Jay

@Rich is correct, since the camera upload feature wouldn't keep any colons in the filenames, and since only Apple devices can read them, most likely the images were imported manually into Dropbox from a Mac or iPhone.

The naming convention would be a workaround, however, you might lose the similar naming format for the other images that are named correctly.

XLRotor

Files uploaded after about August 2022 don't have colons. Before that, they have colons. FWIW - None of my file names have the seconds in the name, and seconds are not available in any of the options in the Organize/Set naming convention dialog. One evidently cannot enter a custom name format - only the items in the list can be selected.

Image 008.png

XLRotor

I reckon sometime in 2022 one of the coders at Dropbox realized that colons were a bad idea. As of today one can't get a colon even if you wanted to.

Rich

@XLRotor wrote:
I reckon sometime in 2022 one of the coders at Dropbox realized that colons were a bad idea.

The format has been the same since the feature was introduced.

Camera Uploads from 2009

Camera Uploads from 2023

Jay

Colons would never be used via camera uploads, as it is well-known that Windows cannot handle : and | symbols, along with others for many years.

The files would always be renamed in the same format using dashes and dots.

XLRotor

Is there a way to edit a post just after it's posted?

I should have added that colons in old files do appear in Dropbox.com (see below screenshot). Those old files are no longer on my phone, and they are not in my Dropbox folder on my Windows laptop. I thought they were gone for good until I found them at Dropbox.com and realized the colons were keeping them from syncing to my Windows laptop. The moment I rename a file to remove the colon, it appears on my laptop. I hope this thread spares some people from the same misery.

Image 009.png