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The Dropbox app is trying to sync folders, and there's no option to stop that.

DB is trying to sync stuff in my Windows folder and I now have 15 sync issues. The "app" is about useless as mammaries on a bull. It lists them, then sends you to the folder if you click "view file," but there is no "don't sync this folder" option available.

I can't click the thumbs down icon enough for "was this helpful?"

I have all my user files on one drive, (not "onedrive,") and I don't want to sign anything, share anything, docsend anything, upgrade anything, I just want it to keep that ONE FOLDER synced. That's it.

How can I make this happen.

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Jay

Do these steps from Microsoft help at all in changing the index location?

All comments

Nancy

Thanks for your post, @Stephen J.9.

To be able to further assist, can you clarify which folders the Dropbox app is trying to sync exactly?

When saying that you don't see an option to "don't sync this folder", do you mean that you'd like to ignore them this way perhaps?

If not, please send me a screenshot of what you’re seeing on your end, and I’ll have a look.

Keep me posted.

Stephen J.9

My understanding is Windows is now using "AI" to modify people's OS settings. I constantly have to go into my firewall settings and re-click "allow" on one of my PLC/HMI applications. I wonder if "AI" is changing my folder permissions. Though, I never told Dropbox to back up anything Windows, only the "Dropbox" folder on a separate drive. Windows is on a solid state drive on its own little island.

There is no "don't sync this folder" option for Dropbox.

Thanks !!

Steve

Stephen J.9

and that "Documents" folder I don't use, and I really wish I had the hard drive space to get rid of M$ OneDrive.

I'm done with M$ trying to run my life, handle all my files, be my browser, know everything I do and type. I just want it to run programs and keep the OS safe. That's all. I guess what I really want is Linux, but with a "Defender" or air gap for the BIOS and OS. 😂

Rich

Stephen J.9 wrote:
My understanding is Windows is now using "AI" to modify people's OS settings.

That wouldn't have anything to do with Dropbox or its settings; only your Windows Settings. You can easily disable Copilot (the AI tool that handles this) in your Windows Settings.

Stephen J.9 wrote:
I wonder if "AI" is changing my folder permissions.

It's not. AI isn't doing anything that you aren't telling it to do or asking for help with.

Stephen J.9 wrote:
I never told Dropbox to back up anything Windows ...

If you mean the Desktop, Documents and Downloads folders, that would be from the Backup feature. Dropbox doesn't (and can't) enable this on its own. It can only be enabled by the user. One of the prompts occurs during installation of the Dropbox app, and if you just clicked through the install quickly you likely went right by the screen to opt out of using Backup.

You can easily manage your backups or disable the Backup feature.

Stephen J.9 wrote:
There is no "don't sync this folder" option for Dropbox.

Sync and Backup are two different features so you wouldn't see the option to not sync (i.e. ignore) a folder that was being backed up. That said, the don't sync option on the right-click menu no longer exists. The option to ignore a file or folder so it doesn't sync is controlled through the command line. Note that this has no effect on folders that are being backed up, such as your Documents. It only effects files or folders that are located within your Dropbox folder.

Stephen J.9

I didn't ask Dropbox to back anything up, least of all a folder I just park trash in.

What is "controlled through the command line" and why does it have anything to do with Dropbox?

Is there a stripped down version of Dropbox for stupid people like me? I want ONE thing from Dropbox, sync anything I put in the Dropbox folder, and perhaps give me the option of storing particular folders on the server as "online only," for my laptop device.

Rich

Stephen J.9 wrote:
What is "controlled through the command line" and why does it have anything to do with Dropbox?

You were asking about an option to tell Dropbox to not sync a folder. That's called ignoring the folder and you control it by issuing a command at the command line. There is no option on the right-click menu for that. And this applies only to files or folders that are in your local Dropbox folder.

Stephen J.9 wrote:
Is there a stripped down version of Dropbox ...

No, and one really isn't need. The existing app does exactly what you want it to do; sync files.

Stephen J.9 wrote:
I didn't ask Dropbox to back anything up, least of all a folder I just park trash in.

Have you looked at your Backups page to see if your Documents folder is being backed up?

Stephen J.9

Stephen J.9

I still don't know what a "command line" is, where it is, or what syntax I need to enter on that line to make it stop trying to sync files in Windows that are (apparently) continuously changing moment to moment.

Right now Dropbox is completely constipated trying to back up these files and asking me to give it permission to access these files.

Stephen J.9

This is where it is camping and trying to back up files I don't even know what they are, apparently they are in "Documents," a folder I don't use.

Walter

Hey @Stephen J.9 - thanks for the additional information and the screenshots too.

Did you try rebooting your computer, quitting and relaunching the app, or even signing out and then back in through the app's preferences since you first noticed this?

If you did and this persists, you can also try fixing your hardlinks and permissions as outlined here.

As for the command line on your computer, you can try a web search for more information.

Stephen J.9

These are files related to Windows indexing my file contents. Those indexes are constantly changing and I'm very certain I didn't change anything in Dropbox to tell it to backup something outside of the one "Dropbox" folder. I did change the indexing options about two weeks ago because it Windows Explorer search was taking 15 minutes to find a *.xls file, but the Dropbox problem is rather new, and the "fix this" option is completely useless. All it does is open a Windows Explorer tab and highlight the "Documents" folder, which is factually not where the offending folders are.

I reboot my computer every day, which I assume signs me out and back in again. I'll click on the "outline here" and try that tonight.

I know what the command line in Windows does, I thought the mention of "command line" was specific to the Dropbox app. I would still need a procedure and and syntax to enter into the command line to try to fix the problem. I can open a command line and then look at it you think that will help. :-)

I would assume that telling Dropbox NOT to sync something it is trying to sync shouldn't be a multiple step process and just a right click, choose the right Dropbox option. I don't want Dropbox anywhere near the OS, its purpose in life is sync five computers and make an attack "buy a new computer, load Dropbox to recover my user files, wait four hours, go back to work" affair.

Jay

HI @Stephen J.9, could you confirm the exact folder in which the search index is stored on your device, within the Dropbox folder?

Stephen J.9

Wait I lie:

NOW when I click "fix this" it takes me to the actual file:

this is the first time it has taken me to see the files and they ARE in the Dropbox folder.

Stephen J.9

When I followed the instructions to fix my Windows Indexing, it never asked me where to park the index information, I just assumed it was going to make it part of the Windows whatever that does.

Stephen J.9

I pointed the search options to "Dropbox" because that is the only thing I wanted indexed and it parked the folder sub to the folder it was indexing. I'm not certain how to fix that .

Jay

Do these steps from Microsoft help at all in changing the index location?

Rich

Stephen J.9 wrote:
I pointed the search options to "Dropbox" because that is the only thing I wanted indexed and it parked the folder sub to the folder it was indexing. I'm not certain how to fix that .

What you're looking for is the option to change the storage location of your search index. Refer to the following:

https://www.ninjaone.com/blog/change-storage-location-of-search-index/

Stephen J.9

I was able to muddle my way through using the support.microsoft.com procedure and identify a new place to park the search data. Windows deleted the folders sub to Dropbox and created a folder in the new location, and is currently re-indexing the locations in my "include" list.

Thank you for the tip!

Steve

Megan

Thanks for keeping us in the loop @Stephen J.9! 😇

Keep an eye on it, and if you need anything else, just give us a shout!