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Dropbox is stuck on a file I deleted

The "syncing" icon has been displayed on my Dropbox icon in my Mac system bar at the top of the screen for over a week now. Curious I looked at what it was trying to sync and it was a random file. I went to Dropbox.com and manually deleted the file (the .pgn file shown below). Now it's still stuck trying to upload the file for some reason, like it wants it back or something. The file it's supposedly uploading no longer exists, so I'm not sure why it's stuck like this. I've quit/restarted and it never goes away. Dropbox is syncing other files and working normally, but I can't get rid of this "one more file to sync" message no matter what I do. I used search and can't find a solution to this specific issue. Thanks in advance for any insight

. Screenshot 2023-11-03 at 10.59.19 AM.png

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Nancy

Hey @cloudstoragelover, sorry to jump in.

If you haven’t tried this recently, can you please unlink - relink your Dropbox app, and let me know if there’s a difference after that?

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Nancy

Hey @cloudstoragelover, thanks for posting this here! This is an odd one, indeed.

Did you notice this behavior after a Dropbox or OS update on your computer?

What’s the current location of your local Dropbox folder, as well as the OS version of your device?

Finally, I know it may sound trivial, but have you restarted your computer since then?

Let me know.

cloudstoragelover

I restarted my Mac, sync message is unchanged. It's the latest version, MacOS Sonoma 14.0, m1 and 16GB of memory. Location is the default -

/Users/username/Library/CloudStorage/Dropbox

Thanks for any help. The TL;DR summary is it was stuck on that one file syncing, so I deleted it via dropbox.com as i don't even know where it exists otherwise. Now it is trying to upload it again for some reason. I don't even know where a file named "Messages xxxxxxx.png" came from.

smallbizHokkaido

Having the same issue since yesterday with a Word doc that has been deleted, but Dropbox keeps trying to sync it. The doc no longer exists in the original folder, and my other computers hooked up to the same Dropbox account have no such issue, so it must be localized to my PC.

I've tried a number of workaround but nothing works, and if the file doesn't exist in the synced folder, I'm left empty handed. The issue this causes is delayed sync of other file - since the priority remains the Ghost doc - and also slowed computer speed in other apps.

Must be a recent issue.

cloudstoragelover

I have another PC synced to the same folder and no error on that one, which is a PC, so like you mine is on this machine only. It doesn't impact Dropbox's functionality thank goodness but annoying that it is stuck in a never-ending loop!

Nancy

Thanks for the info, @cloudstoragelover!

If you’re still seeing the same file, when checking for syncing errors/the sync queue on your desktop app, please send me a screenshot of that as well, so that I can take a look.

@smallbizHokkaido, sorry to hear the same thing happens for you.

Can you clarify the OS version of your device, and send me a screenshot of your desktop app’s syncing status and app version?

cloudstoragelover

@Nancy The "View sync issues" shows no problems. At the bottom of the pop-out menu from the system bar at the top of my Mac it says "syncing 3 files" but I have no actual files I'm trying to sync. Here's what I see (attached). Screenshot 2023-11-03 at 6.54.19 PM.png Screenshot 2023-11-03 at 6.52.38 PM.png

smallbizHokkaido

Same

smallbizHokkaido

The issue resolved itself. Dropbox is no longer searching for the deleted file and is "up to date".

Hope the same for you as well!

Hannah

Hey @smallbizHokkaido, I'm happy your issue was resolved!

How about you, @cloudstoragelover? Are you still having this issue?

If so, can you check this article with some troubleshooting steps you can follow, to see if they help?

cloudstoragelover

@Hannah I uninstalled the Dropbox app on my Mac, and reinstalled it. Same issue, shows a "1" icon and says it's still trying to upload the file I deleted.

Screenshot 2023-11-07 at 2.51.45 PM.png

Jay

Hi @cloudstoragelover, according to your Dropbox folder, do you see any files or folders with the syncing icon on it?

cloudstoragelover

@Jay Negative. All files/folders are synced and have the green checkmark. This dropbox folder is shared by a second computer, my PC, and it's 100% normal on that end, regular icon, nothing pending, etc, it's just on this Mac.

Jay

Is this file from the Messages app on your machine or iPhone by any chance? Do you still have a copy of it somewhere?

cloudstoragelover

@Jay I have no idea where the file originated from - when I first noticed this file was causing problems, I opened the Dropbox.com site and looked at ALL of my files. Using search I was able to find it, and it wasn't even an image, but a file missing an icon. I deleted it, permanently, from that location, thinking that would solve this issue.

Sadly it did not, as Dropbox has continued to look for it despite restarts, delete/install, etc..it just won't give up on it no matter what I do. The file no longer exists, anywhere.

Walter

Hey @cloudstoragelover - sorry to jump in here, but could you try fixing your hardlinks and permissions as outlined here and let us know if the issue persists?

cloudstoragelover

Thanks @Walter I did both of those tasks, permissions and hard links, and nothing changed.

Screenshot 2023-11-09 at 6.20.12 AM.png

Nancy

Hey @cloudstoragelover, sorry to jump in.

If you haven’t tried this recently, can you please unlink - relink your Dropbox app, and let me know if there’s a difference after that?

cloudstoragelover

Omg @Nancy That fixed it, thank you!!!

Nancy

Glad to hear it, @cloudstoragelover!

I’ll be here, if you need something else.