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Duplicate file structure/incomplete migration?

Folks,

Yes, I'm a newcomer here – because I've been using Dropbox for more than a decade and not had any problems. So that's good! But now I'm here, because the recent "upgrade" seems to have created an issue. It's similar to this one: https://www.dropboxforum.com/t5/Delete-edit-and-organize/Duplicate-files-on-Mac/m-p/654123

I now seem to have two sets of files. One is in the new CloudStorage location. The other, the old Users/myname/ directory. They both have a Desktop subfolder; they both have Documents, etc... but the contents are different. One syncs, the other doesn't. But the one that doesn't sync (the old /myname/ location) is what shows as my desktop. And files were deleted from old Desktop folders that do not now appear in the new CloudStorage location; subfolders that were not empty before the migration are empty now, though still present in the old location without showing up in the new location. It looks like the migration was somehow interrupted, with most files remaining in the old location and not syncing, but some just gone.

The good news is that the "missing" folder contents are still present in Dropbox online. But they are not syncing to either the old or new Mac file structures.

Ideally, of course, there would be one set of data, with subfolders that contained all of the old folders and files. That's not the case. Is there a way to merge the two?

With thanks,

J.J.

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alkkadslkfjss

It seems you are a victim of the update for "Team Dropbox".

We had this im sept. 2022 and it was a complete mess, we lost 1 day of working in our team and for some tasks it took nearly 3 days ... until we were back to work as usual.

Note that probably your dropbox name will be changed too, so for some time you have 2 Dropboxes up and working at the same time.

Depending in how big your dropbox is, wait until the migration is complete.

Then you can re-arrange your folders like they have been before.

Megan

Hey @AirSix, let's jump right into this!

You can double-check the app's preferences right here, and see where your Dropbox folder is syncing, and its actual path.

Do you see the path being the CloudStorage location or (the old /myname/ location)?

Keep me posted!

AirSix

Thanks, Megan! It shows the new CloudStorage location, /Users/myname/Library/CloudStorage/Dropbox-Personal

AirSix

(And, just to make it more complicated, there appear to be *three* locations for a lot of data. Users/myname/,

/Users/myname/Library/CloudStorage/Dropbox-Personal,

and Users/myname/Library/CloudStorage/Dropbox-Personal/computername

all have Desktop folders with different content, although only the first shows as my computer desktop.)

Megan

Hey @AirSix, thanks for the rapid response!

If the app's preferences state that this is the path of your folder, I'd trust that.

However here is what I would personally do: I would try adding a test file to each of the paths you mentioned above.

The only path that should be syncing with your account online, should be this: /Users/myname/Library/CloudStorage/Dropbox-Personal.

If none of the other paths sync to your account online, then you're free to delete them.

AirSix

Megan,

I’m not sure that’s wise. The other two file structures include many subfolders that do not appear in the one that is syncing. this is why I think there may have been an incomplete migration to the new location.

Also, I don’t know how to get that new location to appear as the desktop on my computer; the desktop I see on my Mac has a number of folders that do not appear in the CloudStorage location.

Is there a way, perhaps, to restart the upgrade and migration to the new file structure?

Megan

Hey @AirSix, can you clarify the app's syncing status for me, please?

Just to get an idea if everything is up-to-date yet or not. If you have any screenshots too, feel free to send them over.

AirSix

I gladly will when I’m back at the computer. Thank you!

AirSix

Megan,

Syncing is working continuously, showing files added as recently as an hour ago.

I've attached screenshots of the three directories at issue. As you can see, they have different contents. The original Mac desktop directory, which is what shows as my computer desktop, has folders that are empty now that weren't before the "upgrade." Redactions are just to cover PII.

So the goals are:

1. To get the desktop that actually shows on the computer to sync with Dropbox;

2. To restore the "deleted" files to pre-upgrade locations (they are in Dropbox in the computername/Desktop folder);

3. To have one folder rather than three (or four, if one counts what's in the Dropbox cloud.)
Mac default user directory (and the one that actually shows as desktop)CloudStorageCloudStorage/computername

Jay

Hi @AirSix, at this point, I'd recommend contacting the support team directly for them to assist you in relation to this matter, as they have more access to account-specific details.

AirSix

Thanks kindly!