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The files I delete keep reappearing after a few seconds.

I am the owner of my Dropbox account and don't share with anyone. I use dropbox only to keep important files safe and to update any important information. I have always been able to delete files or folders without any problems. Today, for the first time, Dropbox deletes a file or folder initially, but after a few seconds puts it back. Is this a bug?

I use the app a lot and for me, it is important that I don't have to look through a variety of versions when I want to check something but only have the latest version there.

Why can't I delete files and folders any more? Would appreciate some help from the community.

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Jay

Hi @VeraP, thanks for bringing this to our attention.

What types of files are these? Are they all in the same folder, or in random locations? Are you deleting from the website, in Explorer/Finder, or the mobile app?

Is it possible that another app or service on your computer is recreating these files?

This will help me to assist further!

VeraP

Hi Jay, the files I am deleting are .odt or .pdf files, and this problem seems to have gone now. But there is still one folder which is several years old which I am unable to delete either on my Mac or on the app. It is deleted for a few seconds and then pops back again. I have been able to delete a few files INSIDE the folder but not the folder itself.

Rich

@VeraP wrote:
It is deleted for a few seconds and then pops back again. I have been able to delete a few files INSIDE the folder but not the folder itself.

This usually means that the folder or a file within it could not be deleted on one of your devices. You delete the folder and that deletion syncs to Dropbox. Dropbox tells your other devices to delete the folder but one of them can't. Dropbox on that device sees that the folder still exists so it syncs it back to your account, then your other devices sync it back down again.

Delete the folder again. When it comes back, look at the version history of one of the files within the folder and see which device is adding it back.

VeraP

Rich, thank you very much for your explanation. I'll have a look at the version history to check out which device is adding the folder back.