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There's a .canary file causing syncing issues on my Dropbox app.

Hey all! My local backup software failed out yesterday - it reported that there was a file in use in Dropbox. I poked around and found that ".canary" in my Dropbox cache was marked with the syncing icon (round blue arrows). There was also a file "canary.enabled", but that one seemed to be static.

When I delete the ".canary" file, it simply reappears. This file doesn't show up on my online account (natch).

I can see it on my two linked computers, my desktop (Win 11) and laptop (Win 10). Both are running app version 214.3.5104. I have a basic (free) account.

Anyone know what's going on with this canary file? Why can't I delete it? Where did it come from? I'd like to clear it so my local backup will run, but I'm also concerned that this might indicate a security issue, as I have no idea where this file came from.

Thanks for anything you can offer!

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Rich

Johnxi wrote:
This problem, the canary file and folder can't be backed up because they're not accessible ... Has anyone come up with a simple effective solution to this problem.

You should be excluding the .dropbox.cache folder from your backups. There's no reason to back up this folder. It's a cache folder and contains no data that would be useful in the event of a restore.

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Mark

That isnt a Dropbox file, it sounds like you are using a work device? And if so that file is part of the security software/settings of the employer to help detect unauthorised access and use.

Have a look at https://help.eset.com/glossary/en-US/canary_file.html

joshbreindel

Thanks for the reply! I was afraid this wasn't a Dropbox file...

Interstingly, I have the app on three computers - the two personal ones I mentioned above and on my work computer. I checked my work computer today, and that ".canary" file ISN'T on my work computer and IS on my two homes ones!

Any additional ideas greatly appreciated!

WokeDucks

Same problem here.
Started after the recent dropbox-update...
When deleted files are replaced automatically...
I cannot trace the origin of the file, but there are mentionings:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Dropbox\Client\217.3.4297\driver_amd64
Annoying that the sync is planned, but keeps waiting/pending for days now...

Walter

Hey @WokeDucks - sorry to hear about this. Can you send us a screenshot of how it looks on your end so that we can have a visual too?

Also, what is your computer's exact OS version and the version and status of the Dropbox desktop app as shown in your system tray?

WokeDucks

Hello Walter,
Thanks for your reply.
I cannot add a pdf-file.
Hope that 2 printscreens make it OK

WokeDucks

Hi Walter,

I cannot send an attacment, so See below for the screenshots please.

WokeDucks

There was an eeror in the connection and my first reply seemed to be deleted.
I made a second try and only afterwards it appeared that the first one was saved..

Walter

Thanks for the screenshots @WokeDucks - much appreciated.

It seems that you're running a beta version of the Dropbox desktop app. Can you check if you get the same results on the latest, stable version from this page as well?

Just make sure to toggle off the 'early releases' from your account's settings first.

WokeDucks

Hi Walter
After the installation of the stable version (Standard installer) in systemtray the same features appear: Dropbox 217.3.4297
2nd trie: I dowloaded the Dropbox 216.4.4420 Offline Installer.x64.exe
Features in systemtray: Dropbox 216.4.4420
Unfortunately both installations end with the the same problem...
Should I uninstall Dropbox first and thén trie the stable version?

Walter

Yes, that would be my next suggestion too @WokeDucks

Let us know how it goes!

WokeDucks

Hi Walter,
Uninstall completed with Revo-Uninstaller.
Re-install completed with Dropbox 216.4.4420.

Still the same problem.
Status says: Sync planned (and that does not change)

WokeDucks

I deactivated the firewall.
Then dubbelclicked the canary-file.
Message: RPC-Server not available...

Nancy

Hey @WokeDucks, did you first disable your firewall and reinstalled the Dropbox app after that?

Please also make sure to restart your computer in the meantime.

If this doesn’t help either, we’ll look into this further.

WokeDucks

Hi Nancy,
Since the misery started after a recent update I got the idea to change some settings in "services" from automatically to manual... (see below!)

I am not sure if there were made adaptations by the new install...

After I did that I saw your advice en re-installed like you said with the firewall disabled and now it seems to work alright!
No sync-issue anymore because the canary-file (I deleted before) has not automatically been put back...
The status of the C:\Users\ruite\Dropbox\.dropbox.cache now is:

Question 1: Is this OK?

Question 2: Should I keep the settings in services like they are now since I changed them?
Or should I make other changes?
Hope you can give me advise what to do best...

Nancy

I’m glad to hear the file hasn’t reappeared so far! Now, as for your follow-up questions, I’d suggest an advanced reinstall as the next step (while your firewall/antivirus is still not running).

I wouldn’t advise on changing any services manually after that.

WokeDucks

Hi Nancy,
Ït took me several hours to complete (exactly in conformity of the instructions) the advanced re-install...
Rather disappointing to see the 'pending' .canary-file came back...

I repeated the complete procedure, but when entering my account I cancelled the option for updates...
And now it is OK; No canary_enabled-file and no 'pending' .canary-file.

I guess that canceling updates is not recommended.
What should I do:
Leave it like it is now?
Or should I change something in "Services"?
What is left in Services:

Jay

Hi @WokeDucks, in general, we don't recommend disabling any Dropbox services manually through the Windows Services panel, so we wouldn't be able to provide any info on this matter for you.

I'll leave this thread open for other users to comment with their suggestions.

WokeDucks

Hi Jay,
What about the fact that I disabled "updates".
What (negative) consequences are there and how should I handle that?

Jay

If there are any security updates to the Dropbox desktop application, or new versions with new features, your app might no longer function correctly as it would be running an older version when compared to the live version.

The negative consequences of this would be unknown, and entirely at your own risk.

WokeDucks

When I install dropbox with the update-feature failures (what this is all about) are included since the last "update"...
How do I know when a newer version doesn't have this issues?
But what is better: Do you have a method/solution for me how these failure can be avoided now?

WokeDucks

Hi Jay,
I will trie to re-frase my last/former reply:
The only way to avoid the 'canary-issue' was, after installing the stable version, by disabling the update-feature
Thanks for reminding me the negative consequences of this would be unknown, and entirely at my own risk...
This however does not solve the current problem.
What should I do to reinstate the update-feature?
What happens with the stable version after an update?
Will the 'canary-problem' reappear by leaving that stable version?
Hope you can give me some advise what to do best...

Jay

You can re-enable the updates in the services panel. If this doesn't work, you can try manually reinstalling the Dropbox desktop application using this link.

Regarding the canary file, it's possible that it might appear again, as it is created by another program unrelated to Dropbox.

WokeDucks

Hi Jay,
Thanks for your reply.
Is my guess correct that these canary-files don't harm the functionability of dropbox?
I cannot trace the origin of the program that creates the canary-files by the way.
Do you have an idea what program does this, or could it be related to Win10?

Walter

We can't really know what program this could be coming from, or if it's coming from your computer's OS directly, but you can try quitting or disabling any 3rd party apps that are running on your computer to see if they're somehow causing this file to show up.

You can start with security or backup/syncing apps and take it from there @WokeDucks

Keep us posted!

DerryK

I hope this thread is still active... I'm experiencing the same problem as the original poster. The one-byte .canary file is causing a warning when I do a backup, presumably because it can't be copied. When I try to copy it to my desktop I get error 0x80070185 "the cloud operation was unsuccessful".

I'd respectfully argue with the contention that Dropbox didn't put the .canary file in .dropbox.cache. My observations:

I deleted the .dropbox.cache folder and then manually disabled the Dropbox services. The folder stayed deleted for several days, and I received no warnings when doing a backup. The next time I restarted the computer, which turned the services back on, the folder, including .canary, came back immediately.
I then deleted the folder again, and went through the "advanced reinstallation" procedure described above. The folder came back immediately. All the files in the folder have the exact same "date modified".
In both cases, the .canary file shows the same "sync pending" status it had before. It shows Windows file attributes ALOPUM; I'm not sure what some of these mean.

If that file is coming from somewhere other than Dropbox, then it is pretty certain that Dropbox is copying it to this location. What would cause that?

Thanks for the help.

Nancy

Hey @DerryK! Can you send me a screenshot of the .canary file and its exact filepath on your computer?

DerryK

Hi, Nancy. Below is the listing of the cache directory along with my attempts to type the contents (which is only one byte anyway). The filepath is

C:\Users\Derry\Dropbox\.dropbox.cache\.canary

Jay

Hi @DerryK, are you able to ignore that file in your backup software?

DerryK

I'll figure that out, and let you know in the morning whether it worked. Thanks.

Rich

Jay wrote:
are you able to ignore that file in your backup software?

Ultimately you should be ignoring the entire .dropbox.cache folder. There's no reason to back it up at all.