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How do I resolve selective sync conflicts on Dropbox desktop for multiple devices?

Hi Dropbox Community,

I’m using Dropbox Plus on Windows 11 and macOS (latest desktop app) to sync files across two devices, but I’m facing selective sync conflicts. Some folders I’ve deselected for syncing still appear or cause errors (e.g., “sync in progress” hangs). I’ve checked settings in the Dropbox app, ensured both devices use the same selective sync settings, and restarted the app, but issues persist.

Setup: Dropbox Plus, 2TB plan, ~500GB used, 100+ folders.
Steps Tried:

Reconfigured selective sync in Preferences > Sync.
Cleared cache via Advanced Settings.
Reinstalled the desktop app.

Any tips for resolving selective sync conflicts? Are there best practices for managing sync settings across devices?

Thanks for your advice!

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Jay

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

Are you receiving selective sync conflicts on both devices?

Have you recently made any updates to the OS or system on either device?

Any other info or screenshots would be helpful!

yesnobutton

Hi @Jay ,
Thanks for the quick response! Yes, I’m seeing selective sync conflicts on both devices (Windows 11 and macOS). The “sync in progress” error persists on folders deselected for syncing. No recent OS updates were made; both systems are up-to-date (Windows 11 24H2, macOS Ventura 13.6). Any suggestions for resolving this? 😊

Best,
@yesnobutton

Jay

Currently, the only information we have for attempting to resolve a selective sync conflict would be the information in this article.

Have you followed all those steps to resolve this?

Jay

Hi @yesnobutton, just checking to see if you saw our last reply.
If you still need any help, feel free to reach out to us with the information we requested.
If your issue has been solved, let us know what worked for you!

GHL1

For the record, I'm dealing with the same problem describe by @yesnobutton . In my case I installed Dropbox on my second PC and during installation and only selected part of the folders to sync as I don't need everything on the second PC. Next thing I knew, I had dozens of (Selective Sync Conflict) folders across both devices. I uninstalled Dropbox from the work PC hoping the folders would go back to normal, but they didn't. I read the article that @Jay provided, and am going to delete the conflict folders, however not before first confirming that each one is duplicated somewhere else. Not the end of the world, but certainly will take a couple of hours to sort this all out, with no guarantee it won't happen again if I start over with installing Dropbox on the second PC.