Files disappear from folders when I move a folder

Question

I’m experiencing an issue where files appear to disappear from folders without being explicitly deleted.

From reviewing the Events page, it seems that when I move a folder, the files inside are not carried over or reappear correctly in the destination folder. In some cases, the folders show up as empty afterwards, even though I know they previously contained files.

This is happening both on the desktop app and the web version, and I have confirmed it across devices.

Could you please investigate whether this is related to a sync issue or account-level behaviour? If possible, I would also appreciate advice on whether these files can be recovered or restored to their original locations.

Thank you for your help.

Jay · Answer

HI @cjcarrie, generally, these events could be related to cutting and pasting, or moving, content to and from shared folders.

As shared folders are different to normal folders, when you move files out of a shared folder, it would be counted as a deletion in that shared folder, and then the same files would be added back into your normal folders. The same is true in reverse.

Since you have already created a ticket with the support team, they should be able to assist you further on this matter.

cjcarrie · Answer

Hi thank you for your reply. I have raised a ticket with Support.

* Some of them are shared folders but I am the owner
* I am not able to reproduce the behaviour - I tried cutting and pasting a folder to another location and all content was copied over
* I tried a different browser, content is still missing
* Desktop version is 254.4.2518

Walter · Answer

Hi there @cjcarrie - thanks for bringing this to our attention.

Can you please clarify if any of these folders are shared folders or not?

Also, are you able to reproduce this behavior with a test folder with some files in it now? If so, can you tell me the exact steps you're taking to do this on your end?

When it comes to the web version, have you tried clearing your browser's cache or another browser?

As for the Dropbox desktop app, could you let me know its status and version as shown in your menu bar/system tray?

Let me know what you find and we'll take it from there.