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bstahl's avatar
bstahl
New member | Level 2
7 years ago

Deleted folders keep reappearing. What can I do?

I had this problem and putting a file in the folder did not resolve it, it immediately re-created the folder after I deleted it from the Finder (Mac 10.13.3). What did work was to choose Pause Syncing from the Dropbox menu bar widget, delete the file in Finder, then create a new folder with the same name (this is what I was trying to do in the first place). After resuming syncing, it left it alone.

  • Many thanks to the Dropbox team - especially Walter for helping me resolve this issue. In my case one fo the 9 sharers of a top level folder was adding back a multi layered sub folder, containing no files, each time the administrator attempted to delete it. All sharers told me that they had attempted to delete the reappearing folder........drilling down by the DB team revealed the culprit who hadnt actually made an attempt to delete but merely said he had! Deletion done and all fixed.....woohoo, champagne celebration! but....

     

    How do you fault find without using the DB team in this case? Two options: make use of Event History and Version History. Using event history showed where I had attempted to delete the folder but did not show who added it back. Version history would not have worked as it only applies to actual files and not folders (this folder structure contained no files). I would suggest adding in a file, delete the folder structure, if it all reappears then check the version history of the individual file - it should show you deleting it and then should reveal who is adding it back. Note the use of "should"! What seems clear is that there are numerous ways that this "reappearing ghost" problem can be solved. Perhaps DB could set up a really detailed help page, that can be easily found, that covers all the myriad permutations of this challenging problem.

     

    Once again - big thank you to the DB team for their prompt and detailed assistance. GuyM

  • LisaMVIP's avatar
    LisaMVIP
    New member | Level 2

    When we delete or rename a folder it comes back. It doesn't matter what computer or if we are on the website,  If the folder is renamed, or moved within hours or the next day both the old folder and the new folder reappear.  Or if we simply delete a folder it also comes back. There are hunderes of folders that have been moved, renamed or deleted and keep reappearing. So frustrating and time consuming, how can we stop this from happening?

    • Здравко's avatar
      Здравко
      Legendary | Level 20

      Hi LisaMVIP,

      Let me guess: You try rename/move folders in online only mode...? This is known problem  and you already have done the possible: One more voice!

      • Jane's avatar
        Jane
        Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff

        Hey LisaMVIP & billiesoniq, I have now made sure to move your posts under this ongoing conversation, as the hints we’ve posted here with Walter have resolved the OP’s inquiry. Would you mind checking those out whenever you have a bit of spare time & let us know here if you have any follow-up questions?

        Thanks & I’m looking forward to hearing back from you! 

  • GuyM1's avatar
    GuyM1
    Helpful | Level 5

    Russell R.1 - Do you really think that we are that stupid?????? we have deleted via the browser, we have unsynced and resynced our devices, we have added a file then tried to delete the folder only for an empty folder to come back, we have done all this in the browser on every machine (across 3 continents!) and still the sub folders reappear. They are not the root shared folder and as the admin of this shared folder I cannot delete and empty the folder (with empty sub folders) on any device or from the browser. I have systematically gone through all the solution over the nine pages of this thread and have found no workable solution. The only thing that save my sanity is that I have selectively unsynced the offending folder from my own devices......but all that does is hide the offender from my sight - it does not solve the problem! Dropbox FFS solve this would you.

    • Jane's avatar
      Jane
      Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
      Hey GuyM1, welcome to the Dropbox Forum & thanks for posting us in regards to the issue you’ve experienced with your deleted folders re-appearing. 
       
      You may keep in mind that I’ve moved your comments from the previous discussion, as this started back to 2015 & we like to keep up with the most recent interactions. In case you’d like to refer back to it, you may have a look here
       
      From this point on, let me briefly wrap-up the behavior you’ve experienced, so as to take it from where you’ve left off from the troubleshooting you’ve done on your own. 
       
      To my understanding, you’re working on a shared folder & when you’re deleting it from the website (or across your devices perchance?) this still appears on other users’ accounts. You may keep in mind that this is the intended behavior, since deleting a shared folder causes it to move to an inactive state for the person who deleted it only, in order to not affect other users who may still want to use the folder. If you wish to remove a shared folder for all users, the owner of the folder needs to Unshare' the folder. 
       
      Please let me know in your next reply whether this clarifies the behavior you’ve been encountering or you’re experiencing a different issue, in order to follow-up with you as closely as possible. Any additional detail (eg. screenshots indicating the discrepancy) you could include would be extremely helpful in sending you the most relevant next steps. 
       
      Once again, thanks for posting us here for assistance & I’ll be awaiting your next reply. Happy Monday! 
      • Norah's avatar
        Norah
        Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
         
        Hey GuyM1, hope you're doing great! 
         
        Just checking in with you to see if you had the time to check Jane's steps provided. 
         
        Thanks in advance for your reply! 

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