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Forum Discussion
Unconfirmed files showing on the website
Hi, y'all, two of my biggest folders synced on dropbox were now labeled as unconfirmed and I can't view any of them even when downloaded for offline viewing. Why did this happen and what should I do?...
Rich
Super User II
Super User II
Hplar wrote:
... in the hope of getting them back for offline access I decided to hit download. But then I wasn't able to download it due to technical problems ...
What you're seeing isn't from Dropbox. A .crdownload file is a file that has only been partially downloaded. These files are created when you start a download in Chrome (maybe Edge as well) and are used to store the file as it downloads. When the file is complete, it's given its actually name and the .crdownload file is removed. Basically, you're looking at files that never finished downloading. The original files should still be in your Dropbox account wherever they were originally located. Note that what you're looking at in your screenshot is a backup of your Downloads folder, and likely not the original location of the files you're looking for. Have you tried searching for them in your account online?
You also said you weren't able to download due to technical problems. What, exactly, was the problem? Did you get an error message? Lose Internet? etc.
I am somehow aware of the basics of cr download files and why it happens. The thing is if I downloaded some file from my browser and it was left unfinished that specific file would be placed in the download section of my file explorer as a cr download file, not in my dropbox. In addition, I never had a cr download file before so it would be technically impossible to see some files like that on my dropbox. Then, the files that I'm looking for aren't in their original location like I needed to click the PC folder in the all files section and then a new tab for dropbox backup opens with a folder download in it that actually accumulates all the files synced to my dropbox including for sure the files that I'm looking for whose now labeled as unconfirmed that I can't totally preview. The files that I wasn't able to download were the important files that I was talking about from my dropbox and during that time it was not labeled as unconfirmed and I don't have any cr download files even on my PC so it doesn't make sense actually like even if that unfinished download became a cr download file it would not be on my dropbox because I'm very certain that it was not even in my PC so how on earth would it be synced to Dropbox?
- Hannah
Dropbox Community Moderator
Hey Hplar, thanks for reaching out to the Dropbox Community!
From your screenshot, I can see that these files are in your Downloads folder, within your Backups folder.
So, it looks like you've enabled our backup feature on your Dropbox app and have backed up the downloads folder to your account.
This explains why these files are also synced to your Dropbox.
You can see more about the backup feature here.
Of course, I know about the backup feature and I also know that it is the reason why my files are synced to my account. My concern here was how on earth the most significant files in my account were now labeled as unconfirmed and are inaccessible when It was organized in different folders with labels before and are accessible in dropbox backup? I just can't make sense of it, like how is it even possible?
- Rich
Hplar wrote:
My concern here was how on earth the most significant files in my account were now labeled as unconfirmed and are inaccessible when It was organized in different folders with labels before and are accessible in dropbox backup?
Those aren't your original files. Those are the COPIES that you tried to download and ended up canceling. Since they were downloading to your Downloads folder, and you use the backup feature to back up the Downloads folder, those partial .cr files are also synced to your Dropbox as part of the backup. Your original, likely unchanged files that you were trying to download will still be in their original location, wherever that was in your Dropbox.
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