Is there any way to delete files that are waiting to be synced?

Hey pietrovalelongo, let's see what we can find together about this! 

As a first step, would you be able to send me a screenshot of the message you get when trying to delete the folder? I'd like to have a visual too. 

Also, what is the app's current syncing status? 

I'd like for you to try something too. Can you quit the app instead of pausing it, then move the folder outside of Dropbox and then sign back in? Do you notice the same syncing behavior when you do that? 

Let me know more, and we'll take it from there.

Megan, thanks for your swift response. Yes, I attach here the message returned when I try to delete the folder. 

The app's syncing status, if I am checking the right spot, is "syncing 1,457,425 files..."

Even after quitting Dropbox, I cannot move the folder outside of Dropbox; the same error message appears

Hi pietrovalelongo​, thanks for the heads up!

Based on the screenshot this looks like a Windows message, not a Dropbox-related one. 

You earlier mentioned an error that said "availability status: sync pending". Do you have a screenshot of that one too?

Also, seeing as the folder is called "temp", could it be related to another program, or did you create it?

Can you open your device's activity monitor and then quit all open apps, including Dropbox once again, and then try deleting the folder? 

Megan​ wrote:

You also mentioned earlier an error that said "availability status: sync pending". Do you have a screenshot of that one too?

It's in the same screenshot as the windows error, directly under the folder name and date. I'm wondering if this has anything to do with Microsoft's Cloud Sync API, now that Dropbox uses it. Even with Dropbox closed, does the API know that these files need to be synced?

The "availability status: Sync pending" error is in the image, directly below "Data created". I created the file and named it "temp". I cannot access the activity monitor because I do not have admin rights...

I think the only solution is waiting for the sync to end and then deleting it. The downside is that this is going to take some time

Hi pietrovalelongo, thanks for the info. Is this a company-managed device?

Do you know if the Dropbox desktop application is installed with admin permissions as it might affect certain syncing functions in the app?

Let us know how it goes when the sync is completed.

Hi there, pietrovalelongo!

A quick follow-up to our last message! Let us know if you still need assistance or if everything is working as expected. 
 

Hi Megan,

Thank you very much for your follow up. As of now, I am still waiting for the files to sync

Hi from me as well, pietrovalelongo! Since you’ve already tried quitting the Dropbox app and it didn’t make a difference, I’d like to suggest a slightly different route as a test.

Can you go to your desktop app preferences next, disable the automatic launch of the Dropbox app at system startup and then, restart your computer? Do you still receive the same error if you try to delete your folder after that?

Hi Nancy, I will try this.

Dropbox got stuck when roughly 100k files were left to be synchronized. Then I had to quit the app. After that, I wrote that a Stata code to delete the files. In deed, they do not appear in my desktop anymore. However, if I open Dropbox, it says it is still syncing more than 1.3m files. I cannot understand this, since (i) the files were already deleted, and (ii) even if that was not the case, almost all files were already synchronized when I quit the Dropbox app (since only 100k file remained unsync).