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Forum Discussion

pietrovalelongo's avatar
pietrovalelongo
Explorer | Level 4
4 months ago

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

Dear Dropbox team, I created a folder to store some results, which amounted to ~ 1 million files. Now, when I try to delete it, a message pops up saying: "availability status: sync pending". The pr...
Delete
desktop
Folders
pietrovalelongo's avatar
pietrovalelongo
Explorer | Level 4
4 months ago

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

  • Megan's avatar
    Megan
    Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
    4 months ago

    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? 

    • Rich's avatar
      Rich
      Icon for Super User II rankSuper User II
      4 months ago
      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?

    • pietrovalelongo's avatar
      pietrovalelongo
      Explorer | Level 4
      4 months ago

      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

      • Jay's avatar
        Jay
        Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
        4 months ago

        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.

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