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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 problem is that, because there are so many files, I don't know when the syncing process will end, and I'd like to delete such a folder as soon as possible.

I tried pausing the sync and moving the folder out of dropbox, but to no avail.

Any guidance would be greatly appreciated!

Delete
desktop
Folders

13 Replies

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  • 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? 

  • 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

    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.

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