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Moving files out of Dropbox now defaults to the 'copy' function
Starting sometime this week, whenever I try to move a file out of my Dropbox to another location on the same drive, it will default to 'copy' and leave the original still in Dropbox. This duplication now requires that I manually delete the file from my Dropbox if I want to complete the action of relocating a file.
However, if I drag a file into my Dropbox from anywhere on the same drive, it will behave normally and 'move' the file without duplication. Moving files within folders in Dropbox also retains the default 'move' function.
What is causing this bizarre 'copy' behavior and how do I get rid of it? I want the default drag behavior, within the same drive, to be 'move'.
Hi Everybody,
Thanks for your patience while we looked into this. This change in behavior was the result of a change by Microsoft. Dragging a folder out of a root sync folder now defaults to the copy function on Windows 11. This change is not limited to Dropbox, but any root sync folder.
As a workaround, shift+click and drag will allow the expected cut + paste or "move folder" functionality.
Regards,
Ben
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- Nate_C
Super User
Hello, what kind of device are you using? And what operating system? - Hannah
Dropbox Community Moderator
Hey Questions13, thanks for reaching out to us.
This is actually an action that's determined by your OS, since the Dropbox folder is just like any other folder on your computer.
If you quit the Dropbox app and then try the same steps, do you get the same behavior?
Let me know what you find.
Desktop, Windows 11.
Exiting (and even uninstalling) the Dropbox app does not fix the issue.
- Megan
Hey Questions13, you mentioned that uninstalling the app doesn't fix the issue.
So, if I asked you to quit the app, and while the app is still closed follow the same steps, could you let me know what happens then?
Yep, I followed the steps to quit the app and then tried to move some files. Same 'copy' behavior.
- Megan
Thanks for checking Questions13.
Since you noticed the same behavior even when our app is closed, then it might be unrelated to Dropbox.
Had it been the app causing this, then you wouldn't notice the same results when the app wasn't running.
Do you notice the same thing if you choose a file/folder within Dropbox, and then right click and choose cut instead of dragging and dropping it?
I considered that it might be independent of the Dropbox app but this literally is only happening to files in the Dropbox folder.
The cut function works normally. Likewise, if I hold Shift while dragging a file to force a 'move', it works as well.
Hi, the same issue is occurring on my PCs.
I'm using several PCs and installed Dropbox on each machines. And some machines work correctly, but the other machine doesn't work fine.
This issue is occurring on Windows11 Home edition (version 23H2). My Windows11 Pro pcs are working correctly.
Whew, I'm not the only one this is affecting!
