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Re: Dropbox no longer overwriting files
I realize versions of this same question have been asked here before but I haven’t found any that satisfactorily address my frustration.
I want to begin by mentioning this is a NEW behavior for Dropbox. I have not changed anything I am doing, yet the outcome is now different.
I have maintained a spreadsheet (numbers version) on my iPad for years. Updating it & adding new information as it is available & with every update, I save it to my Dropbox. This has always resulted in the file within Dropbox being overwritten with the new version but it has never changed the name of the file. ie: adding a (1) or other sequential number behind the filename, until recently. In the other threads asking a similar question it was mentioned that this is expected behavior when saving a file from a different device. I want to emphasize that I am NOT saving from multiple devices. I am NOT doing anything differently (to my knowledge) than I have ever done when updating this/these spreadsheets. Again, appending the filename is a new behavior so something has either changed in the manner Dropbox is treating saved files or Apple made changes in their iOS that caused Dropbox to change the way it handles these saved files.
Can anyone offer help with this?
TYIA
33 Replies
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- Megan
Dropbox Community Moderator
Hi JalapenoCheese, let's jump right into this!
Which version of the app you're using on your iPad, and when did you notice those chances?
Keep me posted, and we'll take it from there!
JalapenoCheese , this is exactly what is being discussed here, so you are in the right place. I also save from only one location- my iPad. Previously, Dropbox would say that the file already exists, and ask if I want to overwrite it. I'd say yes, and be done. Now it does not prompt, it simply adds the new file with a (1) appended to the file name. I have to delete the original file, the rename the new one to get rid of the (1). This started after a Dropbox app update a while back, and has happened before- I think I linked my report of the prior occurrence in this thread. It sounds like so far there has just been lots of runaround.
App version 290.2.2
I don’t have an exact date that I noticed the changes but I can tell you it’s been about 3-4 months?
- I’m having the same issue as of a few weeks ago. It affects saving files in my iPhone 13 Pro Max and iPad Pro. It’s very irritating. Also, the app changes the file names to all lower case, which is also irritating as my file naming is all about ease of selecting correct files. I’m thinking about cancelling my subscription and just using iCloud.
- Nancy
Hi everyone, I hope you’re all doing great!
Are any of you still facing the same issue, by any chance?
If so, please let me know so that we can open a ticket for you.
Nancy, sorry to be a jerk, but you all have known about this reintroduced problem for over 4 months, and have not fixed it yet. We have been asked to provide reproductive steps, and we have. Some on this thread have spent extensive amounts of *wasted* time working with your team. You all have had everything thing you needed to fix this problem for a long time now, except, apparently, the will to do so. How will opening another ticket be any different? The impression, quite clearly, is that you all have no interest or intent in fixing this.
Yes. I'm still having the same issue. Additionally, Dropbox is changing the file names to all lower case and removing upper case letters. It's very irritating and I'm thinking about switching over to iCloud. One other issue is that Dropbox seems to stall quite frequently when I try to attach a file in Mac Mail. I have to quit Mac Mail and wait for a few minutes. I then relaunch it and it seems to work. Very irritating.
- YES WE ARE STILL EXPERIENCING THIS ISSUE.
- Of course we're still having this issue. Does anyone from Dropbox have any intention of trying to fix it, or even acknowledging the problem? It's been months.
- Yes, I also have this problem on my iphoneXr since ios15, but not on my ipad air2 despite it being on ios15 too. Very annoying on the phone. I save Gdrive documents regularly to my dropbox, so the replace option is a godsend when it works… please, fix this!
This is *extremely* annoying. A hassle every time I upload a file.
Such indifference toward users - perhaps it is time to move in from Dropbox.
- I would strongly recommend moving to another service if you can. Dropbox has no intention of trying to resolve the issue, and they treat their users with contempt.
- This thread started in May and STILL no legitimate response to the simple question ‘why are we unable to overwrite files anymore?’ That’s the core of this thread and all we get back is to open tickets and for US to do troubleshooting. Why not give us a rational reason for this change and whether it will be reversed/fixed in the foreseeable future. That’s all we wanna know.
FINALLY!
Today I uploaded my spreadsheet to Dropbox and to my surprise it asked me if I wanted to replace the existing file with the same name.
Why did this take so long for Dropbox to fix? I don’t know & I don’t care, it’s fixed now. Dear Dropbox, Please don’t break this again!
Thank you
Count your blessings. The problem still exists on Dropbox for iPad. I also realized another bad side affect of the problem- if I download a file to Dropbox on my iPad so that it is available offline, then when the next updated file version is uploaded to Dropbox, I have to redownload the new version. This is what the process now looks like:
1. Current reading.xlsx is downloaded to iPad.
2. Update file in Numbers, export to Dropbox.
3. Log into Dropbox, and instead of prompting for an overwrite, Dropbox adds it as reading(1).xlsx.
4. I have to log into Dropbox app on iPad(again).
5. Delete reading.xlsx.
6. Rename reading(1).xlsx to reading.xlsx.
7. Download new reading.xlsx to iPad for offline availability.
- yes, that’s exactly the problem we still all have… both on ipad and iphone up to date
That’s weird because the image I posted was from my iPad. What the h*ll is going on, Dropbox?
My app version is 306.2 running on iOS 15.7
maybe there is a difference there.
Well, it looks like Dropbox version 310.0 has *finally* fixed this problem- for now. Let's all hope they don't break it again.
- yes, it works great now!! Thks for finally fixing it!!
- I ended up moving to another service just because of how awful the support staff have been. Not once did a single person acknowledge that this was happening, let alone that it was a problem they were trying to fix. I was told over and over that I was just doing something wrong. If they’d just communicated that it was in the post, it would’ve been no big deal to wait. I also don’t believe they have iPads for testing, but again, they should just be honest about it and it would be fine. Lying and deflecting and making me do all this work for nothing is the worst possible approach. I don’t think they care, though.
On Android app 322.1.2 I still cannot overwrite files.
- Megan
Hi c4l1n, happy Monday, I hope you're doing well!
Could you share some additional info, in regards to the process you follow on your end, and if you see any specific errors, when you try to overwrite your files?
Do you face the exact same issue, as the OP mentioned? Have you followed any troubleshooting steps on your end?
If you have any screenshots, feel free to attach them, in order for me to have visual too.
Keep me posted!
- Hi Megan, thank you for your fast reply. Happy Monday you too!
Yes, I have the same issue like OP.
And the same behaviour for aprox 2 weeks on two different android phones: Z Fold 4 and S21 Ultra. I have reinstalled Dropbox App on Fold and registered for beta versions on S21. Still, same issue, after scan, on save, if the file name exists, automatically creates a new file with (X) at the end, without offering me the option to overwrite the existing file. What screeshots you need?
Please help!
Thank you. I implore anyone engaging with the support staff to avoid wasting time sending them videos of you troubleshooting things. I'm pretty sure they're not allowed to tell you when something in Dropbox is broken.
They themselves don't seem to have complete means to troubleshoot, so there's no way for them to verify if the problem is with Dropbox. This means it can only ever be a fault on your end, or with another app.
They can tell you to update stuff, and they can tell you what's already on the Help Centre pages. If you use Dropbox and can understand the Help Centre articles - awesome! You have a greater capacity to rectify the problem than the support team. Every person I have engaged with was critically limited in their understanding of the capabilities and limitations of Dropbox.
I don't believe they can fix anything on their end, or acknowledge any problems with Dropbox.
Of course, not the fault of individual staff who are only people (although the salary for support staff is good, I can't imagine it feels good to work there), it's just that Dropbox doesn't provide adequate tools or training, despite the fees you are paying, amounting to billions of dollars in revenue.
They will very happily waste your time and money.
