Forum Discussion

NickH72's avatar
NickH72
Explorer | Level 4
6 years ago

unable to delete locked folder

Hi  i have a folder sent by a client a couple of years ago that i am unable to delete it is locked but when i get file info the lock icon i greyed out and i cant change any permissions and in t...
Delete
Error Messages
restore
Share
Shared Folders
Daphne's avatar
Daphne
Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
6 years ago

Thanks for the screenshots NickH72!

Can you try closing the desktop app and see if that allows you to delete the folder, or move it outside of the Dropbox folder? You can close the app by:

  1. Clicking the Dropbox icon in your menu bar.
  2. Click the profile pic/initials icon in the top right of the window.
  3. Choose "Quit Dropbox".

If you get any errors, please send along a screenshot of this.

Keep me posted!

NickH72's avatar
NickH72
Explorer | Level 4
6 years ago

Hey Daphne

still no joy post quiting the app 

they just copy to the desktop if i move them of of the folder and the original stays there locked smirking at me!

no error messages unitl i try to delete it and its the Standard locekd error message

[IMAGE LINK IS BROKEN AND CANNOT BE DISPLAYED]

there are no suyncing errors 

its still syncing saying it will take 2+ Days

  • Daphne's avatar
    Daphne
    Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
    6 years ago

    Thanks for the screenshot NickH72!

    When you have the desktop app closed, from the "Get info" window can you click the small lock icon in the bottom right corner and uncheck the "Locked" option?

    If so, can you then try delete the folder again while the app is still closed?

    Let me know!

    • NickH72's avatar
      NickH72
      Explorer | Level 4
      6 years ago

      nope the locekd icon is greyed out so i am unable to unlock it

      in the sharing and permmisions part of the info box it always says fetching refering to the person who can read and write...

      and the file is still syncing....alwasy syncing....

      • Daphne's avatar
        Daphne
        Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
        6 years ago

        In this case, I'm afraid there's not much I can further suggest NickH72.

        If you aren't able to delete the folder when the desktop app is no longer running, then I'd suggest reaching out to Apple support to see if they can assist you with this.

        Perhaps this thread here might be useful for you, but please keep in mind to close the desktop app on your device so that it doesn't prevent you from deleting the folder due to trying to sync it.

        When the app isn't running on your computer, the Dropbox folder is like any other folder on your computer so the error message is originating from your OS.

        Sorry that I can't be of much further help with this, but please let me know if you have any other questions. 

        I hope this helps!

About Delete, edit, and organize

Solve issues with deleting, editing, and organizing files and folders in your Dropbox account with support from the Dropbox Community.

The Dropbox Community team is active from Monday to Friday. We try to respond to you as soon as we can, usually within 2 hours.

If you need more help you can view your support options (expected response time for an email or ticket is 24 hours), or contact us on X, Facebook or Instagram.

For more info on available support options for your Dropbox plan, see this article.

If you found the answer to your question in this Community thread, please 'like' the post to say thanks and to let us know it was useful!