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Horace-Hedgehog's avatar
Horace-Hedgehog
Explorer | Level 4
7 years ago
Solved

The dreaded grey minus

I see how this works. Folder FRED has a grey minus. When I enable selective sync on FRED it creates a new folder on my PC called FRED (selective sync...) But the original folder FRED still keeps the...
desktop
sync
  • Lusil's avatar
    Lusil
    7 years ago
    Hi there, Horace-Hedgehog. 
     
    The gray circle with the minus sign may appear on a file or folder when you're using the selective sync feature (meaning you've opted not to sync this file or folder on your computer).
     
    In general, selectively synced files and folders won't appear in the Dropbox folder on your computer. However, if you create two files or folders with the same name, the gray icon will appear, indicating that one of the files isn’t being synced.
     
    In such a case, you may have a selective sync conflict, which occurs when you create a folder with the same name and in the same location as an unsynced folder. For more info on how to tackle this, I’d recommend checking this article out.
     
    Let me know how it goes!
hels's avatar
hels
Explorer | Level 4
7 years ago

This is exactly the problem I have, can anyone point me to a link that actually solves the problem and doesn't just say 'deal with two folders'? I want to free up space on my hard drive which is why I'm using selective sync to say "take these folders off my hard drive". Instead of deleting files locally, it just marks them with a grey minus. What use is that?

Do I simply delete the 'grey minus' folders locally? Is that the way to achieve my aim of (a) freeing up disk space and (b) leaving my files safely intact in my dropbox repository?

 

Lusil's avatar
Lusil
Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
7 years ago
Hey there hels , 
 
If you have a folder with the grey minus icon in your Dropbox folder, it generally means that there is another folder with the same name in the same path which is selectively synced (not in your Dropbox folder). 
Spoiler
For example, I have “Folder A” in my Dropbox folder with a grey minus icon. The reason for this is that I also have a selectively synced folder called “Folder A”, visible only in the Dropbox website. If I choose to sync ”Folder A” back from my selective sync settings, it will be synced as “Folder A (selective sync conflict)”, since there is another folder with the same name already there. 
Having said that, if you have been editing content in the folder with the grey minus icon, to ensure that you don’t delete any altered files, I’d recommend syncing the same-named folder from your selective sync settings and comparing and consolidating the files in them. If you haven’t edited any content in them, you should be able to remove the folder in question. 
 
You can also find more info about selective sync conflicts here. 
 
Let me know of any updates!
  • hels's avatar
    hels
    Explorer | Level 4
    7 years ago

    Hi Lusil,

    Thanks, but I think this is just a wee bug / quirk / misunderstanding about how the 'feature' is supposed to work.

    Those folders are all green-ticks that I haven't changed anything in for years. All I did was unselect them in Selective Sync. In my mind, that shouldn't cause any type of 'conflict'. I just want it removed from my local repository.

    That said, I did just delete the folders off my HDD and (thankfully) they remain in my online dropbox, so I've achieved my aim. It would be nice (and less stressful when pushing 'delete') if the selective sync had ditched them for me, but hey.

    I noticed when I tried to run a test scenario (create a folder, see it exists online and locally, then uncheck it in selective sync) I did not get the grey minus. The local folder simply got deleted. So, I think the age of the folders in question has something to do with it. Maybe some backwards compatibility thing with the client? I don't know.

    But, for now, I am where I need to be.

    • Lusil's avatar
      Lusil
      Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
      7 years ago
      Thanks for getting back to me, hels. 
       
      The behavior that I was referring to before is what you did:
      hels wrote:

      create a folder, see it exists online and locally, then uncheck it in selective syncBut, for now, I am where I need to be.

      But then you’ll have to create another folder on your device with the same name as the one you just selectively synced and you should get the grey minus icon. 
       
      Nonetheless, I’m glad to hear that you were able to resolve your concern in the end. If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to give us a nudge. 
       
      Cheers!
    • Horace-Hedgehog's avatar
      Horace-Hedgehog
      Explorer | Level 4
      7 years ago
      Exactly my problem, but some people here seem quite unable to grasp it but just churn out huge undigested chunks of the manual.
      • Lusil's avatar
        Lusil
        Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
        7 years ago
        Hey there Horace-Hedgehog, sorry to hear that you’re also having the same issue. 
         
        You mention that you’re having the same experience, but could you please elaborate on what you’re seeing? A screenshot (without any personal info) would also be very helpful. 
         
        Thanks!

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