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docabs's avatar
docabs
New member | Level 2
3 years ago
Solved

How to stop Dropbox from creating desktop.ini files?

After dragging the desktop.ini file to the trash a few times, and seeing it re-created, I instead right-clicked and deleted it. So far (5 minutes or so), it has not been recreated. Maybe it's somehow related to a glitch in Windows 10? In any event, it's gone, for now.

 

desktop
windows
  • Rich's avatar
    Rich
    3 years ago
    Jernau wrote:

    Sadly that's not a solution to this bug, just a standard windows option.

    This isn't a bug. Desktop.ini files are created by Windows, not Dropbox, for any folder that has been customized. These files control how a folder is displayed to you. Dropbox may be telling Windows that a folder should use a custom icon, but its Windows that saves that information in a desktop.ini file so that it will know how to display the folder to you. These files are only visible if you enabled the option to display hidden files, and they don't sync to your Dropbox account online.

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  • Hannah's avatar
    Hannah
    Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
    3 years ago

    Thanks for taking the time to post about your experience with this, docabs.

     

    If the issue returns, please let us know.

  • dandid's avatar
    dandid
    Helpful | Level 7
    3 years ago

    I only scrolled down to see if someone else was going to offer up this solution.

    There is a reason those files are hidden by default. They upset people not expecting to see them.

    You either hide 'hidden files' or you're going to see them.

    dont let these peoepl see what a mess Osx makes of a Zip file that gets opened on a PC! 

  • Jernau's avatar
    Jernau
    Explorer | Level 3
    3 years ago

    Sadly that's not a solution to this bug, just a standard windows option.

    I don't know if the bug still exists though as I stopped using DropBox.

  • Rich's avatar
    Rich
    Icon for Super User II rankSuper User II
    3 years ago
    Jernau wrote:

    Sadly that's not a solution to this bug, just a standard windows option.

    This isn't a bug. Desktop.ini files are created by Windows, not Dropbox, for any folder that has been customized. These files control how a folder is displayed to you. Dropbox may be telling Windows that a folder should use a custom icon, but its Windows that saves that information in a desktop.ini file so that it will know how to display the folder to you. These files are only visible if you enabled the option to display hidden files, and they don't sync to your Dropbox account online.

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