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Cliff Jones's avatar
Cliff Jones
New member | Level 1
2 months ago
Solved

I have two Dropbox folders. Can I merge content?

I love DropBox and fear that my "problem" is something that I've created!

I have two DropBox folders: the one in my preferences is at ~/Dropbox and has about 4GB but I also have ~/Library/CloudStorage/Dropbox (20-12-2024 (16/41) which has 40+GB

I only discovered this after "losing" changes to a file that was in the "wrong" folder. It looks as though I did something silly just pre-Christmas. So my help request is twofold: most urgently, is there an easy way to merge the wtwo folders without losing anything? (so that I don't repeat the mistake) can anyone tell me what I might have done?

Thanks

Cliff

 

  • Thanks. I've now synched everything. I'll let TimeMachine work through the changes then delete the Dropbox folder under Library/Cloudstorage. I just wish I could recall how I ended up with two Dropbox directories

    Thanks cliff

6 Replies

  • Megan's avatar
    Megan
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff

    Hi Cliff Jones, thanks for reaching out to us.

    In general, the Dropbox folder that should be syncing to your account is the one outlined in your desktop app's Preferences, under your Sync tab.

    Is the one shown there, the one that has the green syncing icons on its files?

    You also mentioned losing changes that were in the wrong folder. If so, do you mean you've been updating the incorrect file path, or something different? Feel free to clarify. 

    Keep in mind that you'll need to manually merge the content by comparing both Dropbox folders, reviewing their files and then transferring data from the old folder to the active one. 

    Keep me posted, I'll be waiting for your updates!

    • Cliff Jones's avatar
      Cliff Jones
      New member | Level 1

      Megan

      Many thanks. Yes, the one in "Preferences" has the green synching icons (although that prompts another query: I have only two (big) files marked as "on-line only" - why are other things not in the directory?)

      Yes, I used TextEdit's memory of a "recently edited" file and got into trouble that way

      cliff

      • Megan's avatar
        Megan
        Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff

        Hey Cliff Jones, thanks for the fast reply!

        Are you referring to the "Select folders to sync" option?

        If you access your local Dropbox folder are you able to see the content there? Please send me a screenshot, in order for me to have a visual too, in order to guide you.

  • Cliff Jones's avatar
    Cliff Jones
    New member | Level 1

    Thanks. I've now synched everything. I'll let TimeMachine work through the changes then delete the Dropbox folder under Library/Cloudstorage. I just wish I could recall how I ended up with two Dropbox directories

    Thanks cliff

    • Megan's avatar
      Megan
      Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff

      Great to hear Cliff Jones! 🙃

      If you need something else, please let me know and I will be more than happy to help every step of the way. 

    • T_theresa_A's avatar
      T_theresa_A
      Icon for Community Manager rankCommunity Manager

      Hi Cliff Jones , and welcome to the Dropbox Community 🤗. I’m Theresa, one of the Community Managers here at Dropbox HQ 👩‍💻.

      Awesome to hear Megan helped get things sorted for you, sounds like your syncing is back in action 💙.

      I’d love to know, how do you use Dropbox in your day-to-day? Anything fun or unique? 🤩 I might have some cool productivity tips to share, or who knows... maybe you have a great idea or hack we can pass along to our internal team 💡. I always love hearing how our Community members make the most of Dropbox .🤗

      T 😸 (Dropbox Community Manager)