What does "rename your existing folder" actually do when reinstalling?

Hey MelvisWeb, let me jump in! 

I found some steps online that you can search for and apply using your task manager in order to terminate your File explorer however I'm not sure this will be of any help. You can always give it a go. 

In any case, would you mind sending over a few step-by-step screenshots in order for me to have a visual of the error you see, and the process that you follow when this happens?

The first line on the advanced reinstallation instructions says: Save and quit all programs accessing files in the Dropbox folder. Grr.

So it's basically asking me to do the same thing as when I try to rename it via Windows Explorer. Which, I've seen on other forums, has been the problem program in other cases.

I've rebooted, quit Dropbox and ended the process, paused my backup program, paused OneDrive, signed out of Adobe and ended all Creative Cloud processes, and now I don't know what else to sign out of.

I can get a cmd prompt going in the right folder but it still says Access is denied when I try to rename the folder from Dropbox to Dropbox(underscore)OLD after I close Windows Explorer. Can I stop the Windows Explorer process without screwing things up to see if that's what's holding on to the folder?

MelvisWeb wrote:

Or is there another process/service that doesn't begin with "Dropbox..." that I should end or stop?

That's usually referring to a third-party program, not Dropbox. It's saying that some other program has a lock on the folder or a file within it. There's likely another program on your computer that's using a file stored in Dropbox. Figure out what that is, close it, and you'll probably be able to rename the folder.

Hi MelvisWeb, there isn't another process that doesn't begin with Dropbox. 

It might be necessary to perform an advanced reinstallation of the Dropbox desktop application to resolve this behavior you're experiencing on your device.

Hi, Nancy. Yes, it persists after reboot. As soon as I click on the "Dropbox" folder name in File Explorer to change it, a Dropbox process appears in the Processes window of Task Manager, even though I've quit the program and ended all processes. Do I have to delete the Dropbox program in order to change the folder name? Or is there another process/service that doesn't begin with "Dropbox..." that I should end or stop?

Hey MelvisWeb, does the issue persist, if you restart your computer? It sounds like there's a third-party program indeed, that's accessing the files in your local Dropbox folder.

Thank you for your detailed answer, Rich.

I'm trying to rename the Dropbox folder but it keeps saying the folder is open in another program. I quitted the Dropbox program, ended the Dropbox processes, and the Dropbox services are all stopped but it appears that as soon as I click on the Dropbox folder and try to rename it, some program code starts up. Any ideas?

MelvisWeb wrote:

Will it redownload all my files to a new folder?

Yes.

MelvisWeb wrote:

Will the old folder still be there?

Yes.

MelvisWeb wrote:

Will it actually try to merge the files?

No.

MelvisWeb wrote:

And I assume that if I click "Choose another location" and I just create a new folder for it, Dropbox will download my entire Dropbox to that new location, correct?

Yes.

If you choose to rename the folder it's no different from choosing a new location. The old folder will be renamed, a new Dropbox folder will be created (just as if you picked a different location), and it will download all of your files to the new folder.

It can usually determine that the existing folder is for the account you're signing in to and just re-index it, but changes in hardware, like cloning the drive, probably interfere with that. If you want it to reuse your existing files without having to download them again, do the following.

First, rename the existing Dropbox folder to Dropbox_OLD or something similar. Install Dropbox like you did previously and select the location where you want the Dropbox folder to be created, then complete the install. Dropbox will create a new folder and start to download your files. Immediately exit the Dropbox application to stop it from syncing. COPY your files from the Dropbox_OLD folder into the newly created Dropbox folder. Once the copy is complete, start the Dropbox application again.

At this point Dropbox will start to index your files, during which it may appear to be uploading or downloading data, but it's only syncing comparison data and any changes it finds. BE PATIENT and let it work. It will take time, especially if you have a lot of files. Once the sync is complete and you're happy with the results, delete the Dropbox_OLD folder.