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Mabone's avatar
Mabone
Helpful | Level 6
5 months ago
Solved

Windows Explorer persistent red X syncing error icon next to my Dropbox files.

Hi, we use Windows Explorer to access Dropbox from our laptops. When opening Dropbox in Windows Explorer, I get a persistent red icon like this showing in the Dropbox root folder: I think this...
desktop
Error Messages
sync
windows
  • Mabone's avatar
    Mabone
    5 months ago

    A BIG HUGE thank you to everybody who replied. I tried most of the options suggested. The problem seems to have rectified itself. Not sure what happened but it seems to be fine now.

ADours's avatar
ADours
New member | Level 2
5 months ago

Wanted to chime in as we also use Dropbox in our environment. We are noticing extensive issues regarding users going back and forth between indexing and syncing. The number randomly jumps to over 300,000 files, then back down to a few, and then back up again. (this number isn't static across all users, it varies). We've modified the folder selections to only sync certain folders since they are very large. However, a bunch of our users are experiencing the red "x" next to their Dropbox folders inside of file explorer. Any insight would be great. 

Hannah's avatar
Hannah
Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
5 months ago

Thanks for the nudge here, ADours, and sorry to see that people on your team are having this issue.

Generally, a red circle with a white “X” means that a file or folder in someone's Dropbox folder can’t update or sync.

Does pausing and then resuming the sync process help at all?

What if the folder is moved out of the Dropbox folder and then moved back in?

  • ADours's avatar
    ADours
    New member | Level 2
    5 months ago

    Pausing and resuming does not rid the x's in file explorer. I have uninstalled Dropbox, reinstalled, selected specific folders, assured the folders are syncing "online" only as well. I haven't moved the folder out of Dropbox since a ton of people use the folder and was afraid it would affect all users. Whenever i check Dropbox for sync status, it says there are no errors at all. Also, whenever I go down the file path attempting to find what file/folder in the parent folder is causing the sync issue, it shows all the files are syncing within the folder that has the red X if that makes sense. 

    • ADours's avatar
      ADours
      New member | Level 2
      5 months ago

      Also, i ensured the user has enough C drive space: well over 250GB extra while the folders live Online. 

      • Hannah's avatar
        Hannah
        Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
        5 months ago

        Thanks for clarifying, ADours.

        I would definitely suggest moving the files out of the Dropbox folder and then back in. 

        I understand this might be inconvenient, however, you can try it with a couple of test files first, to check if it actually helps.

        Move them out of the Dropbox folder and back in and if that doesn't work, try copying them back in and let us know if it works.

        Just make sure that the files in question are set to "available offline" before doing anything.

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