Can not overwrite file in DropBox

[sharonatordoff]

We use DropBox and used to be able to overwrite old versions. That is no longer possible. I am on a Mac 10.13. Did the "replace" option go away?

[cmoody8]

This is not an acceptable solution.  I need to replace files using drag and drop in Mac OS multiple times daily. The ability to do exactly that needs to return VERY soon. Without it Dropbox is not a valid solution to my workflow anymore.

[Walter]

Hi @cmoody8; thanks for the report. 

Can you please go through the steps you take to do this to see if I can reproduce it on my side? 

While at it, have you tried another browser other than the one you originally used to do this? 

Let me know what you find when you get the chance and we'll take it from there. 

[cmoody8]

Thanks for your reply Walter.

I've been trying to figure this out more today since my post and remain confused.  So, I don't use a browser.  I'm in Mac OS 10.15.3 using Dropbox integrated.

I routinely create files in Photoshop and save as jpg; sometimes straight to a shared folder overwritting a previous version.  Sometimes I drag and drop in the Finder to replace previous versions.  I've been doing this without incident for years.  

Recently, instead of replacing the older file, a second file is generated with "copy" on the end of the file name; or "2" on the end of the file name.  But, it doesn't happen every time. So, I'm pretty confused now about what is triggering it.  It seemed to be recent changes to Dropbox based upon some other posts I read, but I'm not so sure anymore?  Any light you can shed would be great.

[Walter]

Thanks for the additional details @cmoody8; it's most appreciated. 

It looks like the way you're saving the file in question is what's causing the duplicate files, but just to be sure about it, would you like me to reach out to your Dropbox associated email address so we can have a further look internally?

Let me know here whenever you get the chance and we'll take it from there. 

[cmoody8]

Yes, Please. I'd like to solve this.

[Walter]

Thanks for your cooperation on this one @cmoody8.

I've just followed up with an email so we can investigate this with all of my tools at our disposal.

Whenever you find some spare time, please take a look at your inbox and we'll pick this up from where we've left off here. 

[Airportmuc]

I have exactly the same thing going on for a while and Dropbox support keeps saying that it isn't their softwares/services fault. It's the same thing with the windows client. You can not overwrite a file that is uploading ANYMORE but I used to do that for six years now. Luckily there's enough people that can approve that this behaviour is new. I guess it's happening since the new Dropbox client software was rolled out.

[cyntafe]

I am having the same problem. I need to be able to drag and drop files and have them automatically replaced instead of adding "copy" at the end, creating duplicates. I work on my computer, then upload various formats to dropbox, and do not plan to use dropbox as my only source for working. This has caused a major issue with my workflow. Please change back to the way it was.

Another note: since this version, whenever I am uploading files, it bogs my computer down. I've never experienced this before either. And the interface looks very similar to the web version, and I've always preferred the desktop version. Now they look the same, and I am not happy with that change either.

[tgiordano]

@walter - I am having a similar problem trying to download a .csv from firefox from a web portal and save it on top of existing file in my dropbox folder on disc. If I do this the download fails in firefox. If I save with a different name it works. If I save it to a non dropbox directory it works whether I am overwritting or not. If I open the download file and save as csv replacing the file in dropbox it works.

I cleared my firefox cache and it didnt work. Chrome doesnt allow a file save to, other than download folder. So I am hoping you can offer some suggestions. Please advise. tks Tony

[Daphne]

Hey there @tgiordano, apologies for the delayed reply here!

It sounds like you're having a little bit of a different issue here. Could you let me know if you're getting the same error when saving to the Dropbox folder and the desktop app isn't running on your computer?

You can close the app by:

1. Clicking the Dropbox icon in your system tray/menu bar.
2. Click the profile pic/initials icon in the top right of the window.
3. Choose "Quit Dropbox".

Also, do you usually get the error regardless of whether the file in the Dropbox folder that you want to overwrite is syncing or up to date? Or is this only when the file is syncing?

Keep me posted!