I worked on and synced a file and it synced as 0 bytes

[error415]

I was working on a R script. The moment I saved the file and quit RStudio, the script file which is synced in a dropbox folder is turned to a 0 byte file. When I tried to open the file from dropbox web, it showed me "Error (415)". When I tried to recover it from the "version history" option, I found that strangely there are no previously saved versions though I saved it many times during my code writing and trail running. I also searched in my computer's recycle bin and dropbox's deleted file section. There is nothing. How can I recover it? It is an important file.

[Mark · Accepted solution]

Are you on a Mac by any chance?

Mac's create 0 byte files which are then populated with data as they are 'saved'. It sounds like Dropbox has saved the 0byte file that was created at the start of the save but then its not sync'd correctly due to the error given - which my guess is because Dropbox then locked that file while it sync'd. Thats almost certainly why its not saved updates as well during day unless you are over quota and so syncing isnt working. 

Unfortunately if its not saved locally (to the folder) or available as a recovered file when you open the software its not saved and so not recoverable. It wont be in recycle bin etc. unless you actually moved it there. 

www.dropbox.com/events will show you what has sync'd to the system. 

[JanaV]

I have this same issue - except it's all of a sudden. Every new doc I create looks fine in Dropbox, but then is 0 bytes so I can't send it to anyone or see it in say Word. I'm on a Mac. It doesn't matter whether I create it in Word and save to Dropbox or create in Dropbox as a Word doc. I'm freaking out that everything I've written in the last... who knows... is now not available outside of Dropbox unless I cut and paste? It shows "up to date" for syncing but says disc created online are not available in desktop apps. What is the point of Dropbox if I can't access my files outside of it? I'm confused. I guess I need to always write in Word and then save to Dropbox? My problem is Word constantly crashes, but that's another story... or I just need to get rid of Dropbox and go 100% with Google docs. Thanks for any advice!

[Jay]

Hi @JanaV, could you clarify this in more detail? How soon after you upload it to Dropbox does the file become zero bytes?

Is it zero bytes on the site first, or on the machine first, which then syncs to the site?

[JanaV]

Thanks for the reply, Jay. It seems to be immediate. Even if it's online-only, it is 0 bytes although it's still there in dropbox and I can work with it. So if I want to attach it to an email, I have to copy and paste it into a Word doc and save it on my hard drive or desktop. I guess it may have something to do with this: https://help.dropbox.com/installs-integrations/desktop/macos-12-monterey-support but I hope they fix it soon since it's difficult not to be able to have full access. It's especially problematic for another reason - my Word crashes continually and so I can't really work on the desktop app for Word! I was just hoping there was another work around other than copy and paste since I have long files - book chapters - that I have to cut and paste by hand and it's a pain. 

[Jay]

If the files are online-only, what happens if you make the file available offline from the right click menu? Can you open them in Word normally?

[JanaV]

I can download and open in Word, but then any changes I make are not saved to Dropbox - even when I manually "save as" and save to the Dropbox folder it came from. It doesn't matter if it's a doc originally created in Word and saved to Dropbox, or a doc I created in Dropbox and then downloaded to Word. In that case, it shouldn't matter if it has "synced" since I'm replacing the old doc in Dropbox with the new - except the new one doesn't save. My Dropbox seems to be syncing automatically as it should but there is now no longer a way to save files back and forth. I can:

1. See and edit in Dropbox OR

2. Download and edit in Word, then save to Desktop (but the Dropbox version won't change, even if I save the revised version to Dropbox)

3. If I save to Desktop I can attach it to an email and send, but I can't attach the Dropbox version - it's always 0 bytes

4. Dropbox syncs fine with my Desktop/Docs

So, it's just a weird disconnect between Word and Dropbox. Excel seems fine. 

Sorry this is confusing - it is to me too!

[Megan]

Hi @JanaV, sorry to jump in here!

Which version of our app do you use on your end? You can find this by hovering your mouse over your little Dropbox icon. 

Also, when you make a file available offline, are you able to see its size then? 

[JanaV]

I'm using 154.4.53.63 - says it's up to date. 

Anything that was created in Dropbox says 0 bytes until downloaded. 

The version downloaded from Dropbox I can see the file size. I can open it and make changes. 

However, if I try to save it back to Dropbox and override the current Dropbox version, it doesn't work. Dropbox always shows the old version (though I don't get an error message).

I have  2 separate versions - the one in Dropbox and the one on my desktop. The desktop one will sync to Dropbox, but 99% of my files are in Dropbox only (after a catastrophic crash earlier this year where I lost everything on my hard drive). 

Jana

[Walter]

Hey @JanaV, sorry to jump in here. 

Could you please clarify how you save the file in Dropbox when you are finished editing?

 
The file should sync automatically to the web, when you save and close it.

Also, can you send us a screenshot of the folder the file is in?

While in the folder, can you right click it, press get info, and send us a screenshot of that as well?