I keep getting selective sync conflicts by Dropbox?

[kelos-01]

I have a major issue with sync conflicts at the moment, which i'm trying to resolve. Although what I find happening is that files are being moved by drop box into my private folder.

I've tested this. I moved everything out of my private folder into the root "dropbox" location after the sync took place it moved a whole bunch of folders back into my private folder with "selective Sync Conflict" in the name.

Why is it moving my files folders back into the private folder?

PS I did this:

To remove the "Selective sync conflict" folder

1. Move any files you need from the "Selective Sync conflict" folder to the original folder.
2. Delete the conflicted folder.

https://help.dropbox.com/syncing-uploads/select-files-to-sync

But as I explained it moves it back into the private folder.

[Rich]

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@karen007 wrote:

Can't DB just compare the files and decide which one is older and needs to be synched?

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The newest file isn't necessarily the one that should be synced. What if I have a problem with a file and decide to roll it back to a previous version (using my own backups)? In such a case, the older file is the one that I want synced to all other devices. If Dropbox simply relied on "older files get replaced with newer files" then the version of my file that I want synced would be replaced with the bad version.

Now expand on that. A computer is infected with ransomware and many files are encrypted, each with new modification dates. There's an old comptuer that's been offline for a while and has a clean copy of the files, with older modification dates. You bring that comptuer online and Dropbox starts to sync. With your reasoning, Dropbox just overwrote your clean copy with the newer, encrypted copy of your files.

By creating conflicts, Dropbox leaves the decision making up to the user. Dropbox can't (and shouldn't) assume that it knows which files should be synced. Instead, it keeps both copies and allows us to determine which files to keep.

[karen007]

The problem is, whenever I have to synch, there are conflicted copies and I have to use windows' search function to find out - otherwise they are just there forever. If what you said is correct, maybe DB should, after synching, pop up a window and ask which file you want to keep. Or provide a toggle to let users decide whether they want to keep the newest version or rather leave a conflicted copy.

I have 3 different laptops (at work, at home, etc.) and these conflicted copies are everywhere.

[spelunka]

Yes agree on this need.  I always get compilation issues on VS 2019 and DB.  So I have to pause DB whenever I'm working during day, then remember to turn back syncing at end of day.  Ideally, both know how to live in existence with each other.

[tmelander]

I'm definitely a newbie and pretty much an idiot, but this is what I did when I had the conflict problem (it added four folders that said were conflicted).  I went into selective sync and de-selected those four folders.  I then went to my file explorer and deleted those four folders from where they show up under DropBox.  I then went to DropBox.com and deleted those four folders.

A very tentative "Voila!"

While I realize that some of what I did seems redundant, maybe it was necessary.  I'm not sure what I did to have the conflict, I was just trying to move some pictures and folders and threw them into dropbox without thinking properly about where I put them.  I've tested it a bit, and the issue is not reappearing.  And the folders are not showing up in my Selective Sync, either.

edit:  AND NOW THEY'RE BACK!!!!  (so never mind)

[KimberlyF]

I too am having the same issue.
So fed up!

Nothing but conflicted folders in Dropbox.

I am thinking of dumping the whole platform - it that bad.

Waste of time and resources when all it has to do is NOT back up the conflicted files in my reasoning. 

[mfacen]

Can't believe this hasn't been worked out yet. It really is so frustrating and as a programmer I know how easy would be to add selective syncing with wild cards or being able to exclude folders starting with a dot or whatever is needed. Such a simple feature to add and so much back and forth for so many years, it is really disappointing. Too bad my company just renewed my yearly subscription as I'll definitely change  service as this is really annoying. I just lost hours fixing a project that had hundreds of conflicted copies that prevented it from compiling. What a waste of time.

[Michael B.202]

Yes! Karen007 has it right. Stop "selective sync" conflict before it happens. If there is a conflict, stop! show the files and ask which one is the one to keep. Let the viewer choose to compare the two files otherwise if earlier/later does not resolve the issue. Just yesterday the Dropbox program created 479 copies of my Downloads folder each with a "selective sync conflict" label. If there is a conflict, to repeat, stop! and make the user resolve it before proceeding.

I ask myself, "If I don't even know what 'selective sync' is, how can it be my fault?"