Renaming files: windows re-selects entire filename when other files resync

[AcerbicMaelin]

Found a reproducible annoyance in Windows 10 with Dropbox. I often cycle through a lot of folders using the tab key to rename them one at a time, and this produces an issue where, as soon as the Dropbox app has synced the previous file, Windows highlights all text in the currently-being-edited filename, even if I am tapping through it.

To reproduce:

1. Open a folder containing many files that is currently synced in Dropbox
2. Click on a file name twice (not doubleclick) to begin renaming it. Rename it however.
3. Press the Tab key to flick down to the next file in the folder. If the previous filename was still in the 'editing' mode then you will automatically be editing the next filename.
4. Quickly start using the arrow keys or Home/End to move around in the filename but do not start typing
5. After a second or two, when the Dropbox App has re-synced the file you previously renamed, Windows will highlight the entire filename that you are currently arrowing-around in - maybe just as you were about to start typing.

I suspect this has something to do with updating the little blue and green file icon overlays.

If you were just about to start inserting some text somewhere in a filename, but hadn't started typing yet, then the fact that the filename has just re-highlighted itself might cause you to overwrite the entire filename instead of inserting the part you were planning.

When doing this with many files this can be a real annoyance. Is a fix possible?

[astarothcy]

Are you serious with this response? It's not like we are talking about running your app on some unsupported obscure OS. This is just insulting TBH.

[Joe95]

Hi @Walter 

Thanks for getting back to us on this.

Just to confirm, I have tested Dropbox, Livedrive, Onedrive and Google Drive for Desktop, only Dropbox has these 'highlighting all parts of the name multiple times' bug.

As mentioned in my last comment, seemingly since a new update, either for Dropbox or Windows, this issue has gotten worse, how the sure but annoying solution of pausing doesn't fix the issue either.

Can you please utilise your much more useful and competent Microsoft contacts and ask them to launch a joint investigation with Dropbox into this issue because this has persisted for over 2 years and now is getting worse - plus it's solely related to Dropbox -w- Windows interactions, so far none of the other cloud storage providers have presented this issue, so it is a Dropbox integration problem rather than just a Windows problem.

[DaveTheBrave2000]

I can confirm the problem and I can confirm the relation between Dropbox and Windows. I tested Sync and there you don't have the problem.

So for sure there is something that differs Dropbox from other Cloud Apps, which creates this issue.

[Joe95]

Another bump for this thread, still a daily annoyance.

[testuser1984]

please fix this. NOW!

[VFRBoy]

Can confirm this is a right PITA.

Can also confirm it's a DROPBOX problem.

[Tech-is-eating-everything]

Instead of replying to this thread which is marked as closed and is no longer being read by anyone at dropbox:

* * * OPEN A SUPPORT TICKET * * *

This is the way.

[Raft61]

I believe the problem is due to "Screen Refreshing" when Windows redraws the sync Icon Overlays on the desktop (little green tick marks, brown archive ready boxes, etc), and is related to the way File Explorer interacts with file syncing apps (not just OneDrive).

I found that if you go into File Explorer, select the Desktop folder and under Options/View, turn off "Show Sync Provider Notifications". This should significantly reduce the problem. If you are renaming multiple files and you select part of the next filename quickly, it might still default back to the full filename only once. But it won't keep re-selecting the full filename over and over again.

I'd be interested to know if this works for anyone else.

[Raft61]

Also need to turn off "Always Show Availability Status"...

[Aaron43]

@Raft61, I haven't tried your workaround, but my own observations confirm that the filename highlighting problem is related to the icon overlays as you and others have suggested.

However, as to whether other sync services are affected, exiting only the Dropbox app switched off the problem for me, even with three other file sync services still running in Windows 11 (Google Drive, OneDrive, Sync.com).

And having now set "Preferences – General – Dropbox Badge" to "Never show", I no longer have the problem occurring.