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Files in Dropbox showing up as "Copy of xxxx.xxx" in my recent items lists

Files in Dropbox showing up as "Copy of xxxx.xxx" in my recent items lists

swhiteh3
Explorer | Level 3

I use the "recent items" lists quite often.  For instance, I right-click on the MS Excel icon down in the system tray, and it brings up the most recent items I've opened in Excel.  I can open the file and work on it from this list.  I've done this for years on multiple Windows 7 machines with files located in DropBox.

A more recent machine is giving me headaches though, and I'm not sure if it's related to Windows 10 or not.  Now, instead of listing all the files I've worked on, it lists each file numerous times, and the files are all listed as "Copy of XXXX.xls" rather that just "XXXX.xls".

How can I make these "Copy of" copies go away, so I only see a list of the files I've worked on?

10 Replies 10

Jane
Dropbox Staff
Hey there @swhiteh3, as you’ve mentioned that you’re opening your spreadsheets form the Recents lists within excel, then there could be a few factors coming into play for the copies you’re seeing. 
 
Now, we’d need to determine whether these copies are syncing to your Dropbox account, so as to plan our next steps. If you know of a specific filename that you’ve synced both the original & the copy, could you look it up on the Search field :magnifying_glass_tilted_left: on your Dropbox account online
 
You should get two (or more than two) filenames there, so I’d suggest checking back at the Version History (tip: it’s on the on the 💬 of the file in question) to see if these were created by you/by a different device linked to your account &c.
 
If you check the previous versions of the file and see that it was accessed from an application on another computer, you can delete it off of that computer to stop it from reappearing in your Dropbox. From there, if both copies are located within the same directory, then you can get rid of the duplicates however there’s some decision-making involved, as you’d need to proofread before deleting any un-wanted content.
 
Hopefully my hints point you towards the right direction & please do let me know how my advice works for you or if you have misunderstood your request in any way!

 


Jane
Community Moderator @ Dropbox
dropbox.com/support

 

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swhiteh3
Explorer | Level 3

So I picked a rather easy and recent file, for simplicity lets call it "Checklist.xls".  This file was moved to DB by me this morning (on another computer), and then on my primary computer, I opened it and edited it.

When I go to Dropbox.com, and search for it, I only see one copy.  There is no file called "Copy of Checklist.xls", or anything like that.

Looking at the version list shows two versions - both called "Checklist.xls" - the original I copied over, and the new version I edited.

Now that I've closed the file, let's say I wanted to reopen it - I right click on my EXCEL logo in the system tray shows the following two items right at the top:

CHECKLIST

COPY OF CHECKLIST

Where is this "Copy of..." version coming from?

Jane
Dropbox Staff
I appreciate that you took the time to clarify matters for me @swhiteh3; I’d happily continue our conversation from where we’ve left off! If you don’t mind, I’ll also use your “Checklist.xls” example file to retain continuity. 
 
Now, as you’ve mentioned that you’ve edited your “Checklist.xls” file twice & it’s synced to your Dropbox account online as expected, I wouldn’t suspect Dropbox as a potential culprit for the discrepancy. Could you please try quitting the Dropbox application by clicking the Dropbox icon in your system tray :right_arrow: & then on the :gear: icon in the Notifications panel & select "Quit Dropbox"? 
 
From there, it seems that we'd have to shift our focus away from Dropbox. What’s happening if you work on this file outside the Dropbox folder? Are you getting the same results? If so, then it’s highly likely that the copies are created within Excel, so you should investigate whether there’s a missing update there &c. 
 
I hope that this leads you towards the right direction & I’m always here in case you have any follow-up questions. Thanks & enjoy the rest of your day! 

 


Jane
Community Moderator @ Dropbox
dropbox.com/support

 

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swhiteh3
Explorer | Level 3

The reason I think Dropbox is involved in this issue is that all my Excel files that are located locally on this computer - NONE of them exhibit this behavior.  I just created a new Excel file, TEST.xls, on my desktop, opened, edited, and closed it several times, and I do not get a "COPY OF" version in my RECENT ITEMS list.

swhiteh3
Explorer | Level 3

Snip.JPG

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Jane
Dropbox Staff
Thanks for taking the time to try my suggestions & getting back in touch with this screenshot (@swhiteh3)! Following your last comment, I’m wondering whether a missing update within Excel has been causing you this issue. Are you facing that on this particular device only or across devices incidentally? 
 
If you try to access the copies, they should be stored locally on your device (i.e. I’m assuming that, as we’ve established that these aren’t saved to Dropbox). Can you check if they’re stored in the same location? If so, you can cross-check the timestamps & see if you recognize a pattern there (eg. are the copies saved at the same time as the original file)? 
 
Please keep me updated here on your findings & we’ll take it from there! 

 


Jane
Community Moderator @ Dropbox
dropbox.com/support

 

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swhiteh3
Explorer | Level 3

When I right-click on the "Copy of" file versions from the recent menu, I get they are located at:

<C:\Users\MYUSERNAME\AppData\Local\Packages\Microsoft.Office.Desktop_8wekyb3d8bbwe\AC\INetCache\Content.MSO>

Both "size" and "size on disk" are listed as 0 K?

There is no Created, Modified, or Accessed date listed.  They are all blank.

Interestingly, as soon as I copied the TEST.xls document from my desktop into Dropbox, it immediately showed up with a "COPY OF" version on the Recent Items list.  Before that, even though I had opened and edited it numerous times, only the original showed up.

Any help is appreciated!

Jane
Dropbox Staff
It seems that these are temp files @swhiteh3. Are you seeing the same behavior on more than one devices perchance? Also, can you confirm that you’re working on the latest Microsoft Excel version? 
 
If this persists for you, I’d suggest reaching out to the Microsoft Support team, as this pertains to temp files created on their end, so they could best analyze what’s causing you this discrepancy in the first place. If needed, you could also reference our discussion here, in order to give them some insight on what we’ve already discussed. 
 
I hope that this helps you to some extent & you fix this discrepancy soon! 

 


Jane
Community Moderator @ Dropbox
dropbox.com/support

 

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Questions asked in the community will likely receive an answer within 4 hours!)

swhiteh3
Explorer | Level 3

I've only seen this on this one device.  It's the only device where I'm using Excel, Dropbox, and Windows 10 together.  Most of my devices are Windows 7.

Yes, this is the most up to date version of Excel.

What makes you think this is a Microsoft issue?  It's only happening on files that are in Dropbox.  Files that are located on my computer (such as the desktop) are not doing this.  It seems to be a Dropbox issue.

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