You might see that the Dropbox Community team have been busy working on some major updates to the Community itself! So, here is some info on what’s changed, what’s staying the same and what you can expect from the Dropbox Community overall.

Forum Discussion

NiciM's avatar
NiciM
New member | Level 2
8 months ago

I can't delete the Dropbox cache folder - it doesn't go away

The DropBox Cache folder is giving me issues.  It simply will not go away, no matter how many times it is deleted.  I know what it is, but its presence prevents both DropBox and OneDrive from syncing properly.  How do permanently delete it

  • Rich's avatar
    Rich
    Icon for Super User II rankSuper User II

    NiciM wrote:

    The DropBox Cache folder is giving me issues.  It simply will not go away, no matter how many times it is deleted.  ... How do permanently delete it


    You can't permanently delete it. It's required for Dropbox to function properly.

     

    Exactly what is the issue you're having while syncing, and why do you believe the .dropbox.cache folder is causing a problem?

     

    Also, Dropbox's cache folder should have no effect on any other sync service, unless, possibly, you're trying to sync the same files with two sync services (storing OneDrive in Dropbox or vice versa) in which case you WILL have issues, but that's still not related to the cache folder.

    • NiciM's avatar
      NiciM
      New member | Level 2

      Dropbox can't sync the cache folder.  A red x appears on the dropbox and cache folders (I can see ALL files on my file explorer app).  When that red x (can't sync) appears, OneDrive ALSO can't sync as those files stop it.  When I got a DropBox almost full message 3 days ago, I went to the Dropbox online location (instead of working in File Explorer) to see what was going on since I keep very little on DropBox.  Folders and files I had originally deleted years ago (2012, 2015, 2017) had come back and had to be deleted again (apparently there was an update recently since the interface looked very different than last time I looked).  and no, I wasn't syncing a new/old computer that had these old files.  I only keep a VERY few files in Dropbox.  If this continues, I may have to delete the app completely to protect my OneDrive backup.

      • Mark's avatar
        Mark
        Icon for Super User II rankSuper User II

        Hi NiciM 

        You arent trying to double sync are you - i.e. to OneDrive and Dropbox? 

         

        That isnt possbile within either applications (or any cloud sync tools). It does cause issues like this

About Delete, edit, and organize

Solve issues with deleting, editing, and organizing files and folders in your Dropbox account with support from the Dropbox Community.

Need more support

If you need more help you can view your support options (expected response time for an email or ticket is 24 hours), or contact us on X or Facebook.

For more info on available support options for your Dropbox plan, see this article.

If you found the answer to your question in this Community thread, please 'like' the post to say thanks and to let us know it was useful!