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Forum Discussion
I see a grey X next to my Windows files and they can't be opened after disabling computer backup
Hello! I used to use the backup feature of Dropbox for my computer. Notably, this included my Documents folder (on Windows 10). At some point I turned off the backup feature because I thought I didn'...
Nancy
Dropbox Staff
Dropbox StaffHi __sarah__, sorry to hear you’re having this issue.
As mentioned here, the grey X icon you’re seeing is a Windows icon and not a Dropbox one. However, it usually indicates there’s a syncing issue between the file and Dropbox.
When you disabled computer backup, did you follow these steps? If yes, was your Dropbox app up to date at the moment, or was it still syncing your backups/updates?
Can you send me a screenshot of what you see here?
Keep me updated.
Hi Nancy, thank you for taking a look at my post.
I was not aware of this article when I turned off backup, but I think what I did was similar. I believe that I did it through my browser instead of the desktop app. I remember deleting the backup when I wanted to turn the backing up off. (Perhaps it was required to turn it off? I don't recall.) I do not recall being faced with a choice like "5. Click Keep content in folders on this PC/Mac or Leave content in Dropbox" and if I was what I might have chosen.
Here is a screenshot of the requested link
requested screenshot
aside: I perceive "backup" as meaning copying my files to the cloud but not removing them from the original machine, as opposed to "sync" which I would interpret as possibly making files online-only. If this is a misinterpretation of the product then I am a bit worried.
- Walter
Hey __sarah__ - do you happen to be running any 3rd party apps like One Drive, for example?
Also, have you tried copying or moving those files to another location on your computer to see if the issue persists?
Hi Walter. As stated in my original post, I do not have One Drive. I have indeed tried copying the files, and the copy fails. Here is a screenshot.
file copying failure on file with grey X
