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

Xariel's avatar
Xariel
Helpful | Level 6
6 months ago

I see duplicate Dropbox folders on Windows, after reinstalling the desktop app, and they both sync

Hi there

 

I had a problem where I noticed one day about a month or so ago that my backup of my current computer had disappeared so couldnt access any files from my computer on my phone. The only way I could see to fix it was to reinstall dropbox on my computer which it fix the backup problem. However I now have a problem on my computer where my windows explorer shows two indentical dropbox folders. How do I remove of them without losing any files? Anything I do to one of the folders affects the other, they both have the same files and both sync. Thanks in advance.

  • Hi Megan

     

    My husband has just managed to sort everything out for me. Thank you both for your help.

     

    edit: 

    For me it turned out that Id been using a downloaded version of dropbox on my computer and when I uninstalled it to fix my back up problem I then reinstalled dropbox using the microsoft app version of dropbox instead. That caused me to have two identical dropbox folders that were both syncing. To fix it we uninstalled dropbox again and then reinstalled using the downloaded version again and it fixed my duplicate folder problem. 

    The problem i was having where i was getting the message on the last screenshot about my folders were not in the defaut location, my husband googled some hidden commands in the dropbox application that allowed you to reset the default location which fixed that problem. I dont remember what is was now though im afraid.

  • Nancy's avatar
    Nancy
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff

    Hi Xariel, welcome to our Community!

     

    What you mention is quite odd indeed. 

     

    Can you send me a screenshot showing the two Dropbox folders you see with their syncing icons? 

     

    What’s their filepath on your computer? 

     

    I’d also like to know the syncing status and app version of the Dropbox app there.

     

    Keep me posted.

    • Xariel's avatar
      Xariel
      Helpful | Level 6

      Hi Nancy

       

      Here is screenshot.

       

      They both have the filepath C:\Users\dream - they both look the same as the one shown in the screenshot

      I think the version on my computer is v199.4.6287 

      • Megan's avatar
        Megan
        Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff

        Hey Xariel, thanks for the screenshot! 

         

        Would you be able to also check the app's preferences, and more specifically your Sync tab to check if the Dropbox folder path is the same one as the one you see on your screenshot?

About Create, upload, and share

Find help to solve issues with creating, uploading, and sharing files and folders in Dropbox. Get support and advice 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!