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New member | Level 2

6 years ago

Suddenly getting sync errors related to file names with special characters

I'm on Windows 10 and have been using dropbox for 5+ years. In the last 2 days, suddenly I have been getting sync errors for around 2500+ files and the error is related to file naming issues. The odd...

Lusil
6 years ago
Hey JuliaG, sorry to hear that.

Could you also let me know if you’re seeing any errors and what the Dropbox icon next to your desktop’s clock reads when you hover over it? A screenshot (omitting personal info) would be much appreciated so as to have a better visual understanding of the behavior.

Thanks in advance!

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Dropbox Staff

6 years ago

Hey ChrisYMY, could you please elaborate a bit on this? For example:

What is the error message that you’re seeing?
What does the Dropbox icon that’s next to your computer’s clock show when you hover over it?

Any screenshots (without any personal info) that you could attach in your next reply would also be very helpful.

Thanks in advance!

JuliaG
New member | Level 2
6 years ago
I'm having the same problem suddenly today. I started trying to fix them but suddenly loads more are appearing. I'm using a Mac and have been using it without errors for years.
Julia
- Lusil
  Dropbox Staff
  6 years ago
  Hey JuliaG, sorry to hear that.
  
  Could you also let me know if you’re seeing any errors and what the Dropbox icon next to your desktop’s clock reads when you hover over it? A screenshot (omitting personal info) would be much appreciated so as to have a better visual understanding of the behavior.
  
  Thanks in advance!
ChrisYMY
New member | Level 2
6 years ago

Error message is as follows:
"Couldn't sync 1488 files.
View sync issues on Dropbox settings menu."
There are 2 options beneath the error message, "view" and "dismiss". If I press view, I get a list of the files that fail to sync and message suggesting I remove special characters. (the characters that seem to be an issue are ">" and "?" and "_").
The dropbox icon in the system tray (next to the clock) shows a "1" in red.
- Lusil
  Dropbox Staff
  6 years ago
  Thanks for getting back to me, ChrisYMY.
  
  Hmm. Could you check if you have the latest stable version installed (70.4.93)? Please remember that a beta version can be recognized by a xx.3.xx, instead of the xx.4.xx. So if you’re on a beta build, it means that you have opted in to Early Releases in your online account settings.
  
  If this doesn’t apply to you or you’re still having trouble with this, could you please send me a screenshot (without any sensitive info) of the error message? You can do so from one of the following options:
  
  Let me know what you find!
  - ChrisYMY
    New member | Level 2
    6 years ago
    I'm on Beta build, using v71.3.102. Have unchecked the option for early release on Dropbox website just now.
    Should I downgrade to stable release?
Darwin63
New member | Level 2
6 years ago
Hi,
Very unclear how this can be solved. I will NOT rename my 2000 files that have now suddenly became problematic.. How can I automatically replace all special characters by normal characters?

Thanks
- Lusil
  Dropbox Staff
  6 years ago
  Hey there Darwin63,
  
  In general, if you find that you have file names that include one of these characters, the most common solution is to rename the original file without these characters.
  
  However, could you please elaborate a bit on this? Did you find that you have file names that appear in the bad files check? Or are you experiencing any other syncing-related behavior?
  
  Any additional info and screenshots (without personal info included) so as to have a better understanding of your concern would be very helpful.
  
  Thanks in advance!
  - MRShepherd77
    New member | Level 2
    6 years ago
    I am experiencing the issues as well... Files that have been synced between my Mac laptop and Windows 10 desktop for years now (I'm getting errors all of a sudden on files from 2012). I am using a beta (although I don't remember signing up necessarily but I've used Dropbox for forever so who knows when I might have done that). Current version 73.3.94. Issues on about 800 files w/ " . " and " : " that used to not be an issue... Like the previous poster said, renaming those files (especially going back so many years) is not an obvious option.

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