Renaming files: windows re-selects entire filename when other files resync

[AcerbicMaelin]

Found a reproducible annoyance in Windows 10 with Dropbox. I often cycle through a lot of folders using the tab key to rename them one at a time, and this produces an issue where, as soon as the Dropbox app has synced the previous file, Windows highlights all text in the currently-being-edited filename, even if I am tapping through it.

To reproduce:

1. Open a folder containing many files that is currently synced in Dropbox
2. Click on a file name twice (not doubleclick) to begin renaming it. Rename it however.
3. Press the Tab key to flick down to the next file in the folder. If the previous filename was still in the 'editing' mode then you will automatically be editing the next filename.
4. Quickly start using the arrow keys or Home/End to move around in the filename but do not start typing
5. After a second or two, when the Dropbox App has re-synced the file you previously renamed, Windows will highlight the entire filename that you are currently arrowing-around in - maybe just as you were about to start typing.

I suspect this has something to do with updating the little blue and green file icon overlays.

If you were just about to start inserting some text somewhere in a filename, but hadn't started typing yet, then the fact that the filename has just re-highlighted itself might cause you to overwrite the entire filename instead of inserting the part you were planning.

When doing this with many files this can be a real annoyance. Is a fix possible?

[alexonskiPGC]

This thread was opened over four years ago, and the problem persists with Dropbox personnel improperly pointing fingers towards Microsoft as indicated elsewhere in this thread.

I threw in the towel, and migrated my cloud storage over to OneDrive, completely removing the Dropbox desktop app from my Windows 10 PC.  Others have noted that OneDrive experiences similar problems, but does it still happen when Dropbox is not installed?  Not for me!

With the Dropbox desktop app completely removed from Windows 10 PC, the problem complained of at length in this thread as well as other significant sync/performance/CPU usage issues I was experiencing with both Dropbox and OneDrive are now COMPLETELY GONE.  It is now quite clear to me that the Dropbox desktop app causes significant performance problems that affect not only Dropbox, but OneDrive as well.  These problems are particularly apparent on lower performance CPUs, and Dropbox personnel are apparently not capable of resolving these issues.

Good luck to the rest of you who keep the Dropbox desktop app installed on a Windows PC.  I'm done.

[VFRBoy]

FWIW this issue seems to have stopped in the last couple of weeks/months.

Have cautiously retested when it DIDN'T happen and can confirm I haven't been caught out by this bug for a while now.

[TwistedTrekkie666]

Great

[Gus_O_o]

AMAZING!
Please promote whoever fixed this!

It might seem like a small issue, but it was a really big frustration for those of us that work with lots of files as part of our work pipeline.

P.S. I didn't try any of the workarounds that were suggested previously. The problem just ... went away.
I haven't had this issue happening for the past week or so - And then checking this thread, it seems that others are finding the same.

[heiner1]

I still have this problem for long time now and came here to find a solution.

The new Windows 11 WinUI3 explorer is the issue in my opinion, as the problem still exist for several clouds, including onedrive.

Problem doesnt occure in freecommander etc.  - screw MS.

[MikeK78]

I'm still seeing this issue in Windows 10.
It only affects Dropbox-synced folders.

Not present with other cloud storage providers.

[Walter]

Hey @MikeK78 - sorry to hear about this.

Could you clarify your device's exact OS version and the version and status of the Dropbox desktop app installed there as well? 

How long have you been noticing this issue by the way? 

[AntennaMan]

I don't know how that will be relevant. The problem has been consistent for me through every update of W10. Or are you only interested in attempting to fix the issue for W11? That'd be a bit rubbish hey.

[MikeK78]

It's been a problem with Dropbox for years, across multiple versions. 🤷‍:male_sign:
Workaround is to pause the sync, do the renaming, and then unpause.
Nice to see someone at Dropbox not blaming Windows for a change.

[astarothcy]

This was fixed for a couple of months, and is now back. You broke it again!!! Congrats.