.dropbox files, can they be deleted?

Question

I use Dropbox on my Windows 7, OS X and on my mobile phone. Sometimes I see a file called .dropbox in my dropbox folders, can those files be deleted?

Answer 1

Dropbox uses the .dropbox files as a tool to track the identity of a shared folder. When a shared folder is moved, and IF you haven't deleted the .dropbox file, dropbox recognizes the shared folder still, and it keeps it's shared property. If you have deleted the .dropbox files, then if you move the shared folder you will leave the shared folder.

So, if you want to keep it shared, keep it - if you don't, you can remove it.

Note that moving a shared folder implies that you move it within dropbox structure.

Also, they say that in previous version of dropbox there was a bug that .dropbox files existed in all directories, but that should've been fixed years ago.

Sources:

• https://forums.dropbox.com/topic.php?id=3842
• https://forums.dropbox.com/topic.php?id=18965

Answer 2

.dropbox files only exist in Dropbox folders that are shared with others. These files consist of a single line of text: a number, presumably for revision or other tracking purposes. They are probably used for tracking shared folders and should not be removed.