Chapter 16 · 16.2
Cleaning up conflict copies in a large folder without losing anything
The question: after a while without internet, or after setting up a second computer, there are dozens of files with (conflicted copy in the name. Can you just throw them away?
The short answer: not without checking first. A conflict copy contains your version of the file, which isn't (yet) in your Nextcloud. What's in the original is the version from your Nextcloud. You can read how a conflict arises in Conflicted copies: what they are and how to resolve them.
Step 1: remove the cause
Only tidy up once no new conflicts are being added. With lots of conflicts at once, the cause is usually one of these:
- The same folder is being tracked by two synchronisation programs (for example Nextcloud and OneDrive, or two Nextcloud connections to the same folder). Remove one of the two.
- A program changes files itself, for example a backup program or a photo program that writes data into your photos. Close the program or exclude the folder.
- You've restored an old copy of your folder on a computer that was already linked.
Step 2: find all conflict copies
- Open your Nextcloud in the browser and go to the folder.
- In the Search here field at the top left, type conflicted copy (1). You'll now see the conflict copies in this folder. Click Search everywhere to search your whole Nextcloud.
- You can also do this on your computer: search in Explorer or Finder for conflicted copy. Conflict copies that are only on your computer will only show up there.
Step 3: decide per file
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| The copy and the original are the same size and have the same content | Delete the conflict copy. |
| The conflict copy is newer and the original hasn't changed since | Keep the conflict copy: delete the original and give the copy the original name. Or, in the app, under Resolve conflict, choose the version you want to keep. |
| Both have changed | Open both, carry your changes over into the original, then delete the copy. |
| You're not sure | Move the conflict copies to a folder called To check. That way they're out of the way, but not gone. |
A safety net
- Anything you delete in your Nextcloud stays in Deleted files for a while (Recovering a deleted file from Deleted files).
- Your Nextcloud keeps older versions of the original (Restoring an older version and naming versions). If you accidentally kept the wrong version, you can restore the previous one.
- A conflict copy that was only on your computer, and that you delete there, ends up in your computer's recycle bin, not in your Nextcloud.
Tip: lots of conflicts with shared documents? Have everyone open those documents in the browser in Euro-Office, so you're all working in one version. See Working with Office files from your computer.