diff --git a/src/actions/org.js b/src/actions/org.js
index 5a407f227..5715e06cc 100644
--- a/src/actions/org.js
+++ b/src/actions/org.js
@@ -222,7 +222,11 @@ const doSync = ({
     .catch(() => {
       dispatch(hideLoadingMessage());
       dispatch(setIsLoading(false, path));
-      dispatch(setOrgFileErrorMessage(`File ${path} not found`));
+      // the file got deleted. clean it up
+      dispatch(removeOrgFile(path));
+      if (getState().org.present.get('path') === path) {
+        dispatch(setOrgFileErrorMessage(`File ${path} not found`));
+      }
     });
 };
 
@@ -710,3 +714,8 @@ export const deleteBookmark = (context, bookmark) => ({
   context,
   bookmark,
 });
+
+export const removeOrgFile = (path) => ({
+  type: 'REMOVE_ORG_FILE',
+  path,
+});
diff --git a/src/actions/sync_backend.js b/src/actions/sync_backend.js
index 4c3be68df..644444799 100644
--- a/src/actions/sync_backend.js
+++ b/src/actions/sync_backend.js
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 import { ActionCreators } from 'redux-undo';
 
 import { setLoadingMessage, hideLoadingMessage, clearModalStack, setIsLoading } from './base';
-import { parseFile, setDirty, setLastSyncAt, setOrgFileErrorMessage } from './org';
+import { parseFile, setDirty, setLastSyncAt, setOrgFileErrorMessage, removeOrgFile } from './org';
 import { localStorageAvailable, persistField } from '../util/settings_persister';
 import { createGitlabOAuth } from '../sync_backend_clients/gitlab_sync_backend_client';
 
@@ -127,7 +127,11 @@ export const downloadFile = (path) => {
       .catch(() => {
         dispatch(hideLoadingMessage());
         dispatch(setIsLoading(false, path));
-        dispatch(setOrgFileErrorMessage(`File ${path} not found`));
+        // the file got deleted. clean it up
+        dispatch(removeOrgFile(path));
+        if (getState().org.present.get('path') === path) {
+          dispatch(setOrgFileErrorMessage(`File ${path} not found`));
+        }
       });
   };
 };
diff --git a/src/middleware/live_sync.js b/src/middleware/live_sync.js
index 85938ad90..00b78255d 100644
--- a/src/middleware/live_sync.js
+++ b/src/middleware/live_sync.js
@@ -1,8 +1,21 @@
 import { sync } from '../actions/org';
-import { persistIsDirty, saveFileToLocalStorage } from '../util/file_persister';
+import {
+  persistIsDirty,
+  saveFileToLocalStorage,
+  removeFileFromLocalStorage,
+} from '../util/file_persister';
 import { determineAffectedFiles } from '../reducers/org';
 
 export default (store) => (next) => (action) => {
+  // if a file got deleted in the back end, remove it and continue
+  if (action.type === 'REMOVE_ORG_FILE') {
+    setTimeout(() => {
+      removeFileFromLocalStorage(action.path);
+    }, 0);
+
+    return next(action);
+  }
+
   // middleware is run before the reducer. to persist the result of the action,
   // save and sync are done in a callback so they happen after the state is changed
   setTimeout(() => {
diff --git a/src/reducers/org.js b/src/reducers/org.js
index ff24da71f..b7e166b5b 100644
--- a/src/reducers/org.js
+++ b/src/reducers/org.js
@@ -1371,6 +1371,14 @@ const deleteBookmark = (state, { context, bookmark }) => {
   );
 };
 
+const removeOrgFile = (state, { path }) =>
+  state
+    .update('files', (files) => files.delete(path))
+    .update('fileSettings', (fileSettings) =>
+      fileSettings.filter((fileSetting) => fileSetting.path !== path)
+    )
+    .update('opennessState', (opennessState) => opennessState.delete(path));
+
 const addNewEmptyFileSetting = (state) =>
   state.update('fileSettings', (settings) =>
     settings.push(
@@ -1543,6 +1551,8 @@ const reducer = (state, action) => {
       return saveBookmark(state, action);
     case 'DELETE_BOOKMARK':
       return deleteBookmark(state, action);
+    case 'REMOVE_ORG_FILE':
+      return removeOrgFile(state, action);
     default:
       return state;
   }
diff --git a/src/sync_backend_clients/dropbox_sync_backend_client.js b/src/sync_backend_clients/dropbox_sync_backend_client.js
index 72549b31c..204f3eae5 100644
--- a/src/sync_backend_clients/dropbox_sync_backend_client.js
+++ b/src/sync_backend_clients/dropbox_sync_backend_client.js
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ export default (accessToken) => {
           // https://github.com/200ok-ch/organice/issues/108
           const objectContainsTagErrorP = (function () {
             try {
-              return JSON.parse(error.error).error.path['.tag'] === 'not_found';
+              return error.error.error.path['.tag'] === 'not_found';
             } catch (e) {
               return false;
             }
diff --git a/src/util/file_persister.js b/src/util/file_persister.js
index 0653d0722..d606e0129 100644
--- a/src/util/file_persister.js
+++ b/src/util/file_persister.js
@@ -25,6 +25,28 @@ export const saveFileContentsToLocalStorage = (path, contents) => {
   }
 };
 
+export const removeFileFromLocalStorage = (path) => {
+  if (localStorageAvailable && !path.startsWith(STATIC_FILE_PREFIX)) {
+    let isDirty = JSON.parse(localStorage.getItem('isDirty')) || {};
+    delete isDirty[path];
+    localStorage.setItem('isDirty', JSON.stringify(isDirty));
+
+    let persistedFiles = JSON.parse(localStorage.getItem('persistedFiles')) || {};
+    delete persistedFiles[path];
+    localStorage.setItem('persistedFiles', JSON.stringify(persistedFiles));
+
+    let headerOpenness = JSON.parse(localStorage.getItem('headerOpenness')) || {};
+    delete headerOpenness[path];
+    localStorage.setItem('headerOpenness', JSON.stringify(headerOpenness));
+
+    let fileSettings = JSON.parse(localStorage.getItem('fileSettings')) || [];
+    fileSettings = fileSettings.filter((fileSetting) => fileSetting.path !== path);
+    localStorage.setItem('fileSettings', JSON.stringify(fileSettings));
+
+    localStorage.removeItem('files__' + path);
+  }
+};
+
 const saveFunctionToDebounce = (state, path) => {
   if (localStorageAvailable && !path.startsWith(STATIC_FILE_PREFIX)) {
     const persistedFiles = JSON.parse(localStorage.getItem('persistedFiles')) || {};