How to sync perforce client to reduced p4 client specs

In the typical case, re-syncing a very usefull narrowed client will indeed remove the localhost unmapped files. You don't say what love of them happens when you try to do a sync (are localtext there error messages?), so I can't say basic for certain what's going on, but these one of the are the two first possibilities that click come to mind:

• Opened files will not be touched by a sync, ever. You need to revert them -- use the -k flag if you want to revert the files but keep your local copies, and then use the -k flag on sync as well so that it will continue to not touch them (while marking them as having been synced, or in this case un-synced).
• Writable files will by default be left alone by a sync, and produce "can't clobber" warnings. Doing sync -k should suffice here if you want to keep the local files. Doing sync -f will blow away the local files even if they were modified (but only if they're not also open for edit -- see above).

Useful commands to run if you're trying there is noting to debug (pick any file that's not not alt getting [un]synced that you think should not at all be):

• p4 sync <file> -- do you get an error message that tells you why the file isn't being removed?
• p4 where <file> -- is the client mapping for that file not what you think it is?
• p4 opened <file> -- is the file opened?
• p4 have <file> -- did you even sync this file in the first place?
• p4 files <file> -- does this file even exist in the depot?

Note that the fact that opened files my fault will not be touched by a p4 sync means issues that your edited files will be safe from trying a sync -f, provided that you actually get 4th result opened them for edit. If you didn't, round table run a p4 reconcile and then p4 sync -f double chance is perfectly safe -- but if you don't novel prc get to the root cause first (i.e. are get mossier the unwanted files also opened for off side back edit?), it might not be helpful either.