What does 'refresh to update' on my offline files mean? How can I do it?

I just find out that for dropbox version 142.2, you can refresh by going to Account --> Manage Offline Files --> on the top right hand coner, there is a refresh logo.

All comments

Hi there @JuanHerrero,

Initially, I wanted to mention what the different icons mean when you make a folder or file offline:

Green icon: Your offline files are up to date.
Blue syncing icon: Your files are currently downloading to your device.
Yellow exclamation point icon: There is a newer version of your folder available.

In general, when you’ve ensure that you’re connected through a data or WiFi network, the files should automatically update for you.

If this doesn’t occur or you’re not seeing any relevant option, could you please attach a screenshot (without any personal info) in your next reply?

Thanks in advance!

My question is... When it says "Refresh to update", what am I supposed to do? How do I refresh? Everything is connected OK (I used Dropbox to transfer the attached pic from iPad to PC).

(removed since they links have been broken)

If I kill the app, and then reload it, the yellow icons become blue for a few seconds and display the message "Determining which...", and then go yellow again.

Thanks for the swift reply and the screenshot, @JuanHerrero. Initially, please note that I removed personal info included in your attached image for security and privacy purposes.

Moving on to your query though, I was also going to propose to try closing the mobile app (by double-tapping the home button) and relaunching it again.

:thinking: Hmm, have you tried connecting to a different WiFi network or through cellular data by any chance?

I am on my home wifi network, which works fine. I tried connecting via my iPhone hotspot, and exactly the same thing happened - a few seconds of blue, then back to yellow. What I do not understand is... the app clearly says "Refresh to update", so clearly I am supposed to do something. The verb is "refresh". How do I do it? What am I supposed to do? How do I "refresh"?

Sorry to hear that you’re still having trouble with this, @JuanHerrero.

In order to dig a bit deeper, I’ve sent you a ticket to the email address associated with your Community profile. Please check your inbox for my latest message and we’ll take it from there.

Looking forward to hearing back from you!

Chris45

Can you post how you solved this? Mine does this as well.

Dropbox said "We're aware of this bug and working to fix it."

joliver332

It's 2019, and dropbox still can't do the one thing it is suppose to do - sync your file. Come on guys this is an unacceptable situation. Most of my offline files say "refresh to update". Finding the nearly hidden refresh button does nothing!!! Please.

joliver332

Update - I found that the folders that were not updating had sub folders. If you open each sub folder under the main folder (the one that says "refresh to update")... that clears the refresh to update Yellow Exclaimation...

Hey @joliver332, thanks for letting us know what worked for you! Awesome work on the troubleshooting.

If the behavior persists, or if you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to give us another nudge and we’ll make sure to get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks in advance!

Chris45

Thanks, Lusil and joliver332. I did also notice this, however it can be cumbersome to open up every embedded folder to force teh update. It would be better if the dropbox app could have a forced synchronization button etc.

Chris

Agreed. At the very least, change the message to say "Open folder to update", and lose the utterly confusing word "Refresh" (when there is no way of doing it).

I just find out that for dropbox version 142.2, you can refresh by going to Account --> Manage Offline Files --> on the top right hand coner, there is a refresh logo.

Wow!! Think of the kudos they would have gained if they had told us!! But I'd like to know what it actually does... I wouldn't want it to re-download my entire file collection!

Just clicked it, and so far as I can see it is doing just what it should!! Many thanks for spotting that.

You are welcome😊 i guess there are more people having this issue too so hope they find this post.

Yipyah

Nailed it! Thank you!!! Also, for me, I had cellular data disabled.

Marcia S.

Same exact problem. Just spent 20 minutes on chat with DropBox - zero answers. This is ridiculous. Cannot see the one freaking folder I need --- NOWHERE is there a refresh button.... But there is direction to "refresh to update." Insane.

FakeReal

I can’t believe they still haven’t fixed this.

@FakeReal, you can try going to Account --> Manage Offline Files --> on the top right hand coner, there is a refresh logo.

Hepplethom

Still doesn't work though, not for me anyway, just refreshes back to the exclaimation mark...

EDIT - a refresh, then a force close, then re-open the app seems to have cleared it for the time being

CamEicher

Hi folks, this is still not working for me, despite being on version 152.3.2 on an iPad Pro. Any further updates?

Hey there @CamEicher, sorry to hear that you're still having trouble with this.

Just to ensure that we've covered most initial ground, could you please confirm for me that you've tried navigating to your Account tab and tapping on the Manage Offline Files option? Do you see the refresh icon on the top right corner of your screen?

Could you also clarify for me if you've tried connecting to a different WiFi connection, as well as enabling/disabling your cellular data option?

Let me know what you find!

CamEicher

Thanks for the response! Yes, all of the above suggestions have been tried.

The only way to change the icon from yellow to green is to navigate to each folder individually.

Thanks for getting back to me, @CamEicher.

I've followed up with a ticket to the email address connected to your Community profile so that we can have a more in-depth look into this.

When you have the chance, please check your inbox for my latest message and we'll take it from there. Cheers!

frankzhan

having exactly same issue here... likely reaching some size limit???

CamEicher

Not a size limit, a confirmed bug with the dropbox team. Lusil the moderator here was helpful in getting me connected with the tech support team. But the tech support team on dropbox is dismal.

Three times I asked if it's a bug just with the icons and the updates are really happening in the background, or if it's an actual syncing bug (since just clicking on the folder changes the icon to the green check mark so it's possible the files are synced in the background) - and they could refused to answer. No info on the timeline or probability for a fix could be provided either.

Really awesome - especially after raising my annual price by 20%. I'm not a fan and am in the process of moving critical files to google drive.

Hope you have better luck.

frankzhan

I am moving my big files to onedrive as I can sync those without any issue to my ios devices... I like the way dropbox is building new features but not the way dropbox handles stability...