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desktop app doesn't open app, but explorer - windows 10

I have a new laptop (Windows 10), and have downloaded dropbox from the website. Dropbox appears on startup menu and i have pinned to taskbar. On attempting to open the app, File Explorer opens, not dropbox. Nor does any dropbox icon appear in the system tray. I have uninstalled and reinstalled and restarted my machine accordingly between. Plesae help.

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Daphne

Hey @Redche123, I'd be happy to help with this!

Just to see where we stand, I have a few questions about your current set up.

When the File Explorer opens, do you see any sync icons next to the files in the Dropbox folder? If you see them then the app should be running on your computer.

If you see these icons, but still don't see the Dropbox icon in your system tray, do you see a small upwards arrow next to the system tray? This should expand the tray and you may see the Dropbox icon there.

In this case, you can drag the icon to be visible in your tray instead.

Let me know what you find and we can go from there!

Redche123

Hi Daphne, thank you for your reply.
I did see the syncing logo (but they were greyed out). So I uninstalled and reinstalled again and did some more research. On reinstall, the explorer version appeared but the extra research proved my view of the app was set to explorer rather than the traditional app view. I changed this setting in properties so I can now use dropbox in a familiar form. And as it’s now familiar I can understand when it’s open and not...and once open the logo appears in my system tray. I was due to update my post today so thank you for taking the time to reply In the meantime.

Daphne

I'm very happy to hear that @Redche123!

If there's anything else that I can help with, don't hesitate to give me a nudge here.

I hope you have a great week ahead!

Redche123

Thank you 😊

GustavoFK

Hi Redche,

I'm having the same problem you had, would you please explain me better how did you change this configuration on preferences on reinstall? It was before you complete the installation? Because I can't open no preferences window with dropbox only at explorer.. still quite lost here.. thank you!

Daphne

Hey @GustavoFK, thanks for joining us here!

You can change this preference from the desktop app preferences without needing to reinstall the desktop app.

To access the preferences, you'll need to click the Dropbox icon in your system tray near the time and date display on your computer as shown below:

Dropbox icon in system tray

Once you click this icon, you can click the profile pic/initials icon in the top right of the small window, then choose "Preferences" from the menu. From the "General" tab, you can choose where to open your folders in, either the app or your File Explorer.

Let me know how it goes!