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Smart Sync option is missing from File Explorer

Hello, I upgraded to window 11 yesterday hoping that this would resolve this issue, but no luck. Now I cannot see if my files are synced locally or on cloud. But strange enough, when I tried to open a file via Word App, the smart sync icons magically appeared.

There is now a brown storage box icons next to the dropbox files, but no options to smart sync neither.

I called Microsoft Team and tried to contact Dropbox, they got no idea what is happening... Can someone help me, please?

Thank you ever so much....

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Comments

Rich

@kkcljanice wrote:
There is now a brown storage box icons next to the dropbox files, but no options to smart sync neither.

That's not a Dropbox icon. It's likely from OneDrive or some other cloud application, and it's probably interfering with Dropbox.

Steve D

I agree with Rich. Google "dropbox icon overlay missing" (or something like that) and you will see a lot of discussions on the topic, including those within this forum. If you have multiple apps installed that use icon overlays and modify the context menu then they can conflict with one another. The simplest solution would be to uninstall those apps (or disable a function within) if you are not using them or configure them to not implement icon overlays (if possible).

kkcljanice

I also thought the brown icon is from OneDrive, but apparently it is not according to the Microsoft helpline..

Steve D

If you send a screenshot of your Dropbox folder showing the icons, perhaps someone can figure out where they came from.

Hannah

Hey @kkcljanice, thanks for reaching out.

Indeed, would you mind sending over a screenshot of how the icons appear, so we can have a look?

Just make sure you hide any personal info.

Thanks!

Ari14

All my files and folders now have a small brown box icon and this has happened since I downloaded Windows 11. I contacted Dropbox and they said it was a 3rd party issue so I contacted Microsoft and they said its a Dropbox issue. How can I go back to viewing whether my files are synched locally or on the cloud??

Megan

Hey @Ari14, how are you today?

Can you send me a screenshot of the small brown box icon you see on your end, so we can have visual too?

Keep me posted.

Ari14

https://www.dropbox.com/s/t56y205qaemqw4m/dropbox1.pdf?dl=0

Steve D

Well, it looks like you are not the only one having this problem. Search Google for "brown file box icon in windows" and you will get lots of hits and possible solutions.

kkcljanice

@Megan @Hannah

https://www.dropbox.com/s/nn4qtoc58enuzba/Screenshot%202022-03-23%2016.53.11.png?dl=0

https://www.dropbox.com/s/avffyb77cpsb1no/Screenshot%202022-04-06%20183101.jpg?dl=0

Now it turns out that some files have a blue cloud, some have a brown storage box and some files have no icon at all... They are all saved in the same dropbox folder.

I have uninstalled One Drive from my PC and prioritise dropbox extension to first 15. Problem still remains.... =((

@Steve D I googled and tried many different suggested suggestions, and still doesn't resolve...

Furthermore, there isn't the Smart Sync function from the dropdown list when I right click on the file. This must be a fault with Dropbox not Window...

Walter

Hey @kkcljanice, sorry to jump in here, but could you clarify the desktop app's exact status and version as shown in your system tray?

Also, are you running any other 3rd party apps like One Drive?

Last thing to ask, when you say you don't get the Smart Sync option on your files, have you ensured that those files are in your Dropbox folder and that the app is syncing normally?

Keep us posted with your findings!

kkcljanice

Hey @kkcljanice, sorry to jump in here, but could you clarify the desktop app's exact status and version as shown in your system tray?

> The Dropbox status is showing as Up to Date.

Also, are you running any other 3rd party apps like One Drive?

> I do not have any 3rd party apps installed on my PC, I have uninstalled One Drive after searching for a possible solution. No change.

Last thing to ask, when you say you don't get the Smart Sync option on your files, have you ensured that those files are in your Dropbox folder and that the app is syncing normally?

> Yes! I am 100% sure that the files are in the correct Dropbox folder as I can see Smart Sync option when I tried to open the files from Word app.

Steve D

Yep, Dropbox does indeed have some bugs related to the file navigation integration. I'm on a Mac and the integration seems to come and go at random. The context menu options and the icons at the file level come and go at the same time. Many people seem to have the same problem. On the Mac, this could be related to multiple instances of the integration process getting out of control. This is what it looks like on the Mac (I've seen more instances):

You might want to search the Windows Task Manager for processes containing the string "Dropbox" to see if the same thing is happening with File Explorer. I realize this won't fix the root cause, but it may lead you to a workaround.

kkcljanice

@Steve D I already tried to resolve this with the first 15 extensions, but no change... This is really giving me headaches... no one seems to be able to resolve this...

Hannah

Hey @kkcljanice, can you test something for me?

Is it possible to create a new user profile on your computer and test things out, to see if there's some kind of mis-configuration on your original user account that might be causing this?