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How do you get Dropbox back into Locations in the sidebar in Finder on a Mac?

Something happened all my sinking icons disappeared... It happened after I decided to change my location for Dropbox to my username folder on a Mac. So I need your help please as I think it's because I moved Dropbox using the dropbox icon in the clock tray. I went to preferences>sync tab. I chose location as my username folder.

I've been told the default location for dropbox is under locations. Is that correct?

Next I need to have the steps to go into the icon of dropbox on the cloud tray> preferences> sync tab and then choose locations and have you walk me through how to get it back to the Default location which I believe is locations in Finder on the side bar in a Mac.

Also I've been told by Dropbox English chat support that it's "not a problem" that the dropbox icon is grayed out but I lost all syncing icons on my computer.

I was also told that it could be that my Internet speed is not good so that that would because the icons does disappear. However my computer back in Los Angeles where it has very high speed and it's different computer is also no longer showing syncing icons. It's linked to the same dropbox plus account but there's no reason that a separate computer should be losing its syncing icons and it should be able to sync on its own up to the cloud to dropbox account.

I really need somebody to help me who really knows TECHNICAL SUPPORT because this is not working...

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quangtam159

Thank you for the explanation.

More importantly, the steps to do it.. We will try it and let you know if it works.

If it does then we will resolve this string... as a fix and if not we will reply again.

The good news is on the laptop deleting out of the dock the Dropbox blue app then quitting using the the clock icon and then double clicking the app in the app window in Finder did the magic trick and after one disappearance it has been working well. I can see back at the office they are adding files - even 3 minutes ago so that is synching jut no clock icon and still no icons on any folders on the office computer...

All comments

Hannah

Hey @quangtam159, let's see what we can do about this.

Do you still have the Dropbox icon in your menu bar? If so, what do you see why you hover your mouse over it?

Can you also clarify if your sync icons disappeared completely or just changed/seem different?

And can you please give me the ticket number for your communication with our support team?

Thanks.

quangtam159

Good morning HANNAH-

Thank you so much for your reply and your questions. It was nice just to get a quick response to feel like I was not on my own battling an unknown or going in circles as I did last night with Dropbox chat.

First of all, to be clear the Dropbox icon in the clock tray used to be black but it is now always gray. It never goes back to black only gray. When I have hover it- (see below)

When I clicked on it I get the usual sync history etc. And it showed me that all my files were up-to-date. But that was not the case and I will explain below why I know that for a fact.

I was sort of desperate because all the icons disappeared. It is not that they changed.

I had a long period of never changing icons except some syncing - the reassuring lovely green icons with a checkbox for several weeks and everything was running smoothly.

As we were organizing and cleaning up files I thought I would prefer to have the Dropbox icon in a different location so I believe I used the Dropbox icon in the clock tray and then preferences and then the sync tab or I may have dragged and dropped it from I think favorites or locations where it was installed into my username folder.
However I had found the preferences folder when I was looking on the how to use Dropbox and so I saw that the location wjndows for my dropbox folder was actually shown as my username folder.

I also had elected to have my files be available off-line when I do not have access to Internet and that was working well.

Then I noticed that the icons disappeared I think thought it was a temporary glitch. However when I was talking to my office in Los Angeles we were comparing a file that we’re sending soon to a remote executive assistant and the file structures were different. What I had updated here in France was not showing on his computer in the morning in Los Angeles. So I went out to the server of dropbox on the cloud and saw that it was the same file structure as what was on the computer in Los Angeles - the old file structure.

I went back up to the icon in the clock tray and it said that all my files were up-to-date but I knew they weren’t at all my work that I had done that day that was not going up to the cloud on Dropbox. It was on my Files in the dropbox folder which is within my username folder but it was not going up to the cloud at all on Dropbox.

So I started searching on all the articles which are need to be organized frankly and I have finally found some thing about how to fix syncing.

So I I saw that it discussed for those things but my Internet connection was functioning well and I went to the next step which suggested that you quit Dropbox using the clock tray icon.

It also showed different variations on the icons and it mentioned the grayed out icon is not having a connection to the Internet but I was connected the Internet and zipping around looking up different articles and clicking links to find explanations on things that I did not know about on Dropbox so obviously that was not the case.

So I went up to the icon in the clock tray quit Dropbox and then went down into applications and restarted the application by double clicking it.

This was one of the suggestions in a very long article about how to fix syncing issue problems.

But the icons did not reappear.
What happened only was a very strong different looking blue icon in my menu bar down below appeared when I double clicked on that, I saw was that it was just a link to directly to my dropbox folders. Well I didn’t need that because I already had the link over in my sidebar in finder.

However I was so busy so I thought I will go check again and I saw up on the server of cloud in dropbox that it had the old file structures.

So I asked my associate in Los Angeles who has a very strong Internet connection to go look at the office computer which he does not really use. He saw that on his computer in Los Angeles he also still did not have any icons.

Actually we were quite concerned because we had a huge problem with the server Box. It had cost us a month of time where we had to reconstruct our files from old hard drives and old back ups. So we chose to go back to Dropbox and now we’re thinking oh my goodness Dropbox doesn’t work because we’ve lost all of our icons and it’s obviously not syncing and I don’t know why.

I went back to the grayed icon in the clock tray and it again said that all my files were synced and up-to-date.

So I clicked on of the article to indicate it was not helpful and that’s how I saw the chat support which I have not seen before.

I was on chat so I do not have a support ticket number but his name was Edgar and we went in circles for over 90 minutes.

My questions to him were simple.
I told him about the gray icon for Dropbox in the Clock tray and then I’ve been black before and how do we get it back to being fully operational because your own articles indicated it being grayed out showed that it was not functioning.
He said that Dripbox engineers know there was a problem with a grayed icon and the clock tray but that was not a problem to have a gray icon and it would not affect functionality,

I’m not sure if what he wrote is true because of how the call went.

I told him that the my office computer in Los Angeles now had no Dropbox icon in the clock tray and had actually disappeared. That it had it before and all the green checked icons and now that computer was syncing obviously to the cloud on Dripbox but it had no icon in the clock right and no green icons or any icons on any of the folders.

Then I told him on my laptop which is with me here in France that I have a grayed out icon in the clock tray and it’s showing me that I’m up-to-date but I am not and I have no icons at all next to any of my folders.

He then said that not having any icons means that I’m probably having a problem with my Internet provider and I needed to talk to my Internet provider. I told him my Internet provider was Starlink and it was super fast and I was not having problems connecting the Internet because I was chatting with him and I was able to surf the Internet quickly.

So I asked him to let’s first fix the grade out icon on my M1 Apple MacBook Pro. He said it was not a problem and that they were working on it and it didn’t affect anything. So I guess and told him that all the green icons with the checkmarks are disappeared and I told him that I had moved dropbox to my username folder. My questions were what was the default folder for dropbox to be in and how do we move it back to that default folder using the correct method?

I didn’t want to drag and drop it but use the change of location in preferences and put it back in its default location. That was not accomplished as he did not know the answer and finally he told me it belonged in devices in the side bar in finder on a Mac. There is no section for devices the sections that are offered are favorites…. Or locations.

We went in circles for a long time and I was getting a little bored waiting for him to have answers he asked me to upload a screenshot and I just went on and on and on and on while I was waiting for him I decided I would remove that new blue icon down in the menu bar just remove it from the dock and when I removed it from the dog suddenly the Dropbox icon that is grayed out by the clock prey starts showing messages asking if I want to delete files everywhere that because I had deleted some folders and I kept saying yes yes yes and then suddenly it’s syncing 4000 files. I’m productive during the day but I’m not that productive so obviously the same problem I’ve been going on for sometime and I didn’t even know it there was no warning. That is also concerning so that is why I’m relaying it to you

so it’s only start singing I have no idea why he has no idea why and then I ask my associate in Los Angeles to now go look at the computer and see if it’s as icons and he says no and he still doesn’t have it in the clock tray.

So that’s why I went out into the community and posted a query.

I know this is more information than what you asked for but I want to explain to you the steps because it’s over not very reassuring and rather erratic and I have no idea why removing that icon that suddenly appeared after I quit the clock-tray icon and then double clicked on the application and the application folder it appeared in my dock and all I did was remove it from the dock and suddenly it starts working again so things are popping up and disappearing and not sinking and or no clock trays or grade clock out trays and I I’m hoping you can help us but let’s get started with the laptop first and then I’ll hopefully with your help my associate Who also still has no icons and no Dropbox icon in the clock tray but he does have and he told me just appeared down and thethat blue shiny dropbox icon which had not been there before, is in his dock too.

Also could you please also tell me how you get a support ticket and how you get a hold of SUPPORT as I am a dropbox plus member?

I was writing this as I got a notification when I woke up that you had replied so I wanted to get back to you first thing… As this is important to me - to get both the laptop and the computer fixed. So I went downstairs to my laptop and it’s like a miracle the Dropbox icon is black and when I hover over it it says dropbox 154.4.5363 up-to-date🤩 it’s a miracle - okay So can we continue what I was trying to do on the chat support I need to get The M1 computer working how do we get the icome on back up in the clock tray please and also how do we get him back to getting his green checkbox?

Don’t get me wrong I’m not questioning anything but it just seems perplexing that this is happening‘s erratically.

So what’s left for the laptop is putting the dropbox folder I guess back where it belongs which is in favorites or locations but not iCloud.

For the computer can I ask for your kind assistance and…

Let’s get the icons back on the clock tray icon back on the computer and will just be thankful for miracles?

Megan

Hi @quangtam159, thanks for the info!

In regards to your ticket number, you should have received a transcript of the chat in your email address, the one linked to your Dropbox account. You can contact support by visiting this page.

Now, as for the icon, have you by any chance tried re-installing the app to the device? One more detail: do you see different icons, or no icons at all?

As for the Dropbox folder, do you have any screenshots so I can see where it used to be, and where it is now? If you do, they're more than welcome here!

quangtam159

Hi Megan -

Thanks for your reply I know my message was lengthy but I’m still looking for some answers. Would you mind reading it and also getting back to me about what is the default folder where dropbox should be should it be under the username or under locations and if so how do you get it back into the sidebar of finder on a Mac?

My understanding is if we uninstall the app and reinstall it we will lose all our files and have to sync again so I’m not sure and I certainly don’t feel comfortable doing that as I do not know what the steps to do and I wasn’t able to get anything.

I’m not sure what the purpose of giving you the support ticket would be about unless you would like to be bored to death as it actually went over more than 90 minutes.

My other goal was to find out how you can get the Dropbox icon back in the tray for my office computer. It disappeared.

If you looked over my email you would’ve seen that the icon suddenly appeared but then I have to say they disappeared today and I was feeling nervous and then suddenly it re- apereaed. I’m not sure quite what’s going on.

I do love some feedback or information about what is the default folder for dropbox and also how do you get the Dropbox icon back in the clock tray - both computers are Mac M1…

Hannah

Hey @quangtam159, thanks for the info in your replies.

So, to recap, your laptop has a greyed out Dropbox icon and no syncing icons on the files.

The agent you spoke with through chat, was right, there have been some reports about a greyed out Dropbox icon, which shouldn't affect the functionality of the app.

However, the fact that you dragged and dropped the Dropbox folder to a different location, is probably why syncing is not working and why you don't have syncing icons.

If your Dropbox folder was previously in Locations, I'd suggest you drag it back there, to see if that helps resume syncing.

Try that and let me know how it goes.

quangtam159

Hi Hannah -

I think you are right that the drag and drop causes problems even though it showing in Preferences>sync>location\ "user" folder within the Dropbox icon.

My two question remain unanswered and were why I started his chat:

A. On my M1 laptop: Default location for the Dropbox (syncing) folder?

1. What is the default location of the Dropbox folder (syncing folder) in the sidebar of Finder on a Mac?

2. I think it is favorites not locations but I don't know. 🤔I am hoping you can tell me: What is the default location of the Dropbox folder (syncing folder) in the sidebar of Finder on a Mac? Please provide what is the default location.

3. On the Dropbox site it clearly warns not to drag and drop but to use the Dropbox icon in the clocktray>preferences>Sync>location... then use that drop down menu (location) as the recommended method to move theDropbox folder (syncing folder) .

Using that recommended method (above) how do you get Dropbox folder (syncing folder) back to ____________ (the default in the sidebar of Finder on a Mac for the Dropbox (syncing) folder. Please include steps within "location" to be able to select and move to the _______ (default) location the Dropbox (syncing) folder.

B. On my computer: Missing Icon in the clock tray and more...

1. On this M1 computer the location of the Dropbox folder (syncing folder) in the sidebar of Finder on a Mac is under Favorites. Is that the default?

2. Should both the laptop and the computer using my Dropbox account have the Dropbox folder (syncing folder) use the same location in the sidebar of Finder on a Mac as it is Favorites on the computer so should my laptop be on favorites or - it doesn't matter.

3. This computer was (like the laptop) working great then suddenly the icon is missing in the clock-tray - how do we restore that icon in the clock-tray? - without having to lose all our files... ? Nothing was ticked (no moving... no nada)... Nothing. The files are there but no icons. Also the same intense blue Dropbox icon showed up in the dock which also shows the Dropbox folder.

4. The Dropbox folder (syncing folder) in the sidebar of Finder on a Mac is under Favorites and was always in Favorites but all its icons disappeared. Gone not different - the files are there just no icon next to them.

With all due respect to the chat support, I was bored so I "quit" the newly appeared icon in the dock (app tray)- bottom of your screen), suddenly Dropbox started synching 4,000 files, the clock-tray Dropbox icon went black and suddenly my missing icon reappeared and all were green with a check mark... Why? I have no idea and it had nothing to do with chat support.

5. In your reply you to my question to tell me the default location and provide the steps to move the folder back to its default location , you write : "If your Dropbox folder was previously in Locations, I'd suggest you drag it back there, to see if that helps resume syncing". However, your site clearly states not to do that.

Also re your comment about the greying out of the clock-tray Dropbox icon not being a problem conflicts - your owns site states that a grayed out icon is an indication of no connectivity or syncing (see Help Center> fixing synching issues article (Fix syncing problems in Dropbox | Dropbox Help) . Like I said while I waited for the chat support member to look at my screenshot and provide some support, I deleted the newly appeared Dropbox icon in the dock which only seemed to be a short cut to the Dropbox folder located under my user name so I didn't need it and I deleted it. Suddenly synching started up (not an internet connection problem as chat stated) and all my icons appeared and the Dropbox icon went back to black. Since then it is black but the icons come and go not blue not red not green - gone. why did the newly appeared Dropbox icon in the dock appear? why did deleting it significantly alter the information on the the clock-tray Dropbox icon from "all your files are up to date) to asking if I wander a folder deleted everywhere then synching over 4,000 files and also asking again and again about deletion I did days ago? Then why did the icon go black?

I check the Finder regularly and it's like taking my pulse all the time. Uh oh yesterday the clock-tray Dropbox icon was black... now it is grey. The Dropbox folder (syncing folder) shows a blue synching but all the subfolders are green check marked and clock-tray Dropbox icon says your "file are up to date" and all the synching was yesterday....

I hope to have answer provided as that's why I started this chat. I have put a lot of time into this and I need some help here to fix this... obviously the greyed out icon is a problem. If every folder is green checked and the Dropbox folder has a blue synching icon and the clock-tray shows no synching and it is all up to date... there is a problem. That's just on my laptop... on my computer everything was great, nothing was changed all was good and green checked then WHAM - the Dropbox folder (syncing folder) folders are there but with no icons... the clock-tray Dropbox icon is gone (not grey out - gone), the folders are under Dropbox folder (syncing folder) in the sidebar of Finder under Favorites on the computer but no icons at all next (to the right) of the folder names and no icon next to the Dropbox folder (syncing folder) . Obviously there are problems that need to be addressed as this is abnormal and variants of abnormality within the same Dropbox Plus account on a laptop are different that the computer (n the same Dropbox Plus account). Can I get someone to work with me on this or do you not have tech support for Dropbox Plus members? This is why I had my own VPN and servers as the "Cloud" is just using the internet to store on someone else's servers... it's fine but not when it is not - either because there is a problem with the servers and\or the synching software is not working.

Hannah

To answer your question about the default location of the Dropbox folder, it's /Users/<yourUserName>/Dropbox (such as /Users/Hannah/Dropbox).

Your Favorites isn't an actual location, it's just a place where all your most used apps appear.

Do you know the current location of your Dropbox folder? What is the folder path, is it like the one above, or was it changed due to the drag and drop?

As for your computer that's missing the Dropbox icon in the menu bar, have you tried reinstalling the Dropbox app on it, like Megan suggested?

quangtam159

Hannah

Thank you...

So if I understand correctly it should be In the disbar in Finder on a Mac it is under my user name (which is in Favorites) and not necessarily in Favorites outside the user folder but must be a subfolder of my user name (Elizabeth).

If that is correct that is good to know... as many chat support said I must drag it out of user name and drop it into Favorites.

I thanked Megan for her suggestion but, again, as I understand it, if we uninstall the app and reinstall ,we lose all our synching which took about 5 days. Also I did not see any step-by-step instructions on how to uninstall the app correctly and reinstall. With all the issues I did not want to create more problems.

Also if that is the case (losing all your synched files), I'd prefer a less radical approach and hope you have a more moderate suggestion.

My file path on a Mac..... Macintosh/Users/Elizabeth/Dropbox

Again thank your taking the time so at least now I can know the file is in the right place.

Megan

Hey @quangtam159, if you uninstall the app, then re-install your files shouldn't be affected.

Essentially you just affect the app, not the files in the Dropbox folder. As for the steps, you can see more about it, here.

Also, you can find more details on how to find your Dropbox folder location here. Another way to check would be for you to open the app's preferences, and check under your Sync tab.

quangtam159

Thank you for the explanation.

More importantly, the steps to do it.. We will try it and let you know if it works.

If it does then we will resolve this string... as a fix and if not we will reply again.

Megan

Amazing news @quangtam159!

Take your time, and let me know of the results.