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A folder is not syncing to my local Dropbox folder

I am experiencing significant synchronization issues on macOS 12.6.1 Monterey. A specific folder within a shared directory is not being downloaded to my computer, despite being available in the browser version and on my phone, as well as viewable in my desktop's Selective Sync (and check-marked).

I have attempted the following in order to resolve:

- Relaunching the Finder - no effect

- Quitting and relaunching Dropbox - no effect
- Un-checking the folder in Selective sync, saving my settings, then re-checking the folder - no effect

- Same as above, but with entire parent folder - no effect

- Adding Dropbox to "Accessibility" and "Full Disk Access" permissions in System Preferences - no effect

- Paused Dropbox sync "Indefinitely", then resumed - no effect

- Checking that I have enough space in my Dropbox account - Yes

- Checking that I have enough space on my computer - Yes
- Restarting my computer - no effect

- Disabling my VPN and restarting my computer - no effect

- Re-installing Dropbox - no effect (current version: 164.4.7914)

- Setting the entire parent directory to "Make available offline" - no effect

I finally resorted to manually downloading the offending folder and dragging it into my Dropbox directory in the Finder, at which point Dropbox renamed the folder a "Conflicted Copy". I deleted the original folder via the Dropbox website (which was still not available from within the Finder), and then renamed the copy to match the original, only for Dropbox to then shortly after remove this new copy!

I'm at my wit's end, and now a colleague has pointed out that Finder tags are not syncing properly for me across multiple folders, in addition to the folder that is missing completely.

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Hannah

Hey @foxglove_1, thanks for letting us know about this.

Is the folder not appearing in your Dropbox folder at all?

Can you please take a look at this article, to make sure that everything is set up appropriately regarding the folder name?

And also, what is the version and sync status of the Dropbox app?

You can see that by hovering your mouse over the Dropbox icon in your menu bar.

Thanks!

foxglove_1

Hi Hannah,

Dropbox version: 164.4.7914

To clarify, the folder is not appearing in my Dropbox folder in the Finder, but it does appear in Dropbox on the web and when using the Android app. Additionally, the folder appears in the list found in Selective Sync via the Finder, but no amount of deselecting and re-selecting seems to make it appear in the Finder itself, and indeed a folder was removed when I manually copied one with the same name into the parent folder! See previous post for details.

Additionally, Finder tags are not syncing correctly.

I have reviewed the article and the folder name is not breaking any of the rules listed. It is syncing correctly for other users with whom the folder has been shared.

Sync status: "Your files are up to date"

Jay

Hi @foxglove_1, are the other users on Mac devices?

If the folder isn't downloading onto the Mac, but it does appear on the web, then there is an issue with the folder name somehow.

Could you provide the full folder name here, if the information isn't too personal?

foxglove_1

Hi Jay,

The only thing which would seem to set this folder apart from the rest is an ampersand ("&") in the filename. In fact, a second folder with a related name that also has an ampersand has disappeared as well, one that I actually created. However, the folders with this character in their filenames appear in the Finder for other users (they are also using some iteration of macOS). Ampersands should be valid characters, according to the article that Hannah linked earlier, and there don't seem to be any trailing spaces.

Walter

Hey @foxglove_1, sorry to jump in here, but could you try renaming these folders, temporarily as a test, and let us know how it goes?

foxglove_1

Hi Walter,

Thank you for your patience. I was waiting for the project to end before experimenting with any folder names. Now that it has, I've gone back in to check, only to find that someone else on the project had changed the ampersands to the word "and" themself. But alas, this did not make them appear for me in the Finder. I once again made the entire parent folder appear offline, as well as deselected and re-selected one of the folders in Selective sync (pausing and un-pausing Dropbox syncing each time in between), but the folders stubbornly refuse to appear, and nothing is listed in the "Sync Issues" window either.

Walter

Thanks for keeping us in the loop on this @foxglove_1

May we reach out via email to have a further look internally at this point?

foxglove_1

@Walter Yes, of course.

Nancy

Hi @foxglove_1! Hope you don’t mind me jump in.

I just opened a ticket for you. Please reply back to it, when possible, and we’ll take it from there.