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Syncing even when the app is off

My dropbox is syncing on two different macs when the app is off. On the DB-preferences I have checked out starting the app on startup and dropbox is also not on the list of apps which are started when logging in in the preferences of mac. The other mac is running Ventura and the other Monterey. Has anyone else noticed similar?

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Emma

Thank you for your patience. We are aware of this change that was introduced as part of Apple’s File Provider update. Dropbox will continue to sync even when the app is shut off. If you do not want the sync to continue in the background, you can select 'pause sync'.

We are currently working on a solution which is planned for release in Q3 this year. However, please note that this is a preliminary date and is subject to change.

Thank you.

All comments

Walter

Hey @albinotoni, sorry to hear you're having issues with this.

Could you clarify the app's version as shown in your menu bar?

Also, can you try toggling back on the auto-startup option through the app's preferences under the General tab and then back off again?

Let me know what you find!

albinotoni

Where exactly should I find the app's version number? I will try toggling next, but the app is not starting (there isn't menu bar icon and system monitor shows only two background(?) services, DropboxFileProviderCH and DropboxFileProvider. And this is happening (at least) on two different macs.

albinotoni

Found it. The version on other computer is v169.4.5684. I am not near the other problematic mac now, will check it later.

albinotoni

Toggling the checkbox did not help. And I rebooted the computer after the changes on and back, since that'll be the next thing you'd ask.

One thing that I noticed today was that after turning on this computer for the first time today (the app was not on) , there were some files missing in one db-directory. The files were two text files made on this same computer. I made a new text file on the same directory and after a little while it synced and the missing files came back also. The actual app was still not on. I can also see all the status icons on my db-directories while the app is not on. This is different than it used to be before the last big update, if that matters.

Megan

Hi @albinotoni, interesting finds you have there.

Could you possibly send me a couple of screenshots of this (the icons in your Dropbox folder while the app is not running & the app's syncing status), in order for me to have a clear visual too?

albinotoni

Hi. Here is a screenshot of one folder after the restart (dropbox app is not on). System monitor shows couple of processes related to dropbox, and I guess these should be on. In the folder, there is a text file called dbtest230321 which I just made. It synced almost immediately to cloud and I can open it on my cellphone. As you can see, the icons after the filenames also show that the files are online.

I didn't quite understand, how should I take a screenshot of the app's syncing status while it is not on?

fssbob

I've noticed that with the new Mac version, syncing takes place regardless of whether the Dropbox app is running or not. Given that, what functionality is added or taken away by running or not running the Dropbox app?

Rich

@fssbob wrote:
I've noticed that with the new Mac version, syncing takes place regardless of whether the Dropbox app is running or not. Given that, what functionality is added or taken away by running or not running the Dropbox app?

Dropbox can't sync if the application isn't running. Are you sure it's not just running in the background? I'm, not a Mac user, so I'm not familiar with any differences that may exist between Dropbox on Windows vs. a Mac, but I know that it can't sync if Dropbox isn't running.

fssbob

That used to be the case, but with the new version the syncing is at least partially delegated to the Mac File Provider API, which continues to run regardless of whether the Dropbox application is. I just watched as a Mac with Dropbox installed fully synced incoming changes with the Dropbox application disabled.

Jay

Hi @fssbob, when you say the Dropbox desktop application is disabled, do you mean it was exited entirely, or uninstalled from the machine?

fssbob

I observed it after using the "Quit" command from the Dropbox icon in the menu bar. I also observed it after starting up a Mac where "Start Dropbox on system startup" is unchecked. (I didn't mean that I had uninstalled the Dropbox app.)

Jay

Do the files in the Dropbox folder have syncing icons when there are changes made? Does the syncing occur both ways (meaning adding a test file on the site results in it appearing on the machine, and vice versa)?

fssbob

Yes, they have syncing icons. Yes, it goes both ways. And if I right-click on a file or folder, the normal Dropbox items are in the context menu.

Jay

This would mean that the Dropbox desktop application is still running if the sync icons are still visible.

Could you try reinstalling the app, without uninstalling it first, by using this link, and then reboot your machine entirely?

fssbob

I've already done that. Multiple machines. I strongly suspect it's a "feature" related to the new setup, not an install issue.

Emmet

Hi @fssbob ,

We’d like to check what’s going on here, would you mind if we reached out to the email associated with your community profile to look into this further?

Thank you!

Emmet

albinotoni

Any ideas about this?

fssbob

Sure, but I'm surprised you're having to reach out to me about it. I've observed it on three different, unrelated machines, one running Monterey and the other two running Ventura. It appears to be a "feature", and I can't believe you're not seeing it on any of your test setups.

Megan

Hi @fssbob, I just sent you an email, feel free to respond back to me, and we'll take it from there!

albinotoni

Hi Megan.

Did you get any idea about this?

Emma

We are currently working on a solution which is planned for release in Q3 this year. However, please note that this is a preliminary date and is subject to change.

Thank you.