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Can't Drag and Drop into Dropbox from Finder Sidebar

I hope this is the correct place to post this. I commonly drag things from a local drive into Dropbox in Finder, using the sidebar, usually to upload for client access. It is a common enough action that the following problem is a significant workflow hampering.

When I try to drag things into dropbox using the sidebar, it won't let me. A slashed-through circle icon appears. Why is this? Is it a permissions thing? Can this be fixed?

I know it does no good, but I must be allowed a short rant. Dropbox worked FINE. I don't know why this new "update" needed to happen (demands of Apple's increasingly strict OS updates?), but it is just so frustrating when an "update" is not as functional as previous versions. Now I have to take 10 minutes out of my day to post about this in hopes that there is a fix. There are workarounds, sure, but you do this action 100s of times a day, the extra 3-4 seconds it takes adds up. Also it's a just a dumb problem to be having.

Ok rant over.

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billgdbx

@hughH thanks for the screenshot, this actually moved me along. There's definitely an issue with dragging and dropping to "Dropbox" in Favorites in the Sidebar. There is also a Locations section below Favorites in the Sidebar, which contains the same Dropbox folder (but with the Dropbox logo). I confirmed that dragging to Favorites in fact doesn't work, but dragging/dropping to the folder in Locations does work. I also confirmed that, while dragging/dropping to the toplevel Dropbox folder in Favorites does not work, if you have a sub-folder of Dropbox in Favorites, you can drag/drop to that.

The attached photo shows the Dropbox folder in Locations, and the move working. You can also see Dropbox in Favorites above--moving to that spot does not work. We'll look into that. Meanwhile, I hope that you can work around this issue by dragging/dropping to Locations rather than Favorites on the Sidebar.

All comments

Hannah

Hey @lehestro, thanks for reaching out to our Community today.

We appreciate your feedback about our desktop app, but let's look into this.

If you quit the Dropbox app, are you seeing the same behavior?

And are you having this issue only with the Dropbox folder or other folders in your Finder as well?

Let me know what you find.

lehestro

Hi Hannah, thanks for the reply. To answer your questions:

1) Yes, this behavior continues even if I quit the Dropbox app

2) This is the only folder that has this issue. It only started when I updated to the new version of the Dropbox app for macOS. Even other cloud service folders work fine in the sidebar. It is only Dropbox that has this issue. I am using v171.4.6182

billgdbx

I tried this and I found that it works for my personal Dropbox, but not my Team account. Is this possibly a team or enterprise Dropbox you're having the issue with?

Also, I hear your rant and I identify with it. These changes are largely mandated by new OS interfaces that we need to conform to.

lehestro

Thank you for your reply (and your sympathy). I don't have a team account. Just the one dropbox account.

hughH

Same thing happens to me. I agree with the rant entirely. You broke something that wasn't broken.

Megan

Hey guys, I hope you're doing well!

Can I send you a ticket, in order for us to have a closer look into this?

lehestro

Yes please, that would be most welcome, thank you!

Megan

I just sent you an email, I'll see you there @lehestro!

renabur

I have exactly the same problem and need to drag files from my local drive into dropbox folder all the time. Can you help, please?

Walter

Hi there @renabur, sorry to hear about this.

Could you let us know the desktop app's exact status and version as shown in your menu bar at the moment?

Thanks!

hughH

So is there a solution to this?

Hannah

Hey @hughH, sorry to see you're also having this issue.

Can you also let us know the application's sync status and version from your Dropbox icon?

Have you tried to quit and then relaunch the application, to see if that helps?

billgdbx

We're continuing to look into it, but having some difficulty reproducing the failure. I understand that sounds lame, since you are seeing it all the time, but it's not reproducing on our own machines at the moment. I saw something similar with a Team account, but that was related to team permissions, so I don't think it is the issue you are experiencing.

You are able to drag and drop into locations that are not in the Sidebar, though, right? Just confirming.

hughH

Restarted app and it continues to do this. To drag files into dropbox I have to have two finder windows open on the desktop and I can drag one to the other easily. But to drag into dropbox on a single window is impossible. Can drag and drop into any other folder on the sidebar, but when the cursor goes mover dropbox the no entry symbol appears (circle with a slash).

Megan

Hi @hughH, can you clarify the version of our app, that you use on your end?

You can find this by locating your Dropbox icon on your menu bar, next to your WiFi and hovering your mouse there.

If you could also send us a couple of screenshots of this whole process, in order for us to have a visual, that'd be lovely.

Keep me posted!

hughH

If you could tell me how to upload video then that would be great. Since there doesn't appear to be a way. I tried dragging and dropping and it says I don't have permission.

hughH

173.4.6706 and it says up to date.

Jay

Hi @hughH, could you attach a screenshot, while hiding any personal info, showing the icon you're seeing when you try to drag and drop?

hughH

still 1.jpg

Jay

Thanks for the image, it doesn't seem to be an official Dropbox folder, since it doesn't have the Dropbox logo on it.

If you click the Dropbox folder, does it take you directly to the folder with the synced files? Is this an alias folder you created?

If you right click it and then Get Info, could you attach a screenshot showing that, while hiding your username and other personal info?

hughH

No offence, but what are you talking about? The Mac sidebar doesn't have logos as far as I know. You drag the folder you want into the sidebar and then you can drop whatever you want into it. Except in the case of Dropbox. It used to work. And now it doesn't. Maybe it's a Mac problem. Maybe it's your problem. But something that used to work until the cloud drive update now doesn't and I don't seem to be the only one it doesn't work for.

Jay

By default, the Dropbox folder, when the app is running, would have a Dropbox icon on there. Could you attach the screenshot of the Get Info page for that folder?

billgdbx

hughH

Thank you - that worked. Problem solved.

billgdbx

Glad to hear it!

YElan

I was having the same issue on my M2 Macbook Pro (13.4.1) with Dropbox 177.4.5399. Just like in the screenshots shown above, my Dropbox folder in the Favorites sidebar had a default folder icon next to it and would show the "no entry" icon when dragging and dropping to it.

I was able to resolve this by navigating in Finder to /Users/<username>/Library/CloudStorage. (In Finder under the Go menu bar item hold down Option and then select Library). I then dragged the Dropbox folder from inside CloudStorage to the Favorites sidebar and it showed up with the proper Dropbox icon. See screenshot.

Screenshot 2023-07-12 at 8.42.15 PM.png

I am able to drag to it now.

Best,

YElan