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Mac Finder does not find PDF files within DropBox folders.

I have known existing files that Mac Finder will not find if they are in a DropBox folder. The files are treated as if they are nonexistent. If I move such a file outside of DropBox, Mac Finder finds it. If I set Mac Finder to search "My Mac" it is more likely to find the files, though not all of them. If I set Mac Finder to search "DropBox" it doesn't find any of them.

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Jay

Hi @Lsquared, could try these steps to see if they help with searching in Finder?

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Megan

Hey there, @Lsquared, welcome to our Community!

Does this happen with .pdf files only, or all of them? Can you clarify the Dropbox version that you have installed on your device at the moment?

You can find this by locating your Dropbox icon on your menu bar, next to your WiFi and hovering your mouse over there. If you have any screenshots of this behavior, feel free to attach them back to your response.

Let me know more, and we'll take it from there!

Lsquared

Hi Megan,

It seems to be an intermittent error/bug. I know that it has occurred for a number of PDF files, and it is often when I'm looking for a specific PDF that I notice the problem. However, for certain files, particularly if I have searched for them, then found them, it seems that they can be found again.

My DropBox version is:

"171.4.6182 (Up to date)"

Below are three screen shots showing the search error. The first two show a failed search for a PDF. The search results pane in each are empty. Note that the searched-for file name has been copy-pasted from the actual file name, to ensure that no spelling errors cause the problem. Here, "This Mac" is the search area specified on the Mac harddrive.

A search window with the filename that shows nothing found.

Same search target, this time ensuring that "DropBox" is selected as the location on the Mac Harddrive to search for the file.

Screenshot 2023-04-20 at 9.26.10 PM.png

The third screenshot shows the location of the searched-for PDF file, which is within DropBox (on the Mac harddrive).

A search window showing the actual location of the file I was searching for. It is within DropBox.

Here is a successful search for the same file. I've copied it to another folder on the Mac harddrive, but NOT in DropBox. You can see it shows up in the search results pane.

Screenshot 2023-04-20 at 9.31.45 PM.png

Any help would be appreciated!

Best wishes,

Lsquared

Jay

Hi @Lsquared, could try these steps to see if they help with searching in Finder?

Lsquared

Thanks, Jay! That exactly solved the problem! It also seems to fit with the fact that, previously, if I found a file, I was able to find it again. So, perhaps those individual files had become indexed somehow. But with your solution of getting Spotlight to re-index the entire hard drive, it applies to everything.

That raises the question, does Spotlight need to be periodically re-indexed (to make up for all the new files that are added in the interim)? Or will it index all of those, one at a time, as they are added to the hard drive?

Best,

LSquared

Megan

Hi @Lsquared, that's a good question, that happens to be outside the area of expertise, I am afraid.

However, it's recommended by Apple, in case you're experiencing issues when searching for files. If you need to know more about this, feel free to reach out to Apple, in order for them to give you more details about the specifics.

I hope this helps!