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Files sync to Mac computers, but not to a Windows one

Has anyone experienced this.
I have 5 devices on which I share my Dropbox. 4 are Apple and sync instantaneously. My recent purchase of a windows laptop will not sync all of my folders/files/documents. I’m not getting timely support from Dropbox it’s been almost a month of back and forth emails and still they offer no solution and will not call me to troubleshoot.
I’m open to ideas or another provider to move my business to that provides support.

Thank you for any advise on this
Iliana1

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Hannah

Hey @Iliana1, thanks for reaching out to us.

What's the sync status and version of the Dropbox app on the Windows computer? You can hover over the Dropbox icon for this info.

Do the files sync to your account online as well?

If they sync to your Mac computers and online, but not your Windows one, can you check if the names of the files have any incompatible characters?

Let me know what you find.

All comments

Hannah

Hey @Iliana1, thanks for reaching out to us.

What's the sync status and version of the Dropbox app on the Windows computer? You can hover over the Dropbox icon for this info.

Do the files sync to your account online as well?

If they sync to your Mac computers and online, but not your Windows one, can you check if the names of the files have any incompatible characters?

Let me know what you find.

RJWriter

This is an ongoing issue. I have two phones (Pixel 7 Pro and Samsung), two laptops (Lenovo PCs) and a Mac desktop. I thought Dropbox would give me a way to see ALL files from ALL devices. Nope. The files are not in sync across all devices. In fact, the files I see on each device all seem to be different depending on the device I am using. I've had to resort to emailing myself and labeling files with dates and times to ensure I am using the latest documents. As you can imagine, this is very frustrating considering this is an issue Dropbox is supposed to solve. (And yes, I know it's probably me. :-/)

Two questions.

1. How do I get the files to sync across all devices?

2. How do I get current files all into one place?

Thanks, in advance, for your assistance.

Ron Jette

Mark

Hi @RJWriter

First thing to check is that Dropbox is running on all devices and not reporting any errors - mouse over its icon on the status bar to see what it says.

Next thing is that they are ALL using the exact same email and log on. A good way to test that is to add a file (a photo say) and see where it appears.

In terms of syncing it should just do it as long as Dropbox is running without errors, on the same account AND its worth noting that files will ONLY sync to the Dropbox folder on the machine. So, if you work on a file elsewhere even if you copied/pasted it in to the Dropbox folder once that file wont update. The only way to update and sync is to work on files INSIDE of the \Dropbox directory.

RJWriter

Hey, Mark.

Thanks for all this. I suspect that one of those things is out of whack due to an error on my part. Somehow, that doesn't surprise me. 🙂 Good to know, though, so I have something to check.

I'm not at home right now so I will have to try all of this later. But thank you, in advance. I'll let you know.

Ron

Iliana1

Hello Mark. I'm having a similar problem as RJWriter. I have 3 MAC products (iPad,iphone and iMac) and recently added a windows laptop (HP). All of my devices update instantly with the exception of the laptop, window/HP. I worked with Dropbox Support and aside from the very very very slow replies, nothing they suggest works. I've uninstalled, reinstalled, cleaned the program in DOS. Corrected Permission settings, performed Advanced Reinstall, and I can just go on and on. I personally tried creating a new folder to see if it showed up on the laptop and it did, I began to drag and drop files into it and it seemed to be working when I was almost done transferring the files in one of my main folders, the new folder with all of the file transfers disappeared from the laptop but remained on all of the other devices.

I can not determine which file or document may be causing this to happen and when I looked inside at the folders that to show across all of the devices, I found some folders and/or documents are missing on the laptop device. All other devices are perfectly synced.

Have you encountered this before, can you provide any assistance or suggestions?

Thanks in advance for your help.

Walter

Hey @Iliana1, sorry to hear about your syncing issue.

Could you send us a screenshot of the app's exact status and version as shown in your system tray at the moment?

While we're at it, since you've already contacted our support team, could you share your ticket ID so that we can look it up in our system?

Iliana1

Ticket #22473103: Dropbox Support Chat

I hope you can help with this. I can't find answers and I would hate to have to change provider just because of a syncing issue. I've used Dropbox for several years and have been very happy with it.

I'm not computer savvy, so I hope this is what you are looking for. You are welcomed to contact me by phone to walk through any possible options. [removed per the Community's Guidelines]

Again, thank you very much.

Iliana

Screenshot (1).png

In case it is too dark, the number it shows is 180.4.4912 and says Up to date under the number.

Iliana1

Thank you for the response. I just re[lied to Walters request and hadn't seen your response. That's a new take on the issue.

I will go through the folders and see if I can locate one example of an incorrect file name and see if I correct it if it shows up across all devices.

I wonder through, would a folder be omitted due to having one or more files within the subfolders with an incorrect file name?

Iliana

Walter

Thanks for the screenshot @Iliana1 - much appreciated!

The version of the desktop app is a bit outdated; could you update to the latest version from this page directly and let me know if the issue persists?

As for your ticket, I took a look at our system and it seems that you didn't reply to the last email you received from the expert who's handling your request - you can reply to them there if you'd like to continue troubleshooting this more in-depth with account sensitive information.

Also, if you managed to find some examples of problematic folders, please send them on as well.

njet01

I'm having exactly the same trouble as you, the mobile phone Dropbox application that I run on an Iphone 12 and my Windows Laptop (Dell Inspiron 16) Dropbox Folder display different documents in each, things not syncing over in a timely fashion.

It's is hugely frustrating and a major inconvenience not knowing if my files will be available when I need them, so I empathise with your position OP.

Iliana1

Thank you Walter. You’re correct I have not answered because they keep sending me things to try that I don’t understand and I don’t want to mess up a brand new computer. I’ve asked if they would call me and we could trouble shoot over the phone which would probably take less time, but they haven’t reached out.
I’ve explained that I have Dropbox set up as a single user. It’s not in an office setting with multiple users or an administrator/IT. It’s only me and my devices.
I appreciate your response and I will try to update through the link you provided.

Iliana1

Hannah you are the WINNER!!!!!! after over a month trying to work with Dropbox support, your solution worked. There were files that had special characters in them. How support did not point that out, I don't know. I GREATLY appreciate your response and your assistance.

Thank you!

Iliana

Iliana1

Hello Walter. First, I resolved the issues. Hannah suggested checking folder and file names for possible character issues. I went through a lengthy process of checking each folder and file and found several with incompatible characters for the Windows laptop. Everything seems to be syncing properly now.

I would still like to update the devices to the current versions as you recommended in your previous reply. I saw there are different versions for Mac and for Windows. They all are for Offline . I'm not sure what that means, I use everything online, but maybe I should have this installed also?? Should I be doing both of these for the Windows laptop and both on the MAC devices, desktop/ipad/iphone?

Download

Windows Standard Installer Offline Installer (32 Bit)
Offline Installer (64 Bit) Mac OS X Standard Installer (Universal) Offline Installer (Intel)
Offline Installer (Apple Silicon)

Thank you,

Iliana

Iliana1

njet01,

I resolved my issue. its the character incompatibility between a MAC and Windows capability. Windows has file name rules that do not accept the MAC file names. (Mac is more flexible)

Hannah, a Dropbox Staff member responded with the following suggestion. I went through all of my folder and file names and made corrections. They instantly synced across to the Windows laptop. Give it a try. Hope it resolves your issue too.

Hannah's response:

If they sync to your Mac computers and online, but not your Windows one, can you check if the names of the files have any incompatible characters?