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Backed up folders no longer show on my mobile devices

I've been using Dropbox Basic for about 2 years, without issue. Ever since they released Backup, and I clicked to enable it without knowing it was a big deal, I've had to basically start over with setup.

I am on a Mac at home, and want my Desktop, Documents, and Downloads items synced to Dropbox so that I can access them from my phone or iPad when I'm on the go.

I have uploaded these folders to Dropbox, gone into Preferences of the Dropbox app and selected these folders to appear on the Mac.

I see the files on Dropbox.com , but even though Sync says "Everything is up to date", changes made on Desktop are not reflected on Dropbox.com , and vice versa.

What am I doing wrong??

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Comments

Rich

@Joy100 wrote:
... even though Sync says "Everything is up to date", changes made on Desktop are not reflected on Dropbox.com , and vice versa.

The Backup functionality has changed. Backups are no longer stored with your normal synced files on Dropbox.com. There's now a separate area for backups; your Backups page.

These backups are no longer accessible in the Dropbox app on your phone/tablet. In order to access them on your phone/tablet you would need to use a browser on the device to sign in to the website and access the Backups page.

MattimusDecimus

Dropbox>PC>Desktop...Desktop folder has disappeared.

When I try to access this on the iPhone app or the desktop app itself, it just shows the AppData folder in the PC Folder. I know the Desktop used to be there and I could easily access it in the past. I have not messed/moved with any folders or anything like that. I just noticed one day I wasn't able to access the Desktop any longer. Recent files that I have saved to the Desktop will eventually show on the iPhone etc. but when I go to access them, it's like DropBox wants me to choose a folder to put them in.

The Desktop is in my backups under PC in DropBox, but nowhere else.

I have Dropbox Essentials if that helps any.

Thanks in advance!

JGiacchi

This change is really annoying. How do we complain to Dropbox? Like Joy100, I need access to those folders without having to go to a website to do so.

JGiacchi

I've been on chat with dropbox for the last hour about this same issue. They told me it's a new "feature" where we can now only access those files via the website under "backups" and no longer through the app. I'm so annoyed, and I did submit a complaint to Dropbox about that functionality going away. That is a huge part of what I use Dropbox for.

Rich

@JGiacchi wrote:
This change is really annoying. How do we complain to Dropbox? Like Joy100, I need access to those folders without having to go to a website to do so.

You can leave a note here and a Dropboxer will see it.

I doubt this will change going forward, and personally I believe this is the better method. Backups are just that, a backup of the original file, and shouldn't be accessed directly. They're meant for file recovery in the event of a disaster or mistake. Separating them from your regular files also prevents anything from happening to them.

You can easily access your files in the mobile app simply by storing them in your regular Dropbox folder so they can sync.

JGiacchi

Well, I want the files on my hard drive and Dropbox only backs up certain folders that it thinks are important. I had moved all my files to my desktop and documents folders (the ones I could anyway, not all programs allow me to do that) to make sure they were getting backed up, and now I can’t access those through the app. So now I can’t have them stored on my hard drive if I want them backed up? That defeats why I’m using Dropbox. I don’t want to be working off the cloud. I want the files on my hard drive(s) and being backed up to the cloud in case of a crash. And I was using Dropbox as a network between hard drives for when I needed to work on files on another computer.

I had the 30+ day file history there to help with disasters or mistakes. I mean, what’s the difference between me working on my desktop files directly on my hard drive or working on them off my desktop hard drive from another computer via the Dropbox app for mistake purposes? I’m still accessing the file.

Of course, Dropbox can do what they like but if this is their new plan I guess I’ll start looking for another provider. Maybe I can find one that will let me automatically backup more than just desktop and document folders too.

Did they send out any communications about this change? I spent several hours last night and this morning trying to figure out why Dropbox “broke”, which is also frustrating.

Rich

@JGiacchi wrote:
So now I can’t have them stored on my hard drive if I want them backed up?

No, that's not accurate at all, and there are two separate functions that you're talking about, Sync and Backup, and many people are confusing them, especially after the change in functionality for Backup.

Any files that you put in your local Dropbox folder will sync with your account online. Those files are local to you and stored on your computer (unless you mark them Online-only). As these files change, Dropbox syncs those changes to your account and to other devices linked to your account. Anything that Dropbox syncs is also accessible through the mobile apps.

I don’t want to be working off the cloud. I want the files on my hard drive(s) and being backed up to the cloud in case of a crash.

The Dropbox folder on your computer IS on your hard drive. It's not a cloud-based folder that only exists online. While you have the ability to mark files or folders to be Online-only, anything marked as Available Offline (solid green check icon) is local to your hard drive. Put your files in the Dropbox folder and work on them there, and they're local to your computer, will sync to your account, and can be accessed in the mobile app.

The old backup method wasn't a backup; it was a sync. Dropbox MOVED your key folders (Desktop, Documents, etc.) into the Dropbox folder so they could sync. They called this a backup but it really wasn't. Since those files were in your Dropbox, they were accessible in the mobile apps.

The new Backup feature is closer to a true backup service, where select folders are backed up to a separate area for safe keeping and are not accessible through the regular Dropbox interface. This keeps those files safe from accidental deletion or modification. Remember, it's supposed to be a backup, not a sync. Backups, in the truest sense, should never be accessed directly. They're for recovery, not usability. One of the most important functions of a true backup is that it's stored separately from your main files.

I had the 30+ day file history there to help with disasters or mistakes.

Version history can certainly help recover files, but you're still talking about files that are accessed regularly, and backups shouldn't be accessed at all. Think of it more like cold storage in the event of something major. Version history is great for the quick recovery of a bad edit or an accidental deletion, but really just for individual files. Need to recover many files? Sure... one at a time. Rewind is better at this, but it's more of a nuclear option if something happens to your account; not the files on your computer, and it's still not a backup/restore, while the new Backup functionality is much closer to that.

Did they send out any communications about this change?

This is where we will agree. Dropbox needs to do a much better job at communicating these types of changes. There's a help center article about it, and I bet if we went looking for it there may be a blog entry, but I don't think they sent any email notifications.

Joy100

I’ve spent hours troubleshooting and researching as well. So far the only workaround is to access the backup files through Dropbox.com when I’m on a different device.
Not a great solution especially since I’m paying $200/yr for this inconvenience. Hope Dropbox fixes this Sync issue soon but I’m already researching other solutions.

Joy100

Thanks for the explanation, however I’m still not seeing the solution to my problem.
I want all of my items on my desktop to be accessible, in their folder structures, online from another device. And I want them synced both ways.
It doesn’t make sense that I would have to upload a file to Dropbox, thus creating 2 versions (original on my Desktop, and now the other version on Dropbox that won’t sync back to the one on my Desktop).