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AirDrop files go to /private/tmp instead of ~/Downloads

Yesterday I downloaded and installed "Dropbox for macOS on File Provider," which appears to be v215.4.7202. It is running on a Mac mini M4 Pro with macOS Sequoia 15.2 (build 24C101).

Now whenever I AirDrop a file from my iPhone 15 Pro Max running iOS 18.2.1, the file ends up in /private/tmp instead of ~/Downloads.

I've read Topics in the Help Center posted during the past two years that are describing exactly this problem.

Some say that it is due to configuring Dropbox to automatically backup of the Downloads folder but I do NOT have Dropbox set up to backup any folders, including Downloads.

How to I get AirDrop to put files in ~/Downloads again.

Thank you.

- nello

PS: I tried to include screenshots but they were 'not allowed'.

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Accepted answers

Black_Cat

The root of my problem was not related to Dropbox; it was that I'd replaced ~/Downloads with a symlink to my external drive and apparently AirDrop will not follow the symlink.

I learned from a friend that:

It may be that AirDrop sees a symlink there and instead of following the link, it falls back to a backup location of the Unix-standard system temporary directory /tmp (which on macOS, is a symlink to /private/tmp.

Using the Finder, I deleted the symlink and replaced it with the Downloads directory that it pointed to on my external drive; drag-and-drop preserved its Extended Attributes.

I tested AirDrop from my iPhone and it still put files in /private/tmp but after power cycling and logging in fresh AirDrop placed files in ~/Downloads, as expected. (Perhaps a simple log out/in would also have worked.)

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All comments

Black_Cat

Known Limitations page includes this problem with AirDrop:

AirDrop won't work if Dropbox Backup is enabled.

This is a known issue that Dropbox engineers are working to resolve.
Contact Dropbox support for help resolving this issue on your device.

Black_Cat

The root of my problem was not related to Dropbox; it was that I'd replaced ~/Downloads with a symlink to my external drive and apparently AirDrop will not follow the symlink.

I learned from a friend that:

It may be that AirDrop sees a symlink there and instead of following the link, it falls back to a backup location of the Unix-standard system temporary directory /tmp (which on macOS, is a symlink to /private/tmp.

Using the Finder, I deleted the symlink and replaced it with the Downloads directory that it pointed to on my external drive; drag-and-drop preserved its Extended Attributes.

Stephen d.8

I've never knowingly set up any "symlink" but I have the same issue. AirDrop files are squirrelled away in the /private/tmp folder. and impossible to find with spotlight as far as I can tell.

What should I look for to find the "symlink" to delete? Total mystery to me!

Thanks for any help.

Black_Cat

To find out whether your ~/Downloads is a real folder (as opposed to a symlink or alias), click on it and type ⌘-I (Alternatively, control-click or right-click on it and choose Get Info).

Regardless of how you open the Get Info window ...

Look at the top section labeled "General" and in this section check what Kind is; if it is a folder, then your ~/Downloads is a folder, not a symlink or alias and you do not have to problem that I posted about.

Another cause of AirDrop not working correctly is making Dropbox automatically backup your ~/Downloads folder. This is a known problem and is listed in the Help Center under Known Limitations.

https://help.dropbox.com/installs/macos-support-for-expected-changes#Known-limitations

AirDrop won't work if Dropbox Backup is enabled.
This is a known issue that Dropbox engineers are working to resolve.
Contact Dropbox support for help resolving this issue on your device.