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My GarageBand project files keep getting deleted/renamed when adding them to Dropbox.

Dropbox stores the garageband projects as packages (.pkgf) instead of .band files, which so far doesn't seem to cause any problems. Is garageband just renaming them to a generic format or is it actually something different?

I'm having an issue with anything new I create in garageband on my phone and later copy into dropbox, the file either disappears completely or renames itself (greyed out) until I open dropbox and rename the file. I would like to get the files off my phone, I used to use iCloud for storage but it stopped synchronizing correctly with windows 10 for me last year. I run a daily backup from my computer to an external hard drive so I have multiple backups, but I currently don't trust iCloud or dropbox for my garageband projects.

Curious if anyone could provide any feedback on their experience using dropbox to store garageband projects. Ever had an issue trying to reopen a .pkgf file into garageband?

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Nancy

Hey @indub, thanks for posting on our forum today.

You can read more about Dropbox and package files in our Help Center article here.

Now, as for the files disappearing or being renamed, can you please describe to me the exact steps that you’re taking to add them to your Dropbox account?

When the file disappears, where can you locate it exactly on your Dropbox account after that? Any relevant screenshots you can send over will be much appreciated.

Let me know once you have more info.

indub

Hi!

While in garageband iOS app, I copy the project from my iphone folder and then paste into my dropbox folder. The disappearing/greyed out issue only seems to occur if the file has a similar name. For example, if dropbox already has a file named 'Track 1', if I copy/paste a new file named 'Track 1 2', the issue occurs.

I could avoid this by just creating my garageband projects in dropbox, but I'm still hesitant to do that in case the .pkgf files corrupt. For now I'm still beginning projects in my phone and copying into dropbox for backups.

Thanks

Hannah

Hey @indub, are you performing these actions through the Files app?

If you go to your Dropbox account online, are you able to see the files that are giving you the issue?

indub

Through the garageband iOS app.

Sometimes the files disappear completely. Other times the files are greyed out, not accessible, until I go into dropbox and rename them.

Hannah

Thanks for that, @indub.

Have you tried reaching out to the GarageBand's support team for more info on this?

indub

It's not a garageband issue. All garageband is doing in this case is acting as access to a directory, just like the Files app. I just tested this with the Files app and the same thing occurred. The file was inaccessible (greyed out) in garageband until I renamed it in dropbox.

I think its how dropbox is handling similar file names. If I have the following garageband projects:

Track 1

Track 1 2

And I want to duplicate Track 1 2

The garageband app and files app, create the duplicate as Track 1 3.

If I already have Track 1 2 saved in dropbox and I paste Track 1 3 into dropbox (from files app or garageband app), dropbox autorenames it to Track 1 (1), but its not accessible within garageband, greyed out. I then go into dropbox and rename it again as anything else and it becomes accessible in garageband. Anytime I paste a file like that dropbox renames it with the (1).

If I were to duplicate Track 1, garageband and Files would create Track 2. Dropbox doesn't have an issue with that.

Hope that makes sense!

The other issue of the files disappearing after pasting is probably just an upload timeout, the file doesn't actually make it to dropbox.

Nancy

Hey again, @indub! Out of curiosity, are you having the same issue, if you compress the GarageBand file first to a .zip one and upload it to Dropbox after that?

In general, package files can be uploaded to Dropbox this way, but I understand if it’s not possible to test this, since you’re using the GarageBand mobile app instead.

indub

That defeats the purpose of what I'm doing. No worries, its working as long as I rename the file after it uploads.

Curious, since dropbox saves the files as *name*.band.pkgf, if I remove .pkgf does it then become a .band file in the same way that apple does it? I would assume not. I have tried that yet to see what it does. I'll test it out too sometime soon.

Thanks