Dropbox context menu options and sync status icons are missing from Finder on macOS 26.6.2

AlbinHandig

Hi everyone,

I’m having two related issues with Dropbox on my Mac:

• When I right-click files and folders inside my Dropbox folder in Finder, the Dropbox options are missing, including “Make online-only” and “Make available offline.”
• The sync status checkmarks are also missing in Finder, so I cannot easily tell which files and folders are available offline or whether they have finished syncing.

To clarify, the Dropbox options are completely absent from the right-click menu—not present but unresponsive or showing an error.

Background

I’m a professional photographer and use Dropbox to store a large photo and video archive, working with applications including Capture One. I need to see my folders and files in Finder while keeping most of their contents online-only. For individual projects, I need to download the files for editing or copy them to an external drive.

After switching to Dropbox on Apple’s File Provider, my Dropbox folder was located under ~/Library/CloudStorage. I experienced difficulties accessing the folders in Capture One, and copying folders to an external drive would get stuck on “Preparing to move.”

I subsequently opted out of File Provider and set up Dropbox again. My Dropbox folder is now located directly inside my user folder, and the default setting for new files is Online-only. However, both the Dropbox right-click options and the sync status checkmarks are missing in Finder.

How this affects my workflow

• I cannot manage individual files’ or folders’ online-only/offline status through Finder.
• Without the status checkmarks, I cannot easily confirm whether a folder is synced and available locally before working with it.
• Dropbox has previously downloaded large amounts of data, almost filling my internal drive.
• Selective sync does not meet my needs because I want the folders to remain visible in Finder even when their contents are stored only in the cloud.

How can I restore both the Dropbox right-click options and the sync status icons in Finder? Is there a Finder integration or extension that needs to be enabled or reset after opting out of File Provider? How can I check that the correct Dropbox integration is installed and running?

My setup

• Computer: MacBook Pro with Apple M1 Max
• Memory: 64 GB RAM

Operating system: macOS 26.6.2 (build 25G83)

Thanks for your help!
Albin

Nancy

Hi @AlbinHandig! Thanks for posting on our Community. 

I’d like to start off by asking the current syncing status and app version of your Dropbox app.

Also, can you clarify if the issue occurred right after switching out of Dropbox on File Provider, or if it existed previously, as well?

In the meantime, you can follow these steps to make sure old Dropbox folders have been removed from your previous File Provider setup: 

• Open Finder.
• Press Command + Shift + G.
• Enter ~/Library/CloudStorage, then press Return.
• Delete any old Dropbox folders in this location.
  • Important: Before deleting folders, make sure any files you need are backed up and available in your current Dropbox folder.
• Quit the Dropbox desktop app.
• Open Activity Monitor, then force quit any remaining Dropbox processes.
• Open the Applications folder, then reopen the Dropbox desktop app.
• From the Apple menu, select Force Quit.
• Select Finder, then click Relaunch.

Let me know what you see after that.