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OS X Dropbox won't accept 2 factor verification code

Somehow Dropbox on my Mac lost access to my account, so my files aren't syncing anymore. Possibly because I upgraded to a new version of OS X (I'm now on Sierra).

Dropbox is still installed, however. So from the dropbox icon in the top bar I open "Set Up Dropbox", enter email and password, and it sends a verification code to my phone. All is fine so far. But when I enter that varification code into the setup tool, it complains: "Invalid code". It is the exact code Dropbox texted me. I tried this half a dozen times with new codes. It's no typo.

Dropbox just doesn't recognize its own verification code.

What could cause this? And how do I get Dropbox to work again?

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Jane

Hey there (@WHY3), are you seeing the same error message the OP had mentioned? I’m merely asking, as this thread was originally created in 2017, so the issue at hand could be slightly different on your end.

If you can’t setup your account as expected, I’d suspect that something could be blocking our application from running as it should. I’d appreciate it if you could try the following for me:

Spoiler

Stop Dropbox (if needed) by clicking the Dropbox icon in the menu bar on the top of your screen. >Click on the icon in the Notifications panel and select "Quit Dropbox".

Delete the Dropbox application from the Applications folder. You may need to provide your computer password in order to perform this action.

Reinstall the Dropbox desktop application following these steps:

Disable any Security/Antivirus programs & download our offline installer: https://www.dropbox.com/downloading?plat=mac&type=full (Mac)

Open the Dropbox .dmg file and double click the Dropbox icon. Dropbox should appear in your menu bar.

I hope that this is-even slightly- helpful to you & please do let me know here if I've misunderstood your inquiry in any way. Thanks again for reaching out to us on our Forum!

All comments

Jane

Hey @mcv,

Welcome to the Dropbox Commnity, let's go through some troubleshooting steps together!

Sorry to hear about the issue you've experieced logging in to your account using two-step verification. Just to make sure I'm sending over the right steps, let me ask you whether codes arrive delayed or expired on your phone or you have previously used your backup codes.

Once I have this piece of information, I'd be glad to send over more steps!

Warm regards,

JaneA

mcv

No, the codes arrive immediately on my phone. There's no significant delay. I immediately tried them in the Dropbox Set Up.

I think I got a different error when I tried to reuse the same code twice, which is probably what happens when a code expires.

I don't think I ever used any backup codes.

Jane

Hey @mcv,

Thanks for getting back in touch with this additional information, much appreciated!

Hmmm… This seems rather strange… Because this is an account-specific issue, it seems like the matter should be investigated by a specialized team member, who’d be able to access your account details. So that we have a look and assist, please log a ticket with our team giving us any details surrounding the case that would help us determine the cause and let me know a ticket ID once you have done so, so that I follow-up on your request on my end.

Any screenshots exhibiting the behavior would be extremely useful. Thank you in advance for your cooperation!

Warm regards,

JaneA

mcv

Thanks. My ticket id is #6199842.

Jane

Hey @mcv,

Thanks for your cooperation, much appreciated!

I’ve located the support ticket and I’ve made sure that a team member has been assigned to the case. At your convenience, could you check your inbox for our latest message and let me know if you have any issues locating the reply, so that I make sure that you receive it again? I will make sure that your comments are properly transferred there, so that you troubleshoot from the point you have left here.

Hope this gets resolved soon!

Warm regards,

JaneA

WHY3

Hi there, I'm experiencing exactly the same problem.

I'm trying to set up my dropbox desktop on my mac. I've tried the verifying code on web browser (Safari and Chrome) but not the desktop version on my Mac.

Please help. Many thanks.

Jane

If you can’t setup your account as expected, I’d suspect that something could be blocking our application from running as it should. I’d appreciate it if you could try the following for me:

Spoiler

Stop Dropbox (if needed) by clicking the Dropbox icon in the menu bar on the top of your screen. >Click on the icon in the Notifications panel and select "Quit Dropbox".

Delete the Dropbox application from the Applications folder. You may need to provide your computer password in order to perform this action.

Reinstall the Dropbox desktop application following these steps:

Disable any Security/Antivirus programs & download our offline installer: https://www.dropbox.com/downloading?plat=mac&type=full (Mac)

Open the Dropbox .dmg file and double click the Dropbox icon. Dropbox should appear in your menu bar.

I hope that this is-even slightly- helpful to you & please do let me know here if I've misunderstood your inquiry in any way. Thanks again for reaching out to us on our Forum!

WHY3

Hi Jane,

Many thanks. It's been resolved. It was the security/ privacy setting, once the "notification" was enable, the synchronising started.

For your information, the message that popped up was "invalid code".

Many thanks for your help.

Jane

Ah, happy to hear this quick fix did the trick for you (& thanks for sharing the news)! We’re always a post away, so please feel free to ping us back here in case you have any more Dropbox-specific inquiries; our Forum Wall is always open to your feedback or questions.

Happy syncing & take care until we talk again (@WHY3 )! 😊

UnreachableCode

I tried this and still faced this issue. I've now been locked out of my account for 24 hours.

Jane

Hey @UnreachableCode, could you elaborate a bit on the steps you’ve already tried on your end, so as to make sure I’m following-up with you correctly? Have you recently upgraded your OS, as originally described on this post? Are you seeing the "Invalid code" error message, as the OP described us?

I appreciate the time you’re devoting to clarify matters for me & I’ll be awaiting your next message!