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MacOS Finder - how can I add Dropbox back to the sidebar?

Before I upgraded to Catalina (MacOS 10.15.5), Dropbox appeared under my favorites in the sidebar of Finder. After the upgrade, it was gone. I've searched many threads where this is apparently a common issue but the solutions appear to be for earlier versions of MacOS as the view I am seeing under Catalina does not match the solutions. I understand folders can be dragged to the sidebar. The problem is, I am not seeing the folder on the right, in order to drag it into the sidebar. I tried the "go to folder" but it only navigates to the files within the folder - it never shows a folder labeled Dropbox. I have the Dropbox App installed but it isn't helpful either as when I click on it, it opens a Dropbox window that, again, shows the files I have stored there. I want to be able to easily move files to Dropbox or access them to attach to an email, as I could before I "upgraded" to Catalina (which is starting to feel distinctly like a downgrade).

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Accepted answers

Daphne

Hello @Auskan, I hope you're well today!

So that you can drag the Dropbox folder into your Finder's sidebar, please try the steps below:

Open your Finder window.
Choose "Go" from the menu bar in the top right of your screen.
From the menu, choose "Home".

From here, you can see the Dropbox folder in order to drag it into the sidebar.

Let me know how it goes!

All comments

Daphne

Hello @Auskan, I hope you're well today!

So that you can drag the Dropbox folder into your Finder's sidebar, please try the steps below:

Open your Finder window.
Choose "Go" from the menu bar in the top right of your screen.
From the menu, choose "Home".

From here, you can see the Dropbox folder in order to drag it into the sidebar.

Let me know how it goes!

Auskan

Brilliant! Easy and it worked. Thank you so much!

waldbach

I came here via a search. I just changed to a temporary Macbook and when I drag the Dropbox folder to the Finder window Sidebar, it will not sit. No matter what I try, even tried different sections.

What can I do to solve this? Is this a macOS issue?

Catalina 10.15.2

Jay

Hi @waldbach, do you see the little bar when you try to drag it between folders, and not as a subfolder on the sidebar?

What exactly happens when you drag it there?

waldbach

Yes, I see that bar.

But the problem is solved now. Apparently it was already (by default?) in the sidebar, just higher up where I did not expect it.

Thanks!

Jay

No worries, @waldbach, glad to hear you were able to locate it!

Enjoy the remainder of your week!

WhitBradley10

Daphne,
What if my Dropbpx folder isn't in that section on the right?

Daphne

Thanks for joining us here @WhitBradley10!

Did you possibly choose another location for the Dropbox folder to be placed either during the setup of the desktop app, or through the app preferences?

If you're not sure, can you follow the steps below and let me know what file path you see for the Dropbox folder's location?

Click the Dropbox icon in your menu bar.
Click the profile pic/initials icon in the top right of the window.
Choose "Preferences..."
Go to the Sync tab.

Please feel free to send over any screenshots too, excluding any personal info.

Let me know what you find!

dweinapple

I recently upgraded to Catalina and seem to be unable to move Dropbox to Favorites in the Finder sidebar. The only way I can see the contents of my Dropbox folder is to click on the Dropbox icon in the top right of my Chrome browser, then click on the file icon within that visual menu (see screenshot), and *then* the finder opens with second level of Dropbox folders. This is definitely not ideal. Is there any way to move Dropbox, which is now a "smart" folder, into the Finder Favorites in Catalina or am I just out of luck? Thanks for any help with this.

Screen Shot 2020-10-20 at 10.48.01 PM.png

Daphne

I hope you're well today @dweinapple, thanks for joining the discussion!

You can navigate to the Dropbox folder through your Finder, and add it to the Favorites sidebar with the steps outlined here.

If you have any trouble with this, let me know and I'd be happy to help further.

Cheers!

Chakraboy22

Awesome advice! The internet is filled with geniuses!!! Thanks so much!!!

bepearce

That works for the upgrade to Big Sur, too.

Howard J.3

Perfect!

Rolando Santos

This work for me on the first try. Thanbk You.!

Michelle M.40

I followed the steps but it did not let me drag it over

Daphne

Could you let me know a little more info on where you're running into an issue, @Michelle M.40?

Can you drag it to the sidebar, but it's not being added?

Or are you not able to drag the folder at all?

If possible, please send me a screenshot of the last place you're at when you run into trouble with this, excluding any personal info. Cheers!

AaronJaunty

I had this exact same problem @waldbach. I promise you're not going insane. It must have updated way later following the installation!

KW1

This did not work for me. Whenever I click on the Dropbox icon, it pops up a folder. Help!

beaandtig

thank you!

Nick555

I've just uploaded the latest ISO from Apple and have lost Dropbox out of my favourites and can't find a way of putting it back. Is there a simple route to take to reinstate it or do I have to delete and reinstall the App?

argghhh I hate computers sometimes!

Nancy

Hey @Nick555!

It sounds like you installed the latest Dropbox update for macOS, which should move the Dropbox folder from Favorites to Locations in your Finder.

Can you please double check your Locations, and let me know if you can see it there?

jparker

I'm struggling with the same issue. I tried the steps you outlined - 1) Go 2) Home 3) Drag it over - and that horizontal line that tells you where the file is going to be placed never showed up. It acted like it was going to let me place it within a Location (Desktop, Downloads, etc.). I tried dragging back over to where it lived in Home so I didn't accidentally place it somewhere else and of course my finger came off the trackpad. So it moved and I had no idea where. I did a simple Command+Z to undo it and it showed back up under Home, but now it's an alias that won't open. I didn't do anything else, so I have no idea what to do at this point. I tried moving the alias to see if the horizontal line showed up for it, and it did not.

Here's a screenshot of what my Home location looks like. You can see Dropbox is an alias now. I've also included the error message I get when I try to open it.

Screenshot 2023-07-20 at 9.28.24 PM.png

Screenshot 2023-07-20 at 9.29.54 PM.png

Help! I just want my Dropbox back in my sidebar. This is so frustrating.

Hannah

Hey @jparker, thanks for reaching out to us.

If you click on the Dropbox icon in your menu bar, then on your initials/profile pic, then on 'preferences' and then on 'sync', what's the location of the Dropbox folder there?

jparker

The path is: /Users/jenniferparker/Library/CloudStorage/Dropbox-ClipperDistribution

But When I go to follow that path, there is no Library or CloudStorage file under my user folder.

Screenshot 2023-07-21 at 11.49.01 AM.png

Nancy

Hi @jparker!

Have you tried following the exact same steps as the ones outlined at the bottom of this thread? You'll need to hold down the Option key to show any hidden folders on your Mac device.

Let me know if this seems to work for you.

jparker

That worked!! Thank you for your help!

Nancy

My pleasure! Glad to hear it.

TRKelley01

I have done as you recommended and it does not work. I have also contacted Apple customer service and used Screen Sharing to allow them to shoe me what to do, and it will not work. I've had Dropbox in my Finder sidebar for years and somehow inadvertently removed it. I then had Dropbox Copy (that is the name automatically given to my it when I was able to put it back into my sidebar). However, when I removed DC in hopes of placing the original (the icon of which had somehow ended up on my desktop), nothing has worked. Any help in succeeding to get my Dropbox app back in my Finder Sidebar is appreciated.

Walter

Hey @TRKelley01, sorry to hear you're having issues with this.

Can you please send us a screenshot of how this looks on your end so that we can have a visual too?

Also, what is the desktop app's exact version and status as shown in your menu bar at the moment?

TRKelley01

Thank you so much for getting back with me! After I inquired I contacted Apple support. When they could not help me, I came back to the Dropbox help community and continued reading. Another individual was having the same problem and discovered that Dropbox was in another location in the MacOS Finder. I looked in that same location, but did not find it. However, I decided to just keep looking and discovered that it was located in my MacOS Finder under "Network". I have no idea how it ended up there, but was able to successfully return it to its original location in my Finder Sidebar.

Again, thank you for reaching out; and thank you for providing this forum from which we can get answers. Even though it was somewhat indirectly, I was able to fix the issue because of Dropbox Community.

Blessings,

Tim