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Red box on the Dropbox tray icon

Hello everyone!

Why is the red box on my dropbox Windows taskbar icon?

I've read in another thread that it's not a big deal and it's about some notification problem.

But I have all notifications on. When I delete a file from one of dropbox folders the icon doesn't show syncing (which it does properly), just stays with red box. When I restart the program, the icon shows syncing, but then shows the same red box.

It really freaks me out TBO.

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AjanJack

Hello all!

I have a laptop 1ith 1920x1200 resolution. When I clicked on that Dropbox icon which has the red square on it, I only was getting the Dropbox file explorer window. But then, after two days of frustration, I realized when I clicked on the Dropbox icon, to the extreme right hand side of my screen it looked like there was the edge of some other window appearing. But I couldn't grab and move that window to see it. I my display at 150% size so things are not too tiny, but I changed that to 100% and then I could see that other window (in tiny size), and it was the Dropbox user screen. There was a notification at the top about choosing to turn on automatic backup or not, and when I declined that, the red square on my Dropbox icon disappeared. So the answer is that the Dropbox user screen doesn't resize itself for high resolution screens and when we use 150% or so magnification on our computers so things aren't too tiny, that Dropbox user screen is displaced to the right, nearly (or totally) off of our desktop.

So, reduce you screen magnification, click on the Dropbox icon, answer that query Dropbox is showing about letting it automatically back up folders, and the red square on the icon is gone. So that red square IS Dropbox telling us there is an "important" message for us from Dropbox, but we can't see it with our modern, high resolution screens set up with magnification on.

All comments

Hannah

Hey @VasilyD, welcome to our Community!

This is probably due to a notification that you've actually not read, can you check and let me know what you find?

Thanks!

VasilyD

All the notifications are ON and READ. Actually the question is why the icon depends on reading notifications at all, quite a strange logic imho 🙂 And btw it's not described here: https://help.dropbox.com/en-en/installs-integrations/sync-uploads/sync-icons

Ok, forget it, if it continues to annoy me, I will simply try to reinstall the app, hope it'll work.

Megan

Hey @VasilyD, sorry to jump in here, and thank you for the screenshot.

It seems you're pointing at the device's notification icon, not the icon on the Dropbox app.

Could you click on the Dropbox icon that has the red dot, and take a screenshot of your notification center?

Keep us posted, and we'll take it from there.

VasilyD

I specifically selected notification icon so you could see that there're no unread notifications (as I wrote before I read all of them). Also you can see the dropbox icon with red box on it.

Megan

Can I ask if you have two monitors @VasilyD?

Can you also click straight on that red dot icon, and get a screenshot of that?

If I were you, I'd also update the app to its latest version.

VasilyD

Yes, sometimes I connect a second display to my laptop, connecting it doesn't change the look of the icon. I updated the app to the newest version. The red box still remains. Nothing happens when I click on it. Double click pops up my dropbox folder in file explorer.

For now I just hid it into notification area so it won't annoy me.

Rich

@VasilyD wrote:
I specifically selected notification icon so you could see that there're no unread notifications (as I wrote before I read all of them).

Wrong notifications. You clicked the Windows 10 Notifications, but Dropbox has it's own. You click the Dropbox icon once for the menu to appear, then click on the Bell icon to view your Notifications panel.

VasilyD

When I click on the dropbox icon nothing happens, nether left nor right click don't work. The menu like on your screenshot doesn't appear. I reinstalled the newest version but nothing changed. I guess my only option is to just live with that )

Walter

If this persists after reinstalling, you may need to perform a clean, advanced reinstall as well @VasilyD.

Let us know of any updates!

VasilyD

Thanks for the link, but clean reinstall according to the instruction didn't work either. The red box appears immediately after I enter my account credentials. Tried to install on another computer instead, everything works fine, no red box, the proper menu by clicking on tray icon etc. Also no problem on my iPad and Android smartphone. So there's obviously some problem on my laptop (maybe some flag in the registry, I don't know). I guess it's time to give up 😞

djbbartman

Hi Dropbox People, you need to be more on top of this Red Box issue and provide professionally relevant feedback instead of general gibberish that gets people running around in circles. I first encountered this issue spring 2020 on Surface Book 1. I engaged Dropbox Help (DH) for an extended period of time and advice with no solution to the matter. Finally, reluctantly, at the advice of DH I uninstalled and reinstalled Dropbox. No difference, still the Red Box, just a whole bunch of time wasted, that's all. Then one day, fall 2020 I believe, the Red Box suddenly disappeared, and not because of anything I did or didn't do, because I had come to the point of living with it. Spring 2021 I bought a Surface Book 3. Summer 2021 the Red Box suddenly appeared on the task bar Dropbox icon again, not because of anything I did or didn't do. And on my Surface Book 1 too, which I seldom use, the Red Box Was Back, and so far this being mid October now, the Red Box is still there on both computers. My hunch is it's related to Dropbox version updates. So please DH, don't advise people that it's maybe related to notifications or to do an uninstall and reinstall and all that other useless stuff, do acknowledge this is Dropbox related - and figure it out and fix it. Please! In the mean, I (frustratingly) simply continue to live with it until one day, I'm fairly confident based on past experience, it will suddenly disappear again.

VasilyD

Yes, unfortunately there's no real help from Dropbox people. Already switching to other clouds and eventually planning to stop using dropbox completely.

PS very funny - instead of exploring and fixing the bug they continue to give me some stupid badges and ranks lol

AjanJack

Hello all!

Gigahertz

Hi, In having similar problem and looking for answer too. But one thing i am sure that my free space that i receive as promo when i bought samsung phone will expires to basic.

But i dont know if this a real cause of that icon.(wait till another 3 days to know)

One more, i cant view my used space. I know my total space but i have tried to click everywhere to find my current usage.

Megan

Hi @Gigahertz, welcome to our Community!

You should be able to see more, in regards to your account's space when clicking here.

As for the red dot on the Dropbox icon have you tried the troubleshooting steps mentioned in this thread? Have you made sure this isn't a notification?

Let me know!

twhedbee

Exact same experience and sentiments of djbbartman.

twhedbee

Re: Ajan Jack's comments. Brilliant! OK Dropbox, someone has identified the problem for you. Now fix it please!!

Charliewards

Thanks Ajan Jack!! My display was set to 150% and I lowered it to 100%. What do you know... I could finally right-click on the Dropbox icon and see my notifications. Thanks thanks thanks!

ken4pyro

This worked for me to resolve the issue of the red block. I was delighted to see how simple was the solution

Ken
Harrisonville, Missouri