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Not seeing my backups on other devices, after updating the Backup feature

Dear All.

I have been using Dropbox for over a decade. It would always sync my desktop in such a way that I was able to access any file from my desktop on any of my other devices, including phones and tablets. I love this feature.

Recently the desktop app asked me if i want to put my desktop in backup which I accidentally said yes to. I instantly regretted it as I lost Desktop sync and now can no longer access my desktop files on other devices. I turned off backup feature and reinstalled Dropbox to no avail.

Please help! I loved desktop sync and have been using it over a decade. It is the FEATURE i use dropbox for.

How do I reenable desktop sync? It used to show up as an icon in my Dropbox folder under ‘Mac’

I use a MacBook Pro.

Thank you in advance.

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Comments

Jay

Hi @, thanks for bringing this to our attention.

Could you clarify what you mean by 'desktop sync'? If you're referring to the Dropbox Backup feature, then it wasn't around 10 year ago, since it was only introduced two years ago.

Do you see any backups on this page?

Any other info or screenshots would be helpful!

Roroboo

I don't see any backups on that page as I intentionally disabled dropbox backup.

When I say 'desktop sync' what I mean is my laptop used to have a Apple logo in the dropbox folder. This was called 'Mac' and represented my Macbook's desktop. Any files or changes I made to the desktop of my laptop would automatically be synced to dropbox and I could access my desktop documents from any of my other devices.

I loved this feature and it was so simple and useful to me.

I accidentally clicked yes to a desktop prompt a few days ago that asked if I wanted to move my desktop to 'backup'. The moment I clicked yes, my desktop folder in dropbox disappeared and I could not access my desktop files on any other device anymore.

I am trying to re-enable that feature such that my macbook's desktop is automatically synced on dropbox and so essentially I can access my Macbook desktop from my other devices.

Thank you

Nancy

Hey @Roroboo, and sorry for jumping in.

Did you click on a prompt to update Dropbox Backup perhaps, before this happened?

Roroboo

I don’t remember exactly but I believe you are correct @Nancy . There was an update that it wanted me to perform and then a prompt asked if I wanted to make my desktop as a backup on Dropbox backup? I think i accidentally clicked yes to this prompt.

Nancy

I see, thanks for confirming! In this case, it sounds like this is a result of this update (with the updated Dropbox Backup, backups from other devices will only be accessible from the web).

If you want though, I can pass your feedback and comments on this directly to our team.

Roroboo

@Nancy I would like you to pass on the feedback thank you.

However is there any way to return to the previous Dropbox behavior?

I have been having my Desktop synced via Dropbox for over a DECADE and losing this feature overnight is not ideal.

Is there a way for me to return to having my desktop synced to Dropbox so that I can access it on my other devices?

It is such a great feature of Dropbox there must be a way to re-enable it?

Thank you

Megan

Hey @Roroboo, the only way for you to achieve what you're describing is with the use of our Backup feature.

It does essentially what you wish to do: sync your Downloads, Desktop and Documents to Dropbox, and then to any other devices you may have.

KerriKendall990

I have this exact same issue. I used to be able to access my desktop from my phone, and now I can't. It's very frustrating (as was the response they gave you).

Roroboo

@KerriKendall990 I completely agree, this happened to me a few days ago and its super frustrating as I’ve lost a way of using Dropbox that I’ve used for almost 15 years.

@Megan so the thing I noticed with the backup feature is that it backs up my desktop to Dropbox backup but that it disappears from my other devices. My phone, iPad and other laptop are not able to sync with Dropbox backup. If i try to go to Dropbox backup on my iPad right now It wont even let me access that website.

So although my laptop can back up my desktop to ‘Dropbox backup’ it’s essentially cut off from my mobile devices.

Can we not have our desktop synced to Dropbox like it always used to be?

Thank you

Nancy

Can you please clarify what you mean when saying you can't access the Dropbox website on your iPad? Are you unable to access the website in general, or just the Backups page?

Ravip

I have this same exact issue. Messed up my entire work flow that I've been using for many years now. Made it simple and easy to use and sync across multiple devices. PLEASE PLEASE @Nancy pass on the feedback there's many of us who are running into this issue and there's no way to revert back. This messed up the way we worked this entire time with Dropbox.

Walter

Hi there @Ravip - thanks for your feedback on this.

We've passed it on internally and please let us know if you have anything else to add.

Roroboo

@Nancy So I can access the backups page on my iPad via the URL you sent.

However there is no way to access that backup page via the native Dropbox app on iPhone or iPad or even Mac or PC. So then the only way is using a web browser which is not intuitive. As @Ravip mentioned, it does mess up an established workflow we’ve had for years and even decades and there seems no way to revert back to the traditional Dropbox behavior.

Maybe if Dropbox can access the ‘backups’ natively on the mobile apps that could possibly work but even that is not possible right now (unless we use a web browser)

Rich

The old backup feature wasn't really a backup. All it did was move your key folders (Desktop, Documents, Downloads) into the Dropbox folder so they could sync. There was no true backup. It was just another folder syncing like any other. The new backup doesn't work that way and is closer to a real backup system.

It's easy enough to replicate the old method. Just move your Desktop (or other) folder into the Dropbox folder using whatever mechanism your operating system has to relocate such folders. For instance, in Windows, if you look at the Properties of the Desktop folder (or any other key folder) you'll see a Location tab. On that tab is a Move button that allows you to move the folder to a new location. Use that feature to move the folder into your Dropbox folder and it will sync just like it used to.

danbett

Hi Rich

I have exactly the same problem, I clicked on the link and it completely changed my workflow, I now cannot easily share links from my desktop (as it has to upload every time). If I do as you say above will that still ensure that I have full offline access to my files and does this mean that I then have

i) A Backup Folder in one location

ii) My content/files in another location that I can use as before

ii) There are no conflicts between the two...

many thanks

Dan

Spushor

I got the same problem and the same runaround from Dropbox why they took away this wonderful thinking of the desktop to the iPhone or iPad apps. The new update has a back up of my Mac and I ask - Why is my new Mac Desktop files on DB file Backups/Mac/Desktop not visible on my iPhone Dropbox app? Dropbox, please provide access to this file on my mobile devices?

Spushor

Why is my new Mac Desktop files on DB file Backups/Mac/Desktop not visible on my iPhone Dropbox app?

SkyBabyBlu

Has there been any update on this, it's frankly ridiculous, it's almost the sole reason I pay for Dropbox to be able to access my files from anywhere.

Spushor

I have received correspondence and Dropbox grammar stating the functionality has been taken away that we all enjoyed and the message from Dropbox to Customer “DROP DEAD” - we don’t care about your functionality problems. We’re gonna issue the software the way we want it. Customer be damned. Now I am working on a bunch of workarounds to try to restore the functionality that I needed when I use my mobile device to look up dropbox data.

ChristoC87

Please revert back to the previous version where you can actually access all files via the app on a phone or other device. The functionality of dropbox is now totally ruined.

I honestly have no idea why anybody thought it should have been removed. The new update means I can no longer access my files easily without going into back up.

Please correct this massive failure by Dropbox or I and many others will be cancelling subscription.

ChristoC87

Any idea how soon something like this can be (re) implemented. As others have suggested, the usability of Dropbox is not there anymore. I will definitely be looking for alternatives if the sync feature is not put back. I honestly can not think of a single reason why it would have been done in the first place, was very smooth before.

ChristoC87

Ok this works and apart from now having a duplicate, up to date files are now accessible from other devices etc.

danbett

Hello, I may have missed something in the thread but would somebody be able to point me towards how to re-instate this feature (Christo, I see that you said 'this works' but I couldn't see what 'this' is.

Many thanks in advance for your help, Like everyone on this thread I do not understand what this was implemented in this way and with absolutely no warning/release notes etc...

all my best

Dan

KerriKendall990

It's completely destroyed. I can't even see the content in the shared folders, from my phone. I'm so devastated by this ridiculous update.

ChristoC87

There's a reply on page 2 by Rich that explains how to do it. It's not perfect but better than the rubbish dropbox left us with

danbett

Thanks Christo, much appreciated. Hopefully Dropbox will sort this out but.......

all my best

Dan

schroeder8210

This is confirmed as being a feature that has been decommissioned/depreciated. (I spoke with support about it today)

If you have had the backup enabled BEFORE the "BETA" version, then your sync should stay intact. If you have, for any reason, had the "Dropbox Backup BETA" replace your old "Dropbox Backup", then there's nothing you can do.

You cannot revert backwards, you cannot reinstall/reset, nor can you create a new account: as this BETA is the default Backup currently.

This feature was one of the key reasons I even chose to use Dropbox over Onedrive [which also has the feature, but Onedrive doesn't save Metadata: i.e Thumbnails, for certain file-types].

I previously could open the app and see the shared team folder and the 'PC' folder for my desktop backup.

Now we're expected to access the backup via the web, yet you can't do some tasks: like delete a file via the browser version. [I'm not sure if that could be done in the past via the phone app]

Just a dumb choice to remove one of the best features provided by the service. This honestly leads me to feel compelled to look elsewhere.

Rich

@schroeder8210 wrote:
If you have, for any reason, had the "Dropbox Backup BETA" replace your old "Dropbox Backup", then there's nothing you can do.

https://www.dropboxforum.com/t5/Create-upload-and-share/Not-seeing-my-backups-on-other-devices-after-updating-the-Backup/m-p/766141/highlight/true#M84625