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Dropbox Client for Linux on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS- icon not clickable.

Guys, I've noticed a bug on Dropbox Client on Ubuntu 23.10 and the same occurs on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS after a installed it from scratch on my machine. It's really a bug on the app on desktop.

The problem is: the app on system tray doesnt open or show anything until the system is blocked to block screen and returns putting password. After that it works normally as it should. I recorded a short video showing the problem with you:

https://youtu.be/6a4cvtZsRWo

How can this issue be solved? Is this the right place to report it?

God bless you all!

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Accepted answers

raulgrangeiro

Guys, I've noticed the bug is gone here on Ubuntu 24.04.1 LTS o Gnome 46 and Wayland. I just started my notebook and the icon worked flawlessly. If I encounter another bug I'll relate it here.

This is the version where it started to work:

raulgrangeiro@RAUL-PC-2:~$ dropbox version
Dropbox daemon version: 212.4.5767
Dropbox command-line interface version: 2024.04.17

God bless you all!

All comments

Megan

Hey @raulgrangeiro, welcome to our Community!

Thanks for the video, and all the added info. When did this start happening on your end?

Do you notice the same behavior on both of your devices I'm assuming, right?

Let me know more, and we'll take it from there!

raulgrangeiro

Hi, Megan,

I've being using Ubuntu since version 23.10 at Febuary 2024, and it's happening since then.

Yes, I noticed this behavior on both machines.

The machine where I recorded the video has the following hardware:

Notebook: Acer A515-45-R6BL

OS: Ubuntu 24.04 LTS x64

Desktop Enviroment: Gnome Shell 46 on Wayland

CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5700U

GPU: AMD Radeon Vega 8

RAM: 20 GB DDR4 3200MHz

SSD: WD SN530 512GB M.2

raulgrangeiro

I've received an update for the daemon, the version 204.4.5420 is now installed, but the problem persists.

BenDBX

Hi @raulgrangeiro,

Thanks for reporting this. I've checked with our engineering team, who is currently looking into why the desktop tray icon in Linux is unresponsive. I'll let you know when I have an update!

Ben

raulgrangeiro

Thanks for the reply, BenDBX. I'll be waiting for it.

God bless you!

porcupinebrux

In the meantime, is there a way to access the Dropbox Preferences? E.g. via the command line?

raulgrangeiro

Friend, I know these commands work with dropbx:

Captura de tela de 2024-07-29 09-04-41.png

The help says that specific commands can have option, so you can see them using:

$ dropbox help <the_command_you_want>.

dhlocker

I don't know if it's a stable solution (will it survive a reboot??), but a recommendation in this thread https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2498274 worked for me (after fixing a typo).

sudo apt --reinstall nautilus-dropbox

worked perfectly.

Здравко

Hi @dhlocker,

It's fine that it's working for you. One problem less. 😉

You cannot rely that it's a stable solution though. Actually you cannot rely that it's a solution at all!

'nautilus-dropbox' is deprecated package and only a metapackage. The only thing it does is dependency of (link in fact to) the actual packet - named 'dropbox'. That's it - nothing more. It's known that there is lot of imperfections in Dropbox application and it sometimes work in inconsistent way. Some negligible changes (or changes that should be negligible at least) very often change the application behavior, unfortunately. The mentioned command cannot do anything since its object is empty package; in 'nautilus-dropbox' is no any real content. That's why as this package' description, Dropbox set "This is a transitional dummy package. It can safely be removed.". So, better uninstall it completely and let only the installed already 'dropbox' package (that keeps the actual content).

Good luck to all of us and let's hope Dropbox development will get to better coding style (at some future point).

raulgrangeiro

That didn't solve for me, the command reports I have mismatched dependencies and this action breakes nautilus-dropbox, so the reinstalation doesn't continues.

Здравко

Hi @raulgrangeiro,

You don't have any issue with your 'dropbox' package, so don't even try to fix it; there is nothing to fix. Everything in the package is working, as seems. What doesn't work is the Dropbox daemon - something that is NOT part of any package! So any package reinstall is meaningless (or unlikely to solve something at least).

Hope this sheds a little light on the matter.

dhlocker

Well, the .deb I installed was https://linux.dropboxstatic.com/packages/ubuntu/dropbox_2024.04.17_amd64.deb Not sure why it thought it was nautilus-dropbox, but that's where I am.

FamGu

Dear all,

I proabably have an indicator to a solution.

I've installed Ubuntu LTS 24.04. and was frustrated to see, that Dropbox is not reacting. Although I was connected with my login. No Window to open at all.

But now - after connecting here with my account - I can open the window and select, which folders I want to sync, where dropbox should sync to and so on.

May I ask you to check, if someone else observe something similar?

@Megan: As I wrote - maybe an indicator to a final solution, if you share this with your developers?

Thank you very much in advance for your replies.

Best

Steffen

Update:
I've just tried it on another compter - also Ubuntu 24.04 installed.
There I do not have access to the client, even if I am logged in the community.
So questionsmarks again on my side.

Both machines uses Browsers, based on the Chrome-Engine and both have the latest patch-level...

raulgrangeiro

Friend, as I showed on the video, if you lock your screen and return, does it open?

Здравко

I don't use your desktop setup @raulgrangeiro and don't have the same issue, but in general Dropbox application (rather the daemon - the actual executable) doesn't work stable. This is not something new and often different people report different strange things appearing (sometime things disappearing). I have also issue with my Dropbox menu (no any submenu appears) and reported it multiple times - no any reaction 🤦 - Dropbox Linux application is not "first class citizen" here 🤷, unfortunately. Better don't rely that something will be changed. In your case the menu comes back at least after your trick. 😉

Have a nice day.

raulgrangeiro

That's a sad thing to hear. I didn't know this was the condition of the app.

gabby suwichaya

That is actually working !! ....
Step 0: quit the Dropbox if it is on...
Step 1. Reinstall that nautilus-dropbox ==> `sudo apt --reinstall install nautilus-dropbox`

Step 2. Following the instruction that say you have to run `nautilus --quit`

Step 3. Lock the screen and log-in again .... Then, magic happens

raulgrangeiro

Doing this the app always shows its interface without the need to block the screen?

prapador

Same behavior after a clean installation of Ubuntu 24.04. The installation seems correct, but then the Dropbox interface does not respond; the tray icon freezes, and no settings can be accessed."

raulgrangeiro

prapador if you do what I show on the video would the app show it's interface?

aristocles

I'm successfully using a workaround with Ubuntu 24.04 and the latest Dropbox version.

1) Create an executable file somewhere in your $HOME directory with these contents:

#!/bin/sh
sleep 5
/usr/bin/gnome-extensions disable ubuntu-appindicators@ubuntu.com
/usr/bin/gnome-extensions enable ubuntu-appindicators@ubuntu.com

As you can see, it simply restarts the appindicator extension (this is what happens whenever you lock and unlock your screen).

2) Make it executable, i.e.: chmod +x $HOME/bin/restart-appindicator.sh

3) Create a new startup app in gnome with this data:

- Name: Restart appindicator

- Command: /home/myusername/bin/restart-appindicator.sh

raulgrangeiro

aristocles, I'll try what you suggested. Seems a nice way to fix it at least while we're waiting for them to fix that for good.

strawberry-elephant

Same problem with my Ubuntu 24.04 as well.

```

$ dropbox version
Dropbox daemon version: 206.4.6506
Dropbox command-line interface version: 2019.02.14
```

FamGu

Unfotunately not. It is complete unpredictiable. Sometimes it is working, sometimes not. Also on the same machine with Ubuntu 24.04 - last patch-level...

fabd

Thank you aristocles!

I just installed 24.04.1, tray icon would not open the settings - so I can confirm bug is present in .1 LTS release as well.

Restarting the app indicator fixed it! I needed this only once to set Selective Sync on this new install - so I'm not going to bother with setting up a script to run the fix on every boot - hopefully DROPBOX will fix this soon.

/usr/bin/gnome-extensions disable ubuntu-appindicators@ubuntu.com
/usr/bin/gnome-extensions enable ubuntu-appindicators@ubuntu.com

Здравко

@fabd wrote:
Thank you aristocles!
... hopefully DROPBOX will fix this soon.
...

🙄 Hope is bliss 👼😉

FamGu

Well... sometimes does, sometimes not. Unfortunately, I don't know, if it is working, why it is working. So from my perspective, this is a non relyable option and the dropbox Team is still asked to support, please.

AlanJWoodward

This worked perfectly for me! Thank you @aristocles

madmax12344

This has been a bug since the dawn of time and has been reported many times without a fix being issued. Locking the screen always makes the icon work again. Before that, it does not.

tobidelbruck

This worked for me, thank you! Ubuntu 24 fresh install, exactly this problem. I had no-password login setup for kiosk display laptop, after screen lock and unlock (with password) the icon responded. Could it be some security feature?