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I added many folders to my MacBook's Dropbox folder, but they've disappeared.

The dropbox folder on my MacBook got corrupted. I uninstalled the app and re-installed and tried sync’ing from scratch. I’m only getting partial results.

My iMac has 1,691 items, including folders with many more files enclosed in them. The version on my MacBook has just 1,475 items, all files, no folders. The folder structures look to have disappeared—some of the files in folders on the iMac are on the MacBook, but not inside folders, and not all of them.

The version on the web looks just like what’s on the iMac. Why can’t I just reproduce (online only) the files and structures on the web and the iMac?

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Comments

Jay

Hi @Doug H.19, thanks for bringing this to our attention.

Do you see any recent events or deleted files which would help to explain what you're experiencing currently?

Do you have selective sync enabled for any of the missing folders?

This will help me to assist further!

Doug H.19

The problems began when I moved a bunch of files from the hard drive of my MacBook to Dropbox because I was running out of storage space. Dropbox seemed to get confused and reindexed over 300,000 files, which took hours. When the sync was done, it was incomplete—the folders are all missing.

A bunch of folders on my iMac are checked as living only on that computer. Do those not sync to other devices? Do I have to make them online only to get a full sync?

Nancy

Hey @Doug H.19! To clarify, was the Dropbox app on your MacBook up to date, but you were still unable to see the folders you had added to your Dropbox folder on www.dropbox.com?

Do you remember any example file or folder names, so that you can perform a search online?

Finally, when mentioning the folders on your iMac, do you mean that they’ve been ignored by any chance? Feel free to send over any relevant screenshots and we'll have a look.

Doug H.19

Everything is very up to date, Mac OS and Dropbox. I can see the folders on my iMac and on the web, just not on the MacBook. Selective sync is turned off and the contents, both files and folders, on my iMac are set to online only. Nothing is set to ignore.

Jay

Are you referring to the selective sync feature on the MacBook or your Mac?

Could you try reinstalling the Dropbox desktop application using this link?

Doug H.19

Selective sync is off on both devices. I've reinstalled the app twice.

Jay

Could you attach screenshots showing what you're seeing on the Dropbox site, and the two Dropbox folders in Finder on both devices, showing the location of a missing folder or file?

Doug H.19

It's not letting me attach the screenshots as files. When I try to post the Dropbox links for the screenshots I get this error message

Content Not Published
Your post contains invalid HTML. Remove the following invalid tags before publishing: a, a (class)

Doug H.19

They're your links! And they're not valid?

Jay

Could you try copying and pasting the screenshot images directly into the post, instead of using a shared link?

Doug H.19

iMac (complete):

MBP (missing folders except Screenshots):

Doug H.19

I just added a PDF to the "Books" folder on the iMac. It didn't show up on the MBP. I added a file, no folder, and it promptly showed up. It's not handling the folders correctly.

Jay

Could you attach a screenshot showing the same folder structure on the Dropbox site?

A screenshot of the selective sync settings on the MacBook would also be helpful.

How many files do you have on your Dropbox account approximately? Would it be over 300,000 files?

Doug H.19

I'm not sure how a screenshot of the Dropbox site would help, since it sorts files and folders separately. The folders are all there, as are the files.

I have no idea how many files I've got in the Dropbox account, since so many are inside folders.

I have one folder set for selective sync. Every other one is unchecked.

Doug H.19

Ah, did a cmd-I on the Dropbox folder in Library>CloudStorage for the iMac. It says 482,651 items.

For the MBP, 2,694 items.

Jay

Okay, I just want to make certain what you meant by selective sync. When you uncheck a folder in the preferences, it stops that folder from syncing to your computer entirely.

Are you doing that, or are all your folders checked, and only one is unchecked?