Why does Dropbox for MacBook keep 'removing' itself?

One of the solutions which helped me was, on the offline installer, when its window pops up for you to double click to install, instead of doing the double click, drag and drop the Dropbox Icon into your Apple applications folder instead.

No idea why, but this worked for some of our users.

All comments

Hey @joecohs, thanks for posting here!

Weird indeed. Do you use a Team account on your end?

Also, do you remember when this started happening? Even since this behavior started, have you tried uninstalling the app entirely and then reinstalling again?

Also, can you confirm your current OS and Dropbox version? I know you mentioned that this happens across different MacBooks and Dropbox versions, but I'd like to focus on your setup in order to troubleshoot further.

Keep me posted!

Hi @Megan, sure thing. We use dropbox Advanced for our org.

My details are:
MacOS Sequoia 15.2

Dropbox version: 216.4.4420

Yes, indeed, happens for people on different versions 🙂

I did originally remove it from my device to reinstall but still having the issue. Since then for anyone having the same issue, we have just reinstalled without removing as our files take a while to sync.

This started happening from Friday last week (24th)

Thank you!

Hey @joecohs, thanks for the heads up!

Does this happen for instance when you restart your device?

Also, do you all use the same network? Do you have any proxy, VPN, firewall, security software, or even ISP/router settings that could be restricting traffic to the following Dropbox domains?

Hi @Megan I have spoken to our IT management company and they say it isnt anything related to what you have suggested.

They say they have other clients which have raised it as an issue to them as well, which must mean it's a Dropbox issue.

They have also reached out to support for some feedback, but my guess at the moment is a patch/update is conflicting with some internal MacOS files.

Hey @joecohs! Hope you don’t mind if I jump in.

You mentioned that they’ve already reached out to support, so I’m guessing you mean our Dropbox support team.

Do you have a ticket number perhaps, so that I can have a look at it?

Hi @Nancy unfortunately they don't have a ref as they went VIA their Dropbox Account Manager. However, feel free to drop me a message on here and I can provide you with their company name, if required. Thank you!

Hannah

Hey @joecohs, if it's possible to locate that ticket number somehow, it would definitely be helpful.

Also, may I ask, are all members that are having this issue all connected to the same network?

And if possible, can you test the Dropbox application on a completely different network, such as at home or another physical location, to see if that changes the behavior at all?

Hi @Hannah happening no matter the connection, which is odd.
Still removing itself from my machine this morning again!

I see, I have asked but they tell me there is no ticket ID with it being account managed and not through their typical support network, unfortunately.

Hi @joecohs, a few more clarifications please.

How many files do you sync locally on any of the affected devices? You can click the Dropbox folder then click "File" from the Finder menu, and then "Get Info."

What's the syncing status of the app right now?

Also when the icon goes missing, does the Dropbox app quit, or does the icon simply go away while the Activity monitor shows that the app is still active?

Hi @Megan it varies how many files have been synced. It happens if I am syncing only my personal items but also when I have over 100,000k syncing.

the dropbox Icon disappears from the menu bar but remains in the applications. However, it doesnt allow you to open it when click the app icon.

It keeps running in the background though, I can see it in Activity Monitor.

Sync status is normal, all files synced, then updates whenever there are file updates.

I'd love to see a screenshot of your Dropbox folder's properties when you click "Get info" please @joecohs.

Can you send one over?

Hi @Megan here is a screenshot of the finder Get Info for the main folder I work out of:

Hannah

Hey @joecohs, thanks for the screenshot.

Can we send you an email, so we can investigate this further?

Hi @Hannah sure thing. Feel free to!

Hannah

Thanks, Joe!

I just sent you an email, so we'll continue there.

I'm having the same issue here. Seems like every time I reboot my computer for an update, it removes itself. I believe I saw something once that mentioned a legacy extension or something along those lines. For me, it's completely gone from the Applications folder but my Dropbox data folders are still on the computer. I'm unable to open any of the files though that weren't already downloaded. We have a business account and I have a person account on my computer, if that matters. @joecohs Did you ever resolve your issue with this?

Hey @bkimball90 The issue 'rectified itself'. Which only happened after an over the air update came with Dropbox.

To temp fix it, reinstall the application from the Dropbox download page. Make sure you can get updates automatically and then allow it update.

Like I say, once they pushed an update after their specialist team took a look at the case, it got fixed! However, they didn't say what was done nor did they add any patch notes for the update.

I removed and reinstalled a fresh copy. After that, I rebooted which also seemed to be when it would remove itself and so far, it's still installed. I was on version 219.xxx but the new one is 221.xxx. I guess time will tell if it's really resolved. Thanks for your assistance!

I spoke too soon. It was removed again today without a restart of my Mac. This time though, in the Applications folder, I still saw Dropbox but it was a 3kb file that I'm almost positive was just a shortcut to my files. I reinstalled again and it's back up to the 528MB version. This is so annoying!

Walter

If you see it acting up again, you might want to reach out to our support team for further assistance with device and account specific information directly @bkimball90

Let us know of any updates anyhow!

Hi - did you ever resolve this? I'm having exactly the same issue!

Sorry to hear that, @marksow. Are you also experiencing the same behavior the OP mentioned where the Dropbox icon doesn’t show in the menu bar (even though the spot still seems to be taken by it)? What do you see, if you click on that spot?

As for the Dropbox folder, do you see the same options, when right-clicking on your files/folders? Are there any syncing icons next to your files?

I understand you said you're having the exact same issue, but in some cases, the experience may slightly differ from user to user, so I'd like to make sure that's not the case here.

Feel free to send me a couple of screenshots as well of what you see; it’d really be helpful to have a visual.

I have the exact same issue as @joecohs above - the app keeps removing itself after I restart my macbook. The usual sign is that the dropbox icon disappears from the menu bar (no space for it there at all). I also have an issue sometimes that my Dropbox folders (work and personal) disappear from the Online Locations section of the Finder sidebar.

I'm still fighting issue but losing and extremely frustrated. I thought I had resolved it over the weekend after months of the issue but it's back. I had removed the Dropbox app and searched and deleted every dropbox file on my hard drive, even my work and personal data folders. This morning, after reinstalling yesterday, the Dropbox app in the Applications folder says it's Zero bytes so it's there but not really. I've reinstalled twice in as many days and it just continues removing itself. Support blamed the fact that I was running a public beta but since macOS 15.5 released, I stopped installing betas. I do see it running in Activity Monitor but I'm guessing if I reboot, it will be gone. I'm running (or trying to) version 224.4.4811. My ticket when I tried getting help in April was 24954650.

I see, thanks for the updates @marksow! Have you tried any troubleshooting steps so far on your end, like uninstalling the Dropbox app, for example, restarting your computer, and reinstalling Dropbox after that?

Other than that, I’d like to know how many files are currently saved within your local Dropbox folder to make sure they’re not more than 300k, as this can affect the app’s performance sometimes. To double check this, you can right-click on your Dropbox folder directly, go to “Get info” and check the next window that will appear.

Sorry to hear that the issue still persists, @bkimball90. I can see that your previous ticket was automatically closed by the system, so can I go ahead and log a new one for you instead?

Since we don’t have account visibility on the forum, our support team will need to look into this further.

Yes - I have done a full uninstall, restart and reinstall of the app.

Get info is showing:

Personal Dropbox - 1.2GB - 9,602 items

Work Dropbox - 25.87GB - 260,785 items

Yes, that would be great. I did another install shortly after my post and everything is working again... for now. I just keep the dmg file in my downloads and reinstall when it starts acting up, which is way too often. I believe we have at least one other Mac user in our company that has had the same issue but not sure if it's as frequent as mine. He's a remote user so I don't often hear from him.

Cool, thanks @marksow.

As for the issue with opening files mentioned in the OP, are you getting any specific errors when opening them while the app is running?

If yes, what do you see exactly, and are you only having an issue with online-only files, or files that are locally synced as well (available offline)?