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Backblaze won't backup Dropbox folder while files on disk are flagged as online-only

I noticed that Backblaze is not backing up my dropbox folder and after reaching out to backblaze support they've determined that files in my dropbox folder are assigned reparse points.

On dropbox preferences\sync I've enabled "Available offline". All of the files in my dropbox folder are on my hard drive (because I've copy/pasted the entire contents to an external drive). "Save hard drive space automatically" is turned off.

However, the files in the dropbox folder are still assigned reparse points which causes backblaze to not be able to see them.

Is there a way to remove these reparse points?

Would uninstalling and reinstalling dropbox have the desired effect?

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vladgasan

Thanks for following up, and great question, this definitely gets into some confusing Windows behavior, so let’s break it down:

Why your Dropbox folder shows as a reparse point

It's normal for the Dropbox folder to show as a reparse point only when Dropbox is installed and using the Microsoft Cloud Files sync engine.

Here’s what’s happening:

When Dropbox is installed, it tells Windows to manage your Dropbox folder using the Cloud Files sync engine, which is how Windows enables features like showing files in File Explorer before they’re fully downloaded.
As soon as this happens, Windows adds a reparse points to the files inside your Dropbox folder.
If you uninstall Dropbox, that integration is removed, so Windows removes the reparse point too, and fsutil command shows nothing.
Even if you mark all files as "Available Offline," Windows still keeps the reparse point on the folder, because it’s needed to manage file sync state behind the scenes.

Why some people say Backblaze works

Some users may still be able to back up their Dropbox folder if they’re using on an older Dropbox version with the legacy sync engine.
But once Dropbox is using Cloud Files API (which became mandatory for full compatibility with modern Windows versions), there’s no supported way to remove the reparse point without breaking sync.

Can you make Dropbox not use reparse points?

Unfortunately, no. There’s no supported way to prevent Dropbox from using reparse points on Windows. This behavior comes from Microsoft’s Cloud Files platform, and Dropbox uses it to deliver key functionality like online-only files, fast sync status, and better integration with Windows features.

What can you do to back up Dropbox files to Backblaze?

Downgrade to a legacy version of Dropbox (Not recommended long term). Older versions of Dropbox didn’t Windows Cloud Files or reparse points. In theory, if you install one of those, your Dropbox folder should sync normally. It can potentially break on newer Windows versions or during OS/security updates. Cloud Files became a default sync engine for Dropbox, so eventually all users will be updated to use it and the solution will stop working.
The best solution is to have Backblaze update their software to fully support backing up files from sync solutions like Dropbox that use Cloud Files.

Let us know if you have any other questions!

All comments

Walter

Hey @HF6 - sorry to hear you're having issues with this.

Can you please clarify your computer's OS version and the version and exact status of the Dropbox desktop app as shown in your menu bar/system tray?

Also, can you send us a screenshot of how your files in the Dropbox folder show on your computer to check their syncing icons?

Any additional information or screenshots are more than welcome!

vladgasan

Hey @HF6,

Thanks for raising this issue. What you're seeing is related to how Windows Filesystem works, it's not specific to Dropbox.

Let me explain in detail:

When Dropbox is installed on Windows, it uses a file sync engine called Cloud Files. This lets files show up in File Explorer even if they aren’t fully downloaded yet. But here’s the key part: even when a file is fully downloaded and available offline, Windows still marks it in a special way behind the scenes by using reparse point .
Unfortunately, some backup tools like Backblaze may see these markings and assume the file isn’t really there yet, so they skip it. So even if you’ve made files “available offline” in Dropbox, Backblaze might still ignore them just because of how Windows tags them.

What this means for you:

This behavior affects all cloud storage apps using Cloud Files on Windows, not just Dropbox.
This isn’t something Dropbox can control or bypass, it’s part of the Windows Filesystem behavior.
The best next step is to contact Backblaze support and ask if they can support backing up fully downloaded files from Cloud Files folders, even if those files are tagged this way by Windows.

We know this is confusing, and we’re happy to help if you want to check whether your files are fully downloaded or need help with anything else.

Regards,
Vlad

HF6

Hi, thank you very much for the detailed reply.

I'm using windows 10 and dropbox 227.4.4774

I deleted everything in my dropbox folder and did a fresh install of dropbox. I assumed that if I did a fresh install and then set files to be always available offline. I assumed that this meant the dropbox folder won't be assigned a reparse point. Unfortunately this is not the case.

btw if I uninstall dropbox and run the command fsutil reparsepoint query "C:\users\user1\dropbox" I get the message that the file is or folder is not a reparse point.

But if dropbox is installed, the same folder is a reparse point. Is that normal?

I posted this question on backblaze forums and many users report that backblaze does backup their dropbox folder on windows. Is there any way to make windows or dropbox not use reparse points?

Thanks

vladgasan

Thanks for following up, and great question, this definitely gets into some confusing Windows behavior, so let’s break it down:

Why your Dropbox folder shows as a reparse point

It's normal for the Dropbox folder to show as a reparse point only when Dropbox is installed and using the Microsoft Cloud Files sync engine.

Here’s what’s happening:

When Dropbox is installed, it tells Windows to manage your Dropbox folder using the Cloud Files sync engine, which is how Windows enables features like showing files in File Explorer before they’re fully downloaded.
As soon as this happens, Windows adds a reparse points to the files inside your Dropbox folder.
If you uninstall Dropbox, that integration is removed, so Windows removes the reparse point too, and fsutil command shows nothing.
Even if you mark all files as "Available Offline," Windows still keeps the reparse point on the folder, because it’s needed to manage file sync state behind the scenes.

Why some people say Backblaze works

Some users may still be able to back up their Dropbox folder if they’re using on an older Dropbox version with the legacy sync engine.
But once Dropbox is using Cloud Files API (which became mandatory for full compatibility with modern Windows versions), there’s no supported way to remove the reparse point without breaking sync.

Can you make Dropbox not use reparse points?

What can you do to back up Dropbox files to Backblaze?

Downgrade to a legacy version of Dropbox (Not recommended long term). Older versions of Dropbox didn’t Windows Cloud Files or reparse points. In theory, if you install one of those, your Dropbox folder should sync normally. It can potentially break on newer Windows versions or during OS/security updates. Cloud Files became a default sync engine for Dropbox, so eventually all users will be updated to use it and the solution will stop working.
The best solution is to have Backblaze update their software to fully support backing up files from sync solutions like Dropbox that use Cloud Files.

Let us know if you have any other questions!

HF6

Thanks for that detailed explanation but it turns out that the issue is "Dropbox for Windows Updates". When I opted out of "Dropbox for Windows Updates" during installation, it seems to work fine!

The files in the dropbox folder are no longer being returned true when I check if it is a reparse point and I've confirmed that backblaze is backing them up. Sadly, I had already moved all my files to google drive by the time I found the fix. A similar issue was reported here and it's thanks to this user that I found this solution. - https://www.dropboxforum.com/discussions/101001016/all-files-in-my-dropbox-folder-have-the-reparse-attribute-with-system-extension-/837578

What does "Dropbox for Windows Updates" do? I only found the option to opt out of it during installation. Is that available in the settings somewhere? Is it possible to opt out of this after installation or is it only available during installation of dropbox?

Rich

HF6 wrote:
Is that available in the settings somewhere? Is it possible to opt out of this after installation or is it only available during installation of dropbox?

No. The option to opt out of the update is only available during installation.

Keep in mind also that eventually you will be forced back on to the Dropbox for Windows Update as Microsoft has made it mandatory for any sync application to have full compatibility with the newer operating systems. Dropbox is slowly rolling out the update and it will eventually be required for Dropbox to run.

HF6

Oh ok. I hope backblaze finds some solution for this then!

emf27182

I wish you guys wouldn't put blatantly false information out there.

Can you make Dropbox not use reparse points?

Do you understand this is completely false? Reparse points are created because of the Dropbox for Windows Updates, or the system extension. This can be turned off if you opt out. You can make Dropbox not use reparse points.

Rich

emf27182 wrote:
This can be turned off if you opt out.

For now. Dropbox is slowly rolling out the update to all users. Eventually you won't be able to opt out of the update and will be forced to use the Cloud Files API which relies on reparse points.

Mark

I use BackBlaze on a Mac and suspect there wont be a fix/workaround to it from conversations with support. Simply due to the fact there is lots of stuff they cannot backup.... ie the online only stuff - as it doesnt 'exist' locally without downloading it first.

emf27182

I know this isn't a solution for everyone-not everyone can just do this-but I do have a workaround. I added a second hard disk of the same size and have a robocopy that keeps the second hard disk in sync. Backblaze backs up the second hard disk.

I don't know if Backblaze will add support for reparse files. I hope they do, but until that happens, I'll have to use a second hard disk.

I've been reading up on reparse points and why Backblaze can't just read them. I've been a developer for many years, but never dealt with reparse points before. And yeah, it's just not as simple as "just read the file". I don't have the time to go into details but reparse points can get very complicated. I hope Backblaze finds some way to handle them.