Child Item

Desktop application fails to launch only when connected to the internet

Application Affected
Dropbox for Windows
Device
Lenovo Yoga
Operating System/Browser (if using the web)
Windows 11

The Dropbox application will only open if I am not connected to the internet. When I get online, it closes itself and cannot be relaunched. I have tried pausing syncing from the offline app to see if that does anything but it seems to have no effect. I can see in task manager that the process starts but it closes itself after a few seconds. Have tried running as admin, doing the advanced reinstall process, using the Microsoft store app instead of the direct download, same behavior every time. Using an external adapter to connect to the internet also causes it, so not hardware dependent. My assumption is that it has to be something between Dropbox and the internet config but I don't know where any logs that explain this would be.

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timjones514

Have figured this one out. The VPN application Astrill was causing it, so if you hear this issue described again it's likely a VPN causing it. Similar to, but not the same problem as, this one:

https://www.dropboxforum.com/discussions/101001016/dropbox-and-vpn-connection-in-china-/845459

All comments

Hannah

Thanks for bringing this to our attention, @timjones514.

When you say that the app opens when not connected to the internet, can you please clarify? Are you referring to the Dropbox folder or the small Dropbox icon in your system tray that opens the app's preferences?

Does that icon appear when you re-connect to the internet? And if so, what do you see when you hover over it with your mouse?

Thanks in advance for your reply.

timjones514

The system tray icon will only appear if I launch the program while I do not have an internet connection. As soon as the computer connects to the internet, Dropbox's processes close without producing an error message. The folder is never visible because I cannot get the setup process to start, since it closes on launch.

Hannah

Thanks for the update, Tim.

How about when connecting to a completely different network, would that be something you can possibly try?

timjones514

Using a wired connection into the computer which is in a completely different IP block on my institution's network produces the same result.

timjones514

Have figured this one out. The VPN application Astrill was causing it, so if you hear this issue described again it's likely a VPN causing it. Similar to, but not the same problem as, this one:

https://www.dropboxforum.com/discussions/101001016/dropbox-and-vpn-connection-in-china-/845459

Hannah

Thanks for keeping us updated, Tim!

I'm happy to see that you managed to figure this out.

If the issue reappears when you're not using this VPN, please let us know.

Have a great day!

JohnEvans1

Thanks for letting us know how you resolved it.

Theresa

Hi there @timjones514 , and welcome to the Dropbox Community! 😊

I’m Theresa 👩‍💻, one of the community managers here at Dropbox HQ. It’s great to have you here, and I am glad to see your issue has been resolved.

Thanks so much for coming back to update the thread... it really helps others who might run into the same behavior with the desktop app.

I’d love to know - how do you usually use Dropbox? Whether it’s for work, backups, syncing across devices, or something else entirely, I always enjoy hearing how people make Dropbox part of their day-to-day.

Looking forward to hearing more,

T 😺 (Dropbox Community Manager