Child Item

I have two Dropbox folders with identical names and paths but with different files in them

Application Affected
(Dropbox)
Device
(iMac M4)
Operating System/Browser (if using the web)
(macOS 15.7.3)
Dropbox App Version (if using the app)
(241.4.4796)

Question or Issue
I recently upgraded my iMac from an older intel to a new M4 chip. I thought I cloned all my settings, but now my dropbox no longer syncs my files among my other computers (M1 powerbook, old intel iMac) even though there are no sync problems identified by the dropbox app.

The more urgent problem (although both are major and I think related) is that I now have two file folders with identical names (which I can only see when I open or save a file from word or other application), and they seem to have the same pathways but they do not have the same files in them. One of the folders has older files, while the other has all my recent saved files. If I go to the finder, I can only see one of them in my Finder window (the one with the older files). I can access and open my recent files by selecting open in the app, but if I am in the Finder, I only see the older files.

One thing I think may be causing the problem is that when I set up my new computer I somehow opted to have all my files in the cloud, whereas on my older computer only selected files were on the web. Could having different options on how to store files be causing my problem? Any solutions to get me back to normal?

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Dell_Dropbox

Welcome to the community @nicholas521

It sounds like your new iMac may be seeing both a current Dropbox folder and an older, unlinked one (this can happen on macOS when Dropbox uses Apple’s File Provider, which places Dropbox under ~/Library/CloudStorage).

The next step is to confirm your new Mac is signed into the same Dropbox account as your other devices, then check the Dropbox folder location and sync status in Dropbox Preferences.

Can you confirm these things and circle back?

nicholas521

Thank you for your reply, that makes sense to me. First, my new Mac is definitely signed into the same Dropbox account as my other devises. The location of my Dropbox folder with the old files is Macintosh HD>Users>[my username] on my new iMac.

I do see a Dropbox folder in ~/Library/CloudStorage, and when I click on it, it has all the updated files! So how do I remedy this and get them all in one folder?

[edit]I also checked the Dropbox folder location on preferences and it is linked to the CloudStorage folder, not the one in my desktop.

Hannah

Hey @nicholas521, thanks for checking that!

I hope it's okay for me to jump in here.

Just to make sure everything works correctly for your Dropbox folder in ~/Library/CloudStorage, can you also make sure that syncing works for this folder and has all the sync icons and right-click options on the files?

Also, if you try to make changes to your files from the Dropbox folder with the old files, do the changes sync to your account online?

nicholas521

Hi Hannah-Thanks for jumping on! Yes, I can confirm that files that I worked on at home on my laptop this morning synced to my Dropbox folder in ~/Library/CloudStorage, but not to the one in Macintosh HD>Users>[my username] that I normally use. When I add or change files in the Dropbox folder with the old files, they do not appear in the one in ~/Library/CloudStorage.

nicholas521

I've been thinking about how to get everything back to where I was before, but I am concerned that if I move things, Dropbox might think I deleted everything and delete the files. Hoping to get some suggestions on how best to do this.

Hannah

Thanks for the update, Nicholas!

So, now that your syncing Dropbox folder is in ~/Library/CloudStorage, it means that you're using the File Provider version of the Dropbox app.

This is the expected behavior and location for the Dropbox folder.

That means that since your other Dropbox folder (with the old files) is no longer syncing to your account, you can just delete it.

If you want to really confirm the Dropbox folder location, you can also check the Dropbox app's preferences. The "sync" tab will show you the correct location.

Now, if you don't want this version of the app, you can opt out of it, by following the steps in this article.

Take a look at the documentation and move forward the way you prefer, but if you have any questions, let me know!