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I seem to have two Dropbox folders after updating to File Provider

Yesterday the desktop app was saying that my files were up to date, but they weren't. My Dropbox folder had sync icons, but if I right-clicked on one I got a message that "Your device couldn't connect to the server. There may be a problem with the server or network."

Conversation with bot about this: #26110456

Today the app is syncing, but my Dropbox folder has no sync icons.

I have tried reinstalling the app and restarting the Mac.

I recently tried updating to File Provider, but it screwed things up and I went back to legacy.

My other Mac, on the same network, has no problem. That one is using File Provider.

This one is a 2020 iMac, Sequoia 15.7.4, Dropbox v.242.4.5815

Sorry about the formatting, I don't know how to correct it.

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wensleydale

I now see that I have two Dropbox folders.

One is at ~/Dropbox. This is syncing but has no sync icons.

The other is at ~/Library/CloudStorage/Dropbox. This one has sync icons but does not sync, and gives me the error message above. Finder says it is an unlinked Dropbox.

Hannah

Hi there, @wensleydale, thanks for reaching out to us.

This seems like it got a bit complicated, but let's see if we can try to figure out what happened.

Can you open the "sync" tab in your Dropbox preferences and check what the app thinks the actual location of your Dropbox folder is?

Also, what do you see when you hover over the Dropbox icon in your menu bar?

Let me know what you find and we'll go from there.

wensleydale

Hi Hannah, thanks for your reply.

The app says the folder location is /Users/myname/Dropbox. This is the one that is syncing but has no sync icons.

Hovering over the Dropbox icon shows
"Dropbox 242.4.5815
Up to date"

In case of misunderstanding: on this Mac, Dropbox is not now on File Provider. I did try to update a week ago, but that caused syncing to get stuck, and on the advice of your bot (conversation ID #26089188) I went back to the old ways. The app then worked OK for a few days.

wensleydale

It seems to me that the Dropbox folder at ~/Library/CloudStorage should have been deleted when I opted out of File Provider, but wasn't. Maybe the real Dropbox folder would work properly if I could delete the zombie folder, but Finder won't let me do that. Do I need to go into Terminal to kill it?

Hannah

Thanks for the update, @wensleydale!

Since the app says that your Dropbox folder's location is in /Users/myname/Dropbox, I would suggest removing the other one that's not syncing and then restarting your computer.

Let me know if that brings the sync icons back to your Dropbox folder.

wensleydale

I have deleted the folder that was not syncing, emptied the trash, reinstalled the app and restarted. The remaining Dropbox folder is still syncing but still has no sync icons.

Hannah

Hmm, I see.

In that case, please try these steps for an advanced reinstall of the Dropbox app and keep me posted with the results.

wensleydale

I followed the instructions but on trying to reinstall I can't even sign in. I keep getting the error message "Something went wrong".

Jay

HI @wensleydale, do you have any proxy, VPN, firewall, security software, or even ISP/router settings that could be restricting traffic to the following Dropbox domains?

wensleydale

Jay, no I don't. Dropbox works fine on the other Macs on this network. The settings on this one have not changed since last weekend, when Dropbox was working here too.

Jay

Thanks for the info. At this point it might be better for the support team to look into this in more detail.

You can contact them directly via this link, and they'll be able to investigate further.

wensleydale

Thanks Jay, but that's where I started before coming here. I'm now busy moving all my files into iCloud (on another Mac, where Dropbox does work) prior to cancelling my Dropbox subscription.

Thanks to you and Eleanor for trying to help.

Hannah

Thanks, @wensleydale.

We appreciate your feedback here and should you ever wish to continue looking into this, we'd be happy to help.

Have a great day!

wensleydale

Hannah, apologies for confusing you with someone who has been helping me on another issue!

I decided to have one last try at an advanced reinstall. The app had been updated in the meantime, to v. 243.4.6956, and now it works. It syncs and I have sync icons.

Thanks again.

Hannah

No worries, @wensleydale, that's great to hear!

I'm glad you managed to resolve this and got your sync icons back and your Dropbox folder syncing.

If you need anything else, don't hesitate to let us know.

Have a great weekend!