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Dropbox created new folders with files that can't be opened - unprompted

My Dropbox, completely unprompted, moved the location of my folders in Finder under only the Dropbox tab, and at the same time created a significant number of new folders with hundreds of files - none of which can be opened. I was able to find the files I had previously, but I'm concerned that these files and new folders may be either malware or my own files which I no longer have access to.

I'd love to understand how to return things back to normal and why this occurred in the first place.

I am also unable to open the Dropbox app itself - when I click it it opens up Finder. Solutions from existing forums which cover this issue did not work for me.

Thank you.

Device
MacBook Air 2024
Operating System/Browser (if using the web)
macOS26.3.1

Dropbox App Version (if using the app)
Can't find, because I can't open the app.

This is the error message when I try to open my folders from their previous location in Finder:

This is an example of the new folders Dropbox has created:

This is what the files inside these folders look like:

This is what comes up when I try to open the files in these new folders:

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Desktop

Error Messages

File Access

Mac

Comments

Hannah

Hey @jmbee, thanks for bringing this to our attention.

These look like some kind of temporary files, but let's see what we can find out.

Can you please clarify what you mean by the following?

moved the location of my folders in Finder under only the Dropbox tab

Do you mean that the location of your Dropbox folder changed? And where was it moved to?

Also, can you access these files from your account online or do they only appear in your local Dropbox folder?

Let me know and we'll go from there.

jmbee

Hi Hannah,

RE location of the folders moving - the previous location they were in was my 'Favorites' bar in Finder. I realised that my folders that I had pinned under 'Favorites' in Finder were moved back under the normal Dropbox section. I fixed this by adding them back to favourites, so this is no longer an issue (although I'm still not sure how it occurred) - hope that makes sense. I don't believe the location of Dropbox changed but maybe my computer stopped recognising the favorited folders.. probably a Mac issue.

RE accessing the folders online - they do exist in my online Dropbox as well and am also unable to open the mystery files there.

Thank you for your help!

Jenna

Jay

Hi @jmbee, are these unknown files all stored within a single folder in your Dropbox folder, or are they randomly located on your account?

jmbee

Hi Jay,

They are randomly located in my Dropbox folder on my Mac.

Jay

I think it would be best to contact the support team since they have more tools and steps available to troubleshoot this matter for you.
You can submit a ticket to the team via this link while logged into your Dropbox account.