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Files disappear from folders in Dropbox after I double click on them on Mac OS Tahoe 26.4.1

diogo_provete

A very unusal behavious is happening with files in subfolders in my Dropbox. I'm using macOS Tahoe 26.4.1 on a MacBook Pro M1.

For every file in any of the subfolders of my Dropbox folder, when I double click on a file to open it - any file - it simply disapears. Be it a shared folder or not.

The file continues to exist in the web and in another computer with which I shared a folder.

What the heck is going on?

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Sync

Mac

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Walter

Hey @diogo_provete - thanks for bringing this to our attention.

If this persists after rebooting your computer and/or quitting and relaunching the Dropbox desktop app, can you please clarify the app's exact status and version as shown in your menu bar?

Also, does this happen with files that are available offline on your computer or online-only?

Let me know more and we'll take it from there.

diogo_provete

Hey Walter,

thanks for the quick reply. I did exaclty that before posting that message: updated the desktop app and rebooted the computer. I just tried it again and it keep happening with any file I double click, meaning I can't access or work on any local file in my computer… that's pretty frustrating. I lost two days of work because a word document didn't sync properly

The Desktop app version is 252.4.3485 . If that's relevant, I only have 19,29 GB of free space on my 500 GB SSD.

I don't have files that are offline or online only.

Thanks again

Walter

What are the syncing icons shown on your files in the Dropbox folder then @diogo_provete?

Also, how do your syncing settings look in the app's preferences under the sync tab?

If you right click on your files instead of double clicking, what options do you get?

diogo_provete

Captura de Tela 2026-05-21 às 16.30.14.png

Captura de Tela 2026-05-21 às 16.31.49.png

This is what appears when I right click and the sync icons. The Dropbox icon is no longer appearing on my tool bar

Walter

I see, thanks for the screenshots @diogo_provete. Can you try quitting any 3rd party apps that might be monitoring or syncing your files, rebooting your computer and let me know how it goes?

diogo_provete

Hey Walter,

IDK what that means, I'm sorry, but I'm really tired of trying to fix this… I have already rebooted 3x my computer so far, but the problem still persists. I'll have to re-do all the work on a word doc that didn't sync properly

This is my sync preferences. There's no 3rd party apps monitoring or syncing my files. Apparently it only happens with files that are online only (with the little could icon), local files in my dropbox folder open normally. I have recorded my screen to show what happens when I try to double click on a file, but I can't attach it here.

I have freed up space on my SSD now.

Captura de Tela 2026-05-21 às 17.44.26.png

diogo_provete

Captura de Tela 2026-05-21 às 17.51.48.png

The icon on the tool bar now keeps syncing forever 😰

Hannah

Hi there, @diogo_provete, I hope it's okay for me to jump in here as well.

Now that the Dropbox icon is showing up in your menu bar, can you please hover over it with your cursor and let us know the exact sync status it's showing?

Also, about the screen recording you mentioned, can you upload it to your Dropbox account and send us a shared link so we can have a look?

diogo_provete

Captura de Tela 2026-05-21 às 20.17.48.png

It just says 'indexing'.

I added the screen recording to the local Dropbox folder, but it didn't sync… maybe I have to delete the folder from my computer and reinstall the app?

https://1drv.ms/v/c/96761bee03ff01c9/IQBfQY0yyCDpQ7XDtGXFM3aBAYdesMNT-4ZuLOHfU7BSPbI?e=pyFpvX

Walter

Before you get to that, could you log out from your account via the app's preferences and then back in @diogo_provete?