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Context Menu Not Appearing

don2d23

The Dropbox Right-click/Context Menu option does not appear any more in Windows Explorer 8.1

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Lusil

Hi @don2d23 thanks for the detailed response on this.

Initially, keep in mind that double-clicking on the Dropbox icon would indeed open the Dropbox folder. Clicking on it once should have the notifications/pop-up menu appear. Are you not seeing this when you click once on the Dropbox icon?

Also, out of curiosity, have you given the advanced reinstall a shot as well? Maybe that will do the trick.

Let me know of any update on the matter! :slight_smile:

Lusil

Hey @don2d23, thanks for getting back to me on this and for providing the screenshots - much appreciated!

In order to continue troubleshooting for this, due to account-sensitive info that’s required so as to further investigate, I’d recommend moving this discussion to email. For this reason, I’ve gone ahead and sent you an email to the email address associated with your Forum profile. Could you please check your inbox for my latest message?

Cheers!

All comments

Lusil

Hi there @don2d23!

Initially, could you check if the Dropbox desktop app is running and you’re on the latest stable version (53.4.66)? You can do so by hovering over your Dropbox icon that’s next to your clock.

A screenshot of your context menu (omitting any personal info) as well as more info on what you’re trying to achieve would be very helpful as well. Thanks in advance!

don2d23

hello Lusil, thanks for replying so quickly.

I actually have version 53.4.67 when I hover over the tray icon.

Here is the screen shot you requested, (I hope this helps you understand what I'm looking for):

Screenshot 2018-07-15 17.11.jpg

Mark

Dropbox on that doesnt seem to be running (there are no context menus on some files).

Or, its not installed correctly. Have you tried a reinstall using the offline installer from www.dropbox.com/downloading?

don2d23

yes I did ... the latest [and greatest?] version is installed ... rebooted several times. I'm running Windows 8.1 (perhaps this is the problem. Should I go back to an earlier version that is compatible with 8.1, and if so how do I do that?) ... otherwise, the DropBox desktop application is working fine (to a degree): I click the desktop icon (actually I have to double click it "twice" for it to run ... it never starts on the first set of double clicks), then the window shows me all my folders and files, and everything matches my online account ... just no context menu on ANY files (you mentioned "some files"; it's every file: the DropBox integration with Windows Explorer is just not happening.

Lusil

Hi @don2d23 thanks for the detailed response on this.

Also, out of curiosity, have you given the advanced reinstall a shot as well? Maybe that will do the trick.

Let me know of any update on the matter! :slight_smile:

don2d23

I knew the "clicking" reference and description would confuse. Yes I always double-click icons. Problem is with the DropBox icon (and with no other icon on my desktop) I have to double-click TWICE! The first set of double-clicks seems to do nothing at all, no matter how long I give it a chance to start the program. But double-clicking a second time always does the trick.

Again, this happens ONLY with the DropBox desktop icon. All other programs open perfectly everytime with a single DOUBLE-click.

This has been going on for many years, through several DropBox app updates. I have no real problem with it. I've come to expect it now and automatically double-click twice. No biggie.

However, as for the context menu problem: I will try the advance install you suggest. I did not know about this feature.

Please expect me back here either way. ;-)

Lusil

Thanks for the prompt reply, @don2d23.

That’s no problem, give us a shout when you’ve got any news on this.

In the mean time, have a wonderful day ahead!

don2d23

Well I finally got around to the advanced reinstall ... quite a process. But, alas, no context menu. However, one thing it did resolve was the double-clicking "twice" problem. Now I can just double-click only once (like a normal program icon) and my DropBox folder opens up! Not the fix I was looking for, but at least that tedious annoyance seems to be out of the way.

;-)

Thank you, Lusil, for pointing me in that direction. But are there any other suggestions to get back the right click DropBox integration with Windows Explorer?

Lusil

Hey there @don2d23, I’m glad to hear one of the two issues is resolved!

As for your other concern, since you reinstalled the Dropbox desktop app, have you given it time to re-index? What does the status of your Dropbox desktop app read?

Thanks in advance! :slight_smile:

bagi

I am having the exact same problem, no context menu that would allow me to share link. This is on Windows 10 Dropbox v53.3.4.67 (and several before that). Any suggestions would be welcome.

Lusil

Hey @bagi.

Initially, ensure that you’ve got the latest stable version installed (53.4.67) - a beta version can be recognized by a xx.3.xx, instead of the xx.4.xx. If you’re on a beta build, it means that you have opted in to early releases in your online account settings.

Have you also checked what the status of your Dropbox desktop app is? Have you also tried the advanced reinstall as well? When the reinstallation process is complete, please allow some time for the app to reindex your files and for its status to read up to date.

Let me know of any update and I’ll make sure to get back to you as soon as possible. Thanks! :slight_smile:

don2d23

I don't know how to use the tray icon to it's full potential, but there is a check mark in the bottom left and the words "Up to date" ... is this what you are referring to?

If so, I just checked again and there is still no right-click context menu item for DropBox.

Just hovering my mouse over it also says "Up to date".

The tray icon is solid with no other "sub-icons" attached to it (as per https://www.dropbox.com/help/desktop-web/sync-icons#desktop)

I wish there was an option in the DropBox settings (gear icon) that could re-establish or re-install the context menu in Windows Explorer.

(or even toggle on and off so as to force the integration)

This would be a great feature for anyone else having this problem.

Hey! but just now that you had me mousing around in the system tray icon, I discovered a work around for my problem that will help to some degree...

Clicking the tray icon gives me the DropBox window that has a tab at the top called "Recent Files", and hovering over any one of those files shows the options to "Copy Link" !

This will be fine for newly added and recently added files, but I still won't be able to link to much older files. Not a problem in the short term, so this is a great relief when it's crucial to immediately share a newly uploaded file.

Still not the fix I was looking for, but thanks for "twisting my arm" to use that system tray icon which I've neglected for so long.

If you find anything that can get the context menu back, please email me. Thanks!

Lusil

Hi @don2d23. First off, yes!

@don2d23 wrote:
I don't know how to use the tray icon to it's full potential, but there is a check mark in the bottom left and the words "Up to date" ... is this what you are referring to?

That is exactly what I was referring to - seems good in that respect. I’m also glad to hear that you found a (temporary) solution to your initial concern, but let’s see what we can do for the long term.

While further investigating this and since you mention that you’re running a Windows OS in your initial post, I found that there may be a limit of 15 overlay icons that Windows Explorer can load. If there are more than 15, then the context menus may not show.

Information on how to check the number of icons and steps on how to resolve this can be found at the bottom of this Help Center article, where you can choose the relevant OS.

If the issue persist, let me know and I can indeed contact you via email to the email address associated to your Forum profile. Thanks!

don2d23

I'm not seeing that the Help Center article you linked to has relevant information, but I'll read through it all again. If, in fact, Windows Explorer only allows a finite number of context menu items, is there a method (or a tutorial) to get rid of some of the other less important items in that list? If I can do that, maybe the DropBox icon will rear it's boxy blue head again.

;-)

Lusil

What I was referring to can be found at the very bottom of the article, @don2d23. However, for your convenience, I’ve included the steps below (referring to Windows, in this case).

To find out how many overlays you have registered, you can check the registry:

Press the Windows key + R and enter regedit.
Navigate to the following registry key with this path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\ShellIconOverlayIdentifiers
Scroll right for complete command line.
If the Dropbox overlays are in the first 15 positions, they will display; otherwise you'll need to make room for them. Please note that this requires you to delete or deprioritize other applications' overlays, so only proceed if you’re sure about what you'll affect.
If you decide to proceed, you can select individual keys and delete them by right-clicking on the desired key. If you don’t want to delete them, you can rename them and place a Z at the beginning to send them to the end of the alphabetically sorted list.
Quit explorer.exe and launch again from the Task Manager, or restart your computer.
Launch Dropbox, and the sync icons should re-appear.

I hope this helps. Give me a shout when you’ve got an update on this! :nerd:

don2d23

I really do appreciate you taking the time to help with this, Lusil.

In this case, I follow the steps until I get to the points that confuse me ... first of all I don't get #3 (scroll to the right for complete command line). I'm not an expert at Regedit, but I don't see any scroller.

I double checked to assure I'm in the correct registry key path. I've edited the Registry before, but this one is blazing new territory for me.

I've included a screen shot of the Regedit window. Maybe I'm missing a step or not doing something correctly.

Can you take a look at this and let me know if this is what I'm supposed to see?

If this is the complete list of what's supposed to be in my context menu when I right click a file, then either I'm in the wrong part of Regedit or I'm missing quite a few of the items that should be there.

Otherwise, it looks to me that Dropbox is there multiple times and certainly within the first 15 positions, but then again I don't know if I'm even looking at the right thing here.

don2d23

Another quick thought: Could Dropbox have a known conflict with another program that might be corrupting the context menu? For instance, I subscribe to the Adobe suite of software and they are constantly revising and changing their programs and this requires intermittant re-installs and updates. I'm not pointing the finger here, because I think Adobe software is top notch. But it could be any number of programs that might have a problem with Dropbox or vice versa. Is this a possibility?

Here's another screen shot of my "right click" list in case it helps:

Screenshot 2018-07-19 19.54.59.png

Again: some of these items I did not see in that Regedit session, so it makes me feel I wasn't editing the registry quite right.

Lusil

Hey @don2d23, thanks for getting back to me on this and for providing the screenshots - much appreciated!

Cheers!

ndcast

Hello, why don't you give the solution in here so everyone who has this problem can fix it? Best regards,

don2d23

Hello ndcast ... There was no actual "fix" in my case: During the private email session that the DropBox rep initiated, I experienced the misforunate failure of my hard drive. I had to purchase a new PC at that time. What actually fixed the problem was a pristine installation of the DropBox app on my new computer. I have not had any Dropbox problems since.

Perhaps it could've been the corrupt hard drive that was the cause of the DropBox app problem. (?)

I'm just an end-user and not a DropBox expert, but I do believe I had too many items in my Context Menu from many other apps. What might help is uninstalling all of those apps that apply a menu item there, then reinstalling them with DropBox as your final install.

One crucial detail that might be important: my old computer was running Windows 8.1 and the new PC is Windows 10. Again: no problems so far. Could that be an issue? Who knows. Good luck.

rbirmann

+1 having the same issue here

Lusil

Hi there @rbirmann, have you by any chance checked out the troubleshooting steps that we went through with @don2d23, as well as what they mention in their previous reply?

Spoiler

For example, a few initial steps to have a look at are the following:

Is your desktop app running? You can ensure this by checking to see if the Dropbox icon is located next to your computer’s clock.
If you are on Windows, please bear in mind that Windows has a limit of 15 overlay icons that Windows Explorer can load (the OS reserves 4 for its own use). If there are more than 15, then Dropbox's icons or context menus may not show. You can find more info about this here.
If you are on a Mac, please check if a third-party app is causing this issue by quitting the desktop app and relaunching your Finder.

If you have had a look through all the mentioned steps in this thread and you’re still having some trouble with this, please don’t hesitate to get back to me with any additional info.

Thanks in advance!

rbirmann

I reinstalled Dropbox and things went back to normal. Thanks

Lusil

Thanks for keeping me in the loop, @rbirmann, and glad to hear that you were able to resolve your concern in the end.

If you have any other questions in the future, just give us a nudge and have a great day ahead!