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Do I have to rename files in my Dropbox folder with special characters in the filename?
I have seen in Dropbox help and instructions not to include in Dropbox filenames with certain characters, especially the "\" and "/" characters (forward and back slash) but also some others. Such as <, >, :, ", |, ? and so forth. I am using a Mac, and I have thousands of files in Dropbox. I searched through them and found…
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Issues with "make available offline" behavior on Mac OS 26.5
There are MANY similar questions in the community about this, but none answer the problem: I can't get files to download local on my machine. Environment :macOS 26.5, latest Dropbox downloaded and installed, Dropbox has Full Disk Access Steps to reproduce: In the Finder, select a file that is Online Only Right click → File…
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Syncing a file didn't resume from the point I left it, but started over from the beginning. Why?
I was syncing a large file to my dropbox folder on my computer for 8 hours. I paused the sync. When I resumed the sync, it started over from the beginning. Why didn't it resume from where it was paused? Thanks!
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The Dropbox desktop app syncs extremely slowly on my MacOS
Hi everyone, it's been around two months since I started struggling with Dropbox slowing my computer down extreeeemely while syncing on my MacOS. Ive been using Dropbox for a couple of years now, and I never had this problem. Based on available help on Dropbox and Reddit forums and official tips from Dropbox themselves, I…
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Both green check mark and cloud icon on folders which I marked "make available offline" on Mac OS
Hello, I've seen many posts on this forum about this bug, but Dropbox still hasn't fixed it or even acknowledged it. The Dropbox app on MacOS no longer keeps files downloaded apparently. I marked multiple folders to make available offline. This computer has been connected to the internet for months when it had time and…
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Dropbox Finder sync icons aren't working on Mac OS 26 Tahoe, both legacy & File Provider versions
Hi everyone, I'm running macOS 26 Tahoe (26.5.1) with Dropbox 256.4.3790 and I've lost all sync status badges in Finder. Posting here because I've spent time diagnosing this and want to share what I found. The problem: In legacy mode (garcon/FinderSync extension), the badges simply don't appear. After investigating, I…
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How to keep new files online-only in online-only folders?
Hello. I’m using Dropbox on macOS 14. Previously, I was on macOS 12 with the same Dropbox settings. In Preferences/Sync/Default Sync Preferences, I selected “Available offline”. For specific folders in my Dropbox folder, I chose "Make online-only". On macOS 12, whenever I dragged a file into one of those online-only…
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This is my experience with using Mac OS File Provider and Dropbox
I've been a Dropbox user for nearly 20 years. I'm writing this after days of troubleshooting, a brand new 24TB external drive I had to buy for $500, and a workflow that is still not fully restored. How it started It began with a routine reorganization — moving files across some large directories. Dropbox simply stopped…
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Why is Dropbox re-indexing my Dropbox folder (which is on an external drive) when I reboot my Mac?
Synchronization Problem We work as a team using Dropbox and store our data on an external drive. Everything had been working fine until now. Now my Mac is constantly indexing / syncing. It’s a new device, a new external hard drive, and I have a stable and fast internet connection. The external hard drive is formatted as…
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The "Make Online Only - Make Available Offline" options no longer show in Finder
I am no longer seeing either of: Make Online Only Make Available Offline options in finder. Here are 2 screenshots to possibly answer questions you may ask
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The desktop app is stuck syncing files for more than 10h on my Mac device.
Hello, Today, my dropbox app started randomly as I was re-installing it, so it started with a full re-indexation of my dropbox. My team has more than 3 millions files for 49 to of data, so it took a while. Now, after the indexation was finished, the dropbox started syncing some file, but since then, it has been stuck for…
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I need a notification to confirm that my files have synced
everyday I copy 6 files from work to home. everyday the time it takes varies I tried to use Applescript but, as soon as the file copy to the folder, the Mac thinks the files are there, but really, they are in copy mode. I need to know when the files are officially copied and the files all have the green icon.
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MacOS 15.7.7. Spotlight search not finding Dropbox files.
MacOS: 15.7.7 Dropbox: 260.4.2926 It seems this issue has been happening for a while, when searching files/folders through spotlight or Finder, no results are shown. Making the files/folders available offline do not make them show up. I've tried the following without success: Spotlight Privacy > Click the plus and select…
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Why is Dropbox indexing on every restart of my computer?
Using a M3 Ultra Mac Studio, Sequoia 15.5, with Dropbox v239.4.8301 running on an external drive. This issue has been an issue since last June, and I have been lucky to avoid any major issues until today. Whenever I restart/shut off and turn my computer back on, Dropbox always has to go through the process of re-indexing…
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Syncing folders as available offline to my hard drive is creating copies.
I have been having trouble recently opening dropbox files on my mac laptop, so I decided to make more folders available offline. I used the app's Sync and Storage option and selected a folder with many subfolders to download to my hard drive. It began creating copies of the subfolders. These appear to contain data, they…
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Why is Dropbox using 64GB of memory on my Mac computer?
Why? My dropbox files are less than 15GB My system is Tahoe 26.5.2 MacBook M5 pro
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How to manage multiple Dropbox accounts on the same computer?
I have a personal account and a team account. The team account is hosted on my Mac running macOS Tahoe. When I try to log in to my personal dropbox the team account opens. How can I open the personal account?
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We're getting a "Unable to remove download" error when selecting the online-only option.
Device (Macbook Pro M2) Operating System/Browser (if using the web) (macOS 26.3) Dropbox App Version/Browser Version (243.3.6933) Issue We are using Dropbox via File Provider on macOS 26. The message appears when a local file is made online-only. We see this with Pages, Numbers, and Microsoft Office files. Strangely, it…
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Selective sync randomly prevents folders from syncing since the File Provider migration.
Hello everyone, We're experiencing a recurring issue with Dropbox on macOS that affects several users at our company. For several months, some users have been randomly losing folders selected for Selective Sync. Without any apparent action on the user's part, many folders previously selected for sync become unselected and…
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Opting out of File Provider on Mac OS doesn't work
Files originally stored in the /user/document/dropbox automatically moved to new location ~Library/CloudStorage/Dropbox despite after checking the Opt Out option while reinstalling. Despite I have tried many times to remove the previous version settings (see link below), I will see new files being synced into my…
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Files are saving to the cloud but not appearing in recent items
I'm on a Mac and my files are saving locally and syncing to the cloud perfectly, but all of a sudden they are not appearing in my recent items. I have quit Dropbox and restarted it. I have also logged out of the account and logged back in. It reindexed but the problem remained. Any advice would be hugely appreciated. Thank…
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Easy way to backup online Dropbox files to External Drive while using Selective Syncing
Currently, there is no easy way to create an offline backup of Dropbox files when using selective syncing and multiple terabytes of files are stored online. A law is coming into effect in Europe that will require us to make regular offline backups. Since this needs to be done frequently, it would be nice if this became a…
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Preserve folder modification dates during Dropbox updates and metadata refreshes
Many professionals rely on Finder's Date Modified column to quickly identify active projects. Currently, Dropbox desktop updates or metadata refreshes can cause thousands of folders to receive the same "Date Modified" timestamp, even though the folder contents have not changed. This effectively wipes out one of the most…
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"To manage these settings, sign in on the same computer you used to start this backup."
This morning my Macbook Pro told gave me a quick message about Dropbox backups and some files not be available for backup. Since I haven't used Dropbox backup, I didn't worry about it. But when I clicked the message to make it go away, my desktop is gone! I found the "old backup" file and I'm trying to restore that, but in…
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Dropbox on external SSD re-indexes every startup and stuck on 'Updating .fseventsd'
Recently moved my Dropbox folder to an external SSD following Dropbox's procedures. Everything seemed fine to start with however I have noticed some issues cropped up that do not seem to be clearing themselves. Three linked problems: The menu bar has been stuck on Updating ".fseventsd" for weeks. It never clears on its…
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Double-clicking the Dropbox app only opens the Dropbox folder in finder and menu bar icon is gone
Any help would be appreciated - thank you! (I can't seem to find anything that can help...) Application Affected Dropbox Device Apple MacBook Pro M1 Max, 64Gb of RAM, 2Tb SDD Operating System/Browser (if using the web) MacOS Tahoe 26.2 Dropbox App Version (if using the app) 240.4.8493 (I got this from the "Get Info" in the…
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The desktop app freezes on macOS with a 'Reconnecting to the internet' error on Mac OS 26.5.2
For the past few days, the desktop Dropbox app (258.4.3749) on my MacBook Pro has been showing the 'Reconnecting to the internet. This may take a moment' constantly. Meaning nothing is syncing. I'm on a MacBook Pro with Tahoe 26.5.2. I have no VPNs running, Private Relay is switched off, and I've disabled the firewall but…
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Why is the desktop app not updating automatically on my Mac device?
Hi! Am I not right that DropBox Desktop (I have version 258.4.3749; on macOS 26.5.2) should detect updates and automatically download and install them in the background? This is not happening. My (third party - 99% reliable) Updater software keeps advising me that "there is a newer version". This morning, for instance, it…