I had to re-sync Dropbox recently and when I sync the app on my iMac Dropbox creates locked alias folders for Desktop, Downloads and Documents. Do I have to wait for the files to sync and the localize the files from Desktop, Downloads and Documents? I want these folders to be on my local computer not aliases that link to Dropbox

Hey paulpeterson, thanks for posting on our Community today! It seems that when you re-synced the Dropbox application, you enabled the computer backup feature. If you don't want these desktop folders to be backed up to Dropbox, you can disable it by following the steps here. Just make sure that syncing is finished before you disable the feature. Let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks for your response @hannah I definitely do want these backed up to Dropbox but not sure like with other Dropbox folders that are backed up they are alias folders and not local folders?

Oh, it's great that you'd like the desktop folders to be backed up! And that's kind of how the backup feature works. Your actual desktop folders are in your Dropbox folder and the original folders serve as shortcuts to the folders in the Dropbox folder. If you ever want to disable the feature and move the folders back to their original locations, you can follow the steps in the article I gave you above.

Thanks 🙂 I am still confused by this - that u can't have the OG files and still update to Dropbox. If I logout of Dropbox or am not online where are the files to these folders - they should display on the computer not as alias folders

Thanks for the feedback about this, Paul, I will definitely pass it along. As for the files, they are still on your computer, they're just in Dropbox. So, even if you're offline, you can still access them from there.

Alias Folders | The Dropbox Community

19 Replies

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Walter
Dropbox Community Moderator
2 years ago
Hey jusegur - thanks for the additional information and the screenshot too.

It sounds like you enabled the Dropbox Backup feature at some point. Have you tried disabling it via the app's preferences by any chance?
jusegur
New member | Level 2
2 years ago
jusegur
New member | Level 2
2 years ago
somehow my three main folders (desktop, documents and downloads) that used to live locally on my user macbook laptop were turned into aliases/locked folders folders by dropbox. Those folders now seem to live in Dropbox making my local folders aliases or shortcuts to the original folders that now have been hijacked by dropbox to live in the dropbox account. I do not want that. It's the same exact thing Paul mentioned in his first post. Now i'm trying to figure out how to undo this mess because I don't even use Dropbox or have paid for it ever. Not sure how this happened.
Rich
Super User II
2 years ago
jusegur wrote:

I am having the same exact problem and I cannot seem to figure out how to solve it yet

What, exactly,, is the problem you're having? This topic refers to an older version of the Backup feature. The current Backup works differently.
jusegur
New member | Level 2
2 years ago
paulpeterson hey paul! did you ever get this figured out? I am having the same exact problem and I cannot seem to figure out how to solve it yet
paulpeterson
Explorer | Level 3
5 years ago
Thank you!
Jay
Dropbox Community Moderator
5 years ago
Thanks for the info, paulpeterson. I'd recommend getting in contact with the support team directly for further assistance on why the other computer backup folder isn't visible.

Once you get a ticket ID from the automated response, please let me know the number here so I can locate it in our system!
paulpeterson
Explorer | Level 3
5 years ago
I now see this after seeing hidden folders but its missing the folder Mac (I have 2 x macs on Dropbox)
Hannah
Dropbox Community Moderator
5 years ago
Hmm, can you please hover your mouse over the Dropbox icon in your menu bar, to check the sync status of the application?

Also, if you try enabling hidden files on your computer, do you perhaps see the folders then?
paulpeterson
Explorer | Level 3
5 years ago
I don't see a Mac folder at all. Only what I shared with the screenshot