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daninSTL's avatar
daninSTL
New member | Level 2
4 years ago
Solved

File search issues with beta for Mac

I just installed the beta version a few days ago. I use Alfred as a superior alternative to Spotlight to search files etc. since installing the beta Alfred can’t find files in my Dropbox folder. I ha...
desktop
File access
Mac
  • Emmet's avatar
    Emmet
    3 years ago

    Thank you for reaching out about this issue and sorry about the problems you experienced. The issue you’re experiencing where files returned in a Spotlight search don’t open when clicked is a known issue and should have been fixed by updating your Mac to macOS 13.3. For more information on using Dropbox on macOS, visit this article.

Nancy's avatar
Nancy
Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
4 years ago

Hi drmacnut, thanks for providing all this info!

 

Can you let me know what’s the current syncing status of your desktop app? 

 

Also, where’s your local Dropbox folder located at the moment?

dr_chicken's avatar
dr_chicken
Helpful | Level 5
4 years ago

I have the same issue. I have been on the macOS beta for months and just today Dropbox prompted me to move my files to ~/Library/CloudStorage/Dropbox. Since that move, I cannot open files from Spotlight searches. Files/folders still show up when I search but single/double clicking on them does nothing.

 

I can click "Search in Finder" at the bottom of the Spotlight window to open a finder search and then open any Dropbox files/folders from there. The Dropbox files/folders I'm trying to open are fully synced and available offline. I right clicked on them, selected the offline option, and there is a green checkmark (no cloud) next to them.

 

Can anyone help?

  • dr_chicken's avatar
    dr_chicken
    Helpful | Level 5
    4 years ago

    I just got off the beta and have the same issue, cannot open Dropbox files/folders from Spotlight.

    • Nancy's avatar
      Nancy
      Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
      4 years ago

      Hi dr_chicken,

       

      There are a few reasons why you may be experiencing issues when searching for files within Dropbox using Spotlight.

       

      Following the update where the Dropbox folder was moved to ~/Library/CloudStorage, Spotlight sometimes does not re-index the folder until after it is opened for the first time. 

       

      Could you try opening the Dropbox folder in Finder (it should be under Locations in the left sidebar), and then allow a little time for indexing to take place before retrying Spotlight search?

       

      Another reason is that the Spotlight index may need to be rebuilt (you can check the steps in this article on how to do this). The article mentions the ‘Documents’ folder but you need to use the Dropbox folder instead.

       

      If none of the above steps help, don’t hesitate to ping me!

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