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I can't delete a locked shared folder on my Mac device, which I've been removed by the owner
Hi, I have a shared folder in my mac dropbox that is locked by the person who shared it with me. Some time ago I asked him to remove me from the shared list which he did however I am unable to delete...
I was finally able to get the file removed but it took tech support from Dropbox. After analyzing the problem they sent me a script to enter into the terminal app. That solved the issue. Your only solution as I see it is to contact Dropbox tech support.
Thanks for the suggestion to contact Dropbox support. I contacted them last week, and after a bit of back and forth, they said that it is Apple's problem and they can't help me ("The problem you’re experiencing appears to be a Mac issue and isn't caused by Dropbox. We’re unable to provide support for third-party apps or services"). They didn't offer me any script to enter into Terminal. Would you be able to share with me what text they told you to put in Terminal?
Yes, it is a shared folder. It's no longer on my Dropbox account online. I believe the owner of the folder actually removed it a while ago, but it somehow remained on my computer.
Hi @owunsch, Megan was the support person I dealt with and was very helpful. She hooked me up with a senior tech named Craig who resolved the issue for me. In an earlier post, you asked me to post the terminal directions I was given but I'm not going to do this, it's pretty easy to screw things up by loading that kind of info if it's not related to your issue. I'm very sure that the support you're about to receive will resolve your issue. Good luck.
- Megan
Dropbox Community Moderator
Hi owunsch, thanks for letting me know!
And that folder is still within your Dropbox folder, right? Is the app's syncing status up to date?
- Yes, it’s still in the Dropbox folder on my computer. The sync is up to date except there is an error for that one folder saying it can’t sync.
It's in my Home folder. There is no CloudStorage folder on this machine. In fact, I tried to update to Dropbox for Mac on File Provider, but I got a message saying that I couldn't do the update because there were still files waiting to sync (Dropbox keeps trying to sync this shared folder).
- Jay
Thanks for the info. Could you try fixing the permissions of the files in your Dropbox folder by following these steps:
1. Stop the Dropbox desktop application (if needed)
- Click on the Dropbox icon.
- Choose Quit/Stop/Exit
2. Open your Terminal app (Located at /Applications/Utilities/Terminal)
3. Copy and paste the following lines into the Terminal, one at a time, and press RETURN after each one. PLEASE make sure you copy and paste these commands (don't type them by hand), as getting them wrong could cause some harm. You'll be prompted for your computer user's password (not your Dropbox password) after entering the first command. Keep in mind that the password field in the terminal will remain blank as you type your password. After you type it, just press ENTER. You'll know that these instructions complete normally once the initial line of text (called prompt) comes up again:
sudo chflags -R nouchg ~/Dropbox ~/.dropbox
sudo chown "$USER" "$HOME"
sudo chown -R "$USER" ~/Dropbox ~/.dropbox
sudo chmod -RN ~/.dropbox ~/Dropbox
chmod -R u+rw ~/Dropbox ~/.dropbox
Please note that once the prompt displays, the instruction completed the requested task, and is ready for the next command. If the command returns an error, or does not respond after an hour, you may want to try restarting your computer and try these steps again.
If you have any questions before you do this, or if you see an error after running one of these commands, please let me know.
4. Restart Dropbox from Applications
Keep me updated with any progress.
It worked! Thanks so much for the help.
- Jay
No worries, glad to have helped out!
Hello, I am having this identical issue. Shared dropbox folder is locked and removing myself from sharing, uninstalling the app, re-logging in, and everything else mentioned in this thread haven't worked. I just tried this code in the terminal and am getting an error after entering my password:
"[my username] is not in the sudoers file.
This incident has been reported to the administrator."
There might be a block from my organization from entering these codes? But when I brought my computer to our IT department they couldnt seem to help with this problem. Do you have any other workarounds to this problem? Thanks for the help!
- Nancy
Sorry to hear the same thing’s happening to you, Kimberly5111.
Do you mind sending a screenshot of how this folder appears within your Dropbox folder, and what you see exactly when trying to delete it?
Also, out of curiosity, are you able to delete the files that are stored within?
Hi Nancy,
I removed myself from the shared folder a while ago and it does not show up in my browser version. However my desktop app shows it (the 2023_ folder in the screenshot). I have this "can't sync Dropbox account" pop-up that will not go away no matter how many times i restart my computer. its been on my screen for 2 weeks and gets in the way of working/zoom meetings/etc. You'll see in the screenshot that the icon at the top of the screen forever shows its updating and I can't click on anything. Lastly, I can't uninstall or update the app because it is open and will not close. Thanks for the help!
- Jay
Hi Kimberly5111, as you mentioned you sent this device to your IT team, is it possible that they installed (or reinstalled) the Dropbox desktop application with administrator privileges?
Update - I was able to use the code in the terminal and it worked. The pop up is cleared up and I was able to update the app. The locked folder is gone! Thanks for the help.
- Megan
Fantastic news Kimberly5111!
If you need something else, please let me know and I will be more than happy to help every step of the way.
