Why do my tags disappear when I set my files to online only?

Here is another version of the same issue. Most of my (Dropboxed) files are online-only. I noticed that when I edit the name of a file in Finder, the tags sometimes disappear. This can get pretty annoying since I selected a group of files with that tag in Finder. So I edit the file name, press enter, and the file disappears from Finder because its tags are lost. It sounds like this has to do with the discrepancy between online-only and locally synced files. 

Although it seems that these two are connected, the problem you described sounds like an issue with your Finder not refreshing the window correctly to reflect the changes made by an application within your Dropbox folder Nick_zz.

To resolve this issue, could you try relaunching Finder by using the following steps?

1. Save any files that you have open and close any applications
2. Click on the Apple icon in the top left of your screen
3. Click on "force quit"
4. Relaunch the Finder.

You should now be able to navigate to this folder and see that the folder has been refreshed to its current state. 

If the issue persists, please send a screenshot of what you are seeing in the window with the issue so I can have a better look. 

Thanks in advance and happy Monday!

Thank you for the quick response. I actually did relaunch Finder and the problem persists. 

I can also confirm that the issue occurs only with online-only files that have not been downloaded (I assume that is the meaning of the cloud vs. green checkmark icons). 

If I edit the name of a file that has a tag and a cloud icon, once I hit enter after the name change, Dropbox quickly updates and the macos tag disappears. If I relaunch Finder, I see the same thing (the macos tag is gone).

However, the same sequence of actions leaves the macos tag intact on a file with a green checkmark icon. So there. 

I generated a sequence of screenshots but i'd rather not post them here for the world to see my desktop. Is there a way to upload / email them ? 

Of course there is Nick. Just submit a ticket through the following page:

https://www.dropbox.com/support

Feel free to include any information you think might help our investigation too!

PS: If you'd like me to reach out to your Dropbox associated email from my end instead, please let me know. 

Dropbox is designed to sync the tagging metadata by default and you can either save a local copy to tag instead of the dropbox copy or not tag to avoid that sync. This feature works well for those backing up folders and files on Dropbox. 

Syncing tags should be an option a user can turn on or off. We use Dropbox for backing up folders and files and collaborating with everyone in our company. By the tagging metadeta being a default feature, we cannot personalize tagging on our own computers without it syncing with everyone elses.

This *must* be fixed. Since there is no "master copy" in DropBox, it is quite possible for tags and file comments to be completely sync'ed out of existence.  This has actually happened to me - and I was forced to save local, unsync'ed copies of certain folders in order to preserve metadata.

As a workaround, I have since moved these folders to Eagle Filer databases, because this app has a very robust and resilient metadata management system.  C-Command's documentation even mentions that this functionality is necessary to combat the tendency of cloud sync'ing systems like DropBox to destroy metadata. 

Hi I've a problem concerning tags to.

- My original has the tag.

- I activate the sync of the folder

- The 'online-only' version loose the tag

- When I open the file, to get the original, the tag is back

What I don't know is when the file is resync again the 'online-ony' version loose the tag or not ?

Is there already a solution or a trick for now ?

Best regards,

Thanks in advance,

What is the status of fixing this? Because clearly, it is "broken" for having never been implemented.

A previous example about the possibility of tags being synched out of existence is something I had not considered, and extremely alarming. The lack of this feature is not acceptable. So what progress has been made in nearly two years???????????

I use macOS tags for productivity, keeping a search window open for certain tags and working my way through files by tagging and de-tagging them. I thought DropBox would be a great solution to my could usage, but instead, there are thousands of offline files whose tags do not populate in my tag-search windows.

This is a failure on DropBox's end. I may actually revert to iCloud.

So again, what progress has been made?

Thanks for sharing your workaround. Sounds like DevonThink steps in for / replaces Finder, which I'm not fond of, but I will deliberate funnelling 1.8TB of data through DevonThink…

What this really indicates though, is that if DevonThink can do it, DropBox can do it.

I also find it ironic that DropBox is already using the tag field for its "Online-only" tag. It would seem to me the solution might be as simple as copying the tags on upload of the full file and pasting them alongside this Online-only tag on the 0kb placeholder files.

I'm waiting for a status report, DropBox. Technically, I did not consent to the absence of tag synching when I signed up for DropBox and assuming it can handle interfacing with macOS as claimed/advertise, so this whole issue and its alarming repercussions against workflow and data loss seem quite violating of both common sense and what I'm paying for.