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Gazzor1969's avatar
Gazzor1969
New member | Level 2
2 months ago
Solved

Desktop items not included when syncing with Dropbox

I'm working on an M1 MacBook Pro running macOS Tahoe. For some time now (including before I upgraded to Tahoe) I have noticed that items I leave on my Desktop are not included in the Dropbox Sync. I ...
desktop
Mac
sync
  • Rich's avatar
    Rich
    2 months ago
    Gazzor1969 wrote:

    If I have a PDF file on the desktop of my Mac, am I unable to find and open that file from a Dropbox App on my iPhone.

    Correct.

    Gazzor1969 wrote:

    Equally, if I have a PowerPoint file on the desktop of my Mac, am I unable to find and open that file if I access my Dropbox from another computer via browser?

    Also correct.

    In the past, the Backup feature would allow for it to work like that if you were backing up the Desktop folder. This is because your Desktop folder was MOVED into your Dropbox folder, allowing it to sync like any other folder.

    Now, however, the Backup feature no longer works like that. You can still backup your Desktop, but backups are now stored in a separate space within your Dropbox account. They're backups. They're not meant to be working files. They're for recovery.

    If you want to be able to open files across devices, you need to store them in your local Dropbox folder. The intent of Dropbox has always been that your files are stored in your Dropbox folder and you work on them from there. If needed, create a shortcut or an alias (not sure how it works on a Mac) to the file and place it on the Desktop for quick access, while leaving the file in your Dropbox folder.

Gazzor1969's avatar
Gazzor1969
New member | Level 2
2 months ago

Hi Jay,

Yes, just checked and the Drobbox Backup feature was enabled and the Desktop folder was the only folder as part of this Backup. I have now disabled Dropbox Backup.

Will my Desktop items now be part of the normal sync?

  • Jay's avatar
    Jay
    Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
    2 months ago

    Actually, it should've been the opposite, if the Desktop folder is enabled, then it would be included in the Dropbox Backup, as shown on the Dropbox site. There isn't another way to 'sync' the desktop folder to Dropbox.

    When you said that the desktop files were syncing, did you mean in the normal Dropbox folder itself, or in Dropbox Backup?

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