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Forum Discussion
Lars Engseth
4 years agoExplorer | Level 3
Syncing problems MAC and iPhone
My dropbox account is not syncing shared folders to the Mac-app or the iPhone-app, but is synced online. I have tried reinstalling and I have checḱed that there is no selective sync-setting. Any solu...
Walter
Dropbox Community Moderator
4 years agoThanks for the additional information and the screenshot too, Lars.
Our desktop application is unable to sync some types of files left open by certain applications. When this happens, Dropbox will report that the "file is in use" from the Dropbox desktop application menu in your menu bar/system tray.
Some software, like Microsoft Office, places locks on files while they are being edited. The feature avoids conflicts that can occur if the file is changed by another computer. This lock also prevents Dropbox from accessing and syncing the file.
To allow Dropbox to sync these files, you'll need to save and quit any applications where the file is open. Once you do, Dropbox will fully sync the files.
If you are sharing the data between computers you must NOT run the application on more than one computer at a time. You will generate file conflicts and other problems.
Thus, the pattern needs to be:
Our desktop application is unable to sync some types of files left open by certain applications. When this happens, Dropbox will report that the "file is in use" from the Dropbox desktop application menu in your menu bar/system tray.
Some software, like Microsoft Office, places locks on files while they are being edited. The feature avoids conflicts that can occur if the file is changed by another computer. This lock also prevents Dropbox from accessing and syncing the file.
To allow Dropbox to sync these files, you'll need to save and quit any applications where the file is open. Once you do, Dropbox will fully sync the files.
If you are sharing the data between computers you must NOT run the application on more than one computer at a time. You will generate file conflicts and other problems.
Thus, the pattern needs to be:
- Let files sync
- Start application
- Save files
- Quit application
- Repeat on different computers.
Lars Engseth
4 years agoExplorer | Level 3
Hi again,
I have tried the latest suggestions, but the the files are still nok syncing on my MacBook Pro, but the files are syncing on my iPhone now. I tried installing Dropbox-app op an iMac and everything is syning there as well. When accessing older view only files in the same folder, I can see they have not been synced in 2 months. This is right around when my MacBook Air hard drive crashed. It has been to an Apple retailer, and is unfixable. Because of this I got av new MacBook Pro where I installed the Dropbox-app. The view only files added by administrators of these files, have not been syncing after this. I have tried to look at the security settings on my MacBook Pro compared to the iMac, and they seem to be the same, so this does not either seem to be the problem for the syncing issues.
I have also reinstalled the Dropbox-app and logged in with the same user on all 3 devices.
Any more suggestions?
Kind regards,
Lars
- Walter4 years ago
Dropbox Community Moderator
Thanks for keeping me in the loop, Lars.
Have you tried creating a new OS profile on the affected machine and installing the desktop app there?
Also, did you install it with admin privileges in the first place?
If you did and still having issues with this, let me know and I'll reach out via email to investigate further. - Lars Engseth4 years agoExplorer | Level 3
Hi again,
I have admin privileges. I tried installing the dropbox app on the guest user and it synced instantly. Since I have the basic user profile in Dropbox and already have 3 devices that use the app, I had to deactivate one. I deactivated the one for my user on the MacBook Pro I am using and reactivated it when I logged on the admin-user again, but I am still experiencing the same syncing problems. The syncing problems are therefor user-dependent on the MacBook Pro. How can this be?
Kind regards
- Jay4 years ago
Dropbox Community Moderator
Hi Lars Engseth, if you're experiencing this issue on a particular account, then you might have some restrictions or other apps or services that are preventing the Dropbox app from working as it should. As to what this could be, we wouldn't be able to tell.
I can only recommend quitting all open apps, including the ones on the menu bar, leaving Dropbox running, and trying to see if the app works normally.
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