The files I add to the Dropbox folder on my desktop are not updating on my laptop

Hi there, asd saiyan, thanks for posting to our Community and happy Monday!

To find where the issue lies here, you'll first need to check two things:

1. The sync status of the Dropbox app on your desktop and your laptop
2. If you can access the files from your account on dropbox.com

To find the sync status of the apps, you'll need to hover over the Dropbox icon in your system tray/menu bar on both computers.

Let me know what you find and we'll go from there.

" Dropbox icon in your ......on both computers.......the dropbox icon will only appear on the desktop, not on the laptop. I have tried reinstalling software on the laptop, all in vain. When I clicked on the desktop icon, it simply won't open on my laptop. P.S. I am living in China and using a VPN.

Thanks for the update here, asd saiyan.

Being in China might be the reason why this is happening, but let's see what else we can find.

Did the Dropbox app work correctly on your laptop before? 

What exactly happens when you reinstall the app on your laptop? Do you get any error messages?

Yes, dropbox was working fine before.

No error while reinstalling. Dropbox is working fine on the desktop with the same VPN and server. Only the laptop is the problem. 

Using Windows 10 Pro on desktop, using Windows 11, version 24H2 on laptop.

asd saiyan, besides the VPN that you’re using, is there any chance there’s a third-party app present that’s interfering with your Dropbox desktop app? If there is, can you quit it temporarily and try to reinstall the Dropbox app once more? 

Another thing you can try is to create a second user on your computer and install the Dropbox app there. If possible, you can also attempt to run the Dropbox installer while in safe mode. 

Other than that, I’m afraid we can’t suggest much more, since our services aren’t generally available in China, like Jay states here.