All Dropbox Finder sync icons disappeared after updating to macOS Tahoe 26.2.

Morning Lordfader​  thank you so much for taking the time to dig into this. I’ve checked those exact settings on my Mac and unfortunately Dropbox was already enabled under All in Background and also switched on under Extensions - File Providers so in my case that wasn’t the cause (I wish it was). I have managed to get a temporary fix working which might help others. It turns out there’s a conflict with the Adobe Creative Cloud File Provider extension. As soon as I turned that off all Dropbox Finder sync/status icons came straight back (green ticks, blue syncing arrows, cloud icons, folder badges the lot). Path for anyone who wants to try it: System Settings → General → Login Items & Extensions → Extensions → By App → Creative Cloud → turn File Provider OFF No restart needed  icons reappeared instantly for me. I use Creative Cloud a lot so I can’t yet say what the long term impact is on Adobe Cloud Documents specifically but for Dropbox heavy workflows like mine this has completely restored normal behaviour for now. Thanks again for posting your findings really good to see people sharing ideas and narrowing this down together 👍. Think we need to be employed by Dropbox 😂.

Thank you! resolved it on both macs here, was driving us up the wall so appreciate you takin the time to not only troubleshoot it but also post your workaround 

No problem.  I know for a fact that in my situation Adobe Creative Cloud isn't installed so will investigate further as it could be something else doing the same thing.

It seems like this might be a File Provider conflict more generally rather than Adobe specifically almost like when multiple apps are using File Provider at the same time, Dropbox loses its ability to show the overlay icons. It might be worth checking whether there are any other apps on your Mac using File Provider (cloud storage apps, sync tools etc) and trying toggling them off one at a time to see if anything changes. That’s the only consistent pattern I’ve been able to spot so far. I really hope you manage to get a fix oatn your side too I know how maddening it is when everything’s technically syncing but you’ve got zero visual confirmation. Fingers crossed for you 🤞.

Thanks mate.  I have a zoom with my client tomorrow so will report back if your suggestions fix the issue.

YES! Thanks Juhn and consettprint for discovering and sharing! I'm also heavily immersed in Creative Cloud apps which are critical for my work. So far I have not seen any limitations to turning off the Creative Cloud extension. I'd much rather see the Dropbox status icons! 😀

I guess it is only relevant for those using creative cloud for file storage and sharing. Mainly, enterprise licenses, I assume. Don't believe, they use both: Adobe and Dropbox at the same time...

But that's just a speculation... 😅

Hi everyone, thanks for flagging this and for the detailed reports.

We’re aware that some users are seeing Dropbox sync status icons disappear in Finder after recent macOS Tahoe updates. We’ve been able to reproduce this behavior and are actively investigating what’s causing Finder icons not to display as expected in certain setups.

In the meantime, file syncing itself should continue to work normally, even if the Finder icons aren’t visible. We understand how frustrating it is to lose that visual feedback and will share an update here as soon as we have more information.

Thanks again for your patience and for helping us track this down.

I am glad you found a fix! Though, I have tried this on my son's computer which did not have a creative cloud, and fiddling around extensions toggling dropbox on and off, and looking for any other apps that may have a file provider (none of them has it) brought no luck. ah well

just a quick question if you dont mind me asking, when you have the online files only do the thumbnail shows? because when i was on dropbox legacy until I updated few days ago, this has always been the issue for years. whenever i need to look at a file (images - as i am a photogapher) i would always have to make it available offline first as online only files showing blank thumbnails

Hi Putra, I’m really sorry it didn’t work for you. If you haven’t already Lordfader​  mentioned a solution further up that might still be worth a try he also didn’t have the Creative Cloud File Provider extension so hopefully that one helps. And yes I have exactly the same thumbnail issue as you. Years ago (after one of the Dropbox updates) I suddenly lost thumbnails for online only files. Before that everything showed perfectly. I’ve never managed to get that behaviour back so now if I want to actually see image thumbnails I have to make the files available offline first. Online only files just show blank thumbnails for me too. It’s a pain! I might have to go down the rabbit hole to see if there's a fix for that!