Couldn't start Dropbox permissions error

---

Andy Coda wrote:
..., I've followed a series of terminal scripts from the FAQ section but it did nothing. ...

---

Hi Andy Coda,

As mentioned in the error message (on the bottom), you have given strange write permission on some places. In the same context, what are the "series of terminal scripts" you have tried? To be clearer, share a link to them and/or post exact steps you have done (list the commands used). Just for one more example: every local user have write access to your Dropbox folder, but can't read or comes in there. 🤷 I can't see any meaning to be so. It byself isn't a reason Dropbox to stop work, but could be a "symptom".

Have you tried reinstall the application? Dropbox application folders recreation (during reinstall) might fix the permissions automatically. 😉 Try it, if haven't yet!

If still no any luck (including error log, you have posted, doesn't change in any way), let's see how your system create a file by default. Just create a dummy file, list it, and finally remove it using following commands:

echo "Hello world" > ~/hello_world.txt
ls -l ~/hello_world.txt
rm ~/hello_world.txt

Execute the commands one by one and post the result of the "ls" command (the second one). Let's see if some setting gets mess and those permissions are set by default. 🧐

Good luck.

Hi,

I am unable to uninstall the Dropbox app - it says extensions are in use. That was my initial thought: to re-install - the old On-Off is normally the one! Odd as I'm unaware of giving any permissions recently, it functioned fine last night and not today.

The commands I tried were these:

1. Click the Dropbox icon on the menu bar.
2. Click your profile picture or initials, and select Quit Dropbox.
3. Open the Terminal app (at /Applications/Utilities/Terminal).
4. Copy and paste the following lines one at a time into Terminal. Press Enter after each one.
   • You'll be prompted for your computer password (not your Dropbox password) after entering the first command. The password field in Terminal remains blank as you type your password. After you type it, press return.
   • Important: We assume that your Dropbox folder is in the default pathway. If you placed your Dropbox folder in a custom location, replace all ~/Dropbox for the full location of your Dropbox folder. For example, if you have your Dropbox folder in the path /Volumes/DifferentPlace/Dropbox, you need to replace ~/Dropbox from the following instructions to /Volumes/DifferentPlace/Dropbox.
   • Once the Terminal prompt shows up again, the instruction completed the requested task and is ready for the next command. If any of the commands return an error or do not respond after an hour, try restarting your computer and repeating these steps.

   sudo chflags -R nouchg ~/Dropbox ~/.dropbox ~/.dropbox-master
   sudo chown "$USER" "$HOME"
   sudo chown -R "$USER" ~/Dropbox ~/.dropbox
   sudo chmod -RN ~/.dropbox ~/Dropbox
   chmod -R u+rw ~/Dropbox ~/.dropbox

1. Restart Dropbox by double-clicking the Dropbox icon in your Applications folder.

The link is: https://help.dropbox.com/installs-integrations/sync-uploads/stuck-syncing

I'll try the dummy file thing now (I presume you mean a file anywhere, as in just a .txt file on my system, not in Dropbox? Apologies, I'm not the most computer literate!)

Thanks again!

Hi Здравко 

So, I did the commands as listed for the dummy list, hope I understood correctly, and this is the result of the ls command:

-rw-r--r--  1 andrewmackay  staff  12 20 Mar 15:13 /Users/andrewmackay/hello_world.txt

The file did appear as a txt file in that location so.

rgds

Andy

I'm having the same issue. Except that I just used the Migration Assistant on my new laptop from a Time Machine backup. I found this other info, but it didn't work for me. So now I'm lost. 

https://www.dropboxforum.com/t5/Dropbox-files-folders/Why-am-I-getting-a-Couldn-t-start-Dropbox-permission-error/td-p/22462

Hi HleeLee,

Take in mind that the initial error message is a template pretty same for almost all kind of critical issues Dropbox application encounters. The same message dialog definitely doesn't mean the same issue! When you are saying:

---

HleeLee wrote:

I'm having the same issue. ...

---

... what do you actually mean? 🤔 Is it the same log text or not? The dialog is saying the same even if there is an issue not directly related to permission! 😉

Hope this clarifies matter, why so many different solutions related to the "same" message.

To me, it looks very close to what the OP said (below). 

I also attached a screen grab of the error popping up even after it says my permissions were fixed. I've also restarted after doing this, nothing changes. I've uninstalled and reinstalled. I reinstalled my OS (Big Sur). So far nothing has worked. 

bn.BUILD_KEY: Dropbox
bn.VERSION: 118.4.460
bn.constants.WINDOWS_SHELL_EXT_VERSION: 47
bn.is_frozen: True
machine_id: 7995f91a-65d8-575a-8e97-d76493f7e6d2
pid: 1212
ppid: 1
uid: 503
user_info: pwd.struct_passwd(pw_name='HleeLeeKron', pw_passwd='********', pw_uid=503, pw_gid=20, pw_gecos='Hlee Lee Kron', pw_dir='/Users/HleeLeeKron', pw_shell='/bin/bash')
effective_user_info: pwd.struct_passwd(pw_name='HleeLeeKron', pw_passwd='********', pw_uid=503, pw_gid=20, pw_gecos='Hlee Lee Kron', pw_dir='/Users/HleeLeeKron', pw_shell='/bin/bash')
euid: 503
gid: 20
egid: 20
group_info: grp.struct_group(gr_name='staff', gr_passwd='*', gr_gid=20, gr_mem=['root', 'HleeLeeKron', '_nsurlstoraged', '_serialnumberd'])
effective_group_info: grp.struct_group(gr_name='staff', gr_passwd='*', gr_gid=20, gr_mem=['root', 'HleeLeeKron', '_nsurlstoraged', '_serialnumberd'])
DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH: None
cwd: '/'
real_path='/'
mode=0o40755 uid=0 gid=0
parent mode=0o40755 uid=0 gid=0
HOME: '/Users/HleeLeeKron'
appdata: '/Users/HleeLeeKron/.dropbox/instance1'
real_path='/Users/HleeLeeKron/.dropbox/instance1'
mode=0o40700 uid=503 gid=20
parent mode=0o40700 uid=503 gid=20
dropbox_path: '/Users/HleeLeeKron/Dropbox'
real_path='/Users/HleeLeeKron/Dropbox'
mode=0o40700 uid=503 gid=20
parent mode=0o40755 uid=503 gid=20
sys_executable: '/Applications/Dropbox.app/Contents/MacOS/Dropbox'
real_path='/Applications/Dropbox.app/Contents/MacOS/Dropbox'
mode=0o100755 uid=503 gid=20
parent mode=0o40755 uid=503 gid=20
trace.__file__: '/Applications/Dropbox.app/Contents/Resources/python-packages.zip/dropbox/client/ui/common/boot_error.pyc'
real_path='/Applications/Dropbox.app/Contents/Resources/python-packages.zip/dropbox/client/ui/common/boot_error.pyc'
not found
parent not found
tempdir: '/var/folders/dw/6ntvgsfs53b3pl_bl8746dhw0000gq/T'
real_path='/private/var/folders/dw/6ntvgsfs53b3pl_bl8746dhw0000gq/T'
mode=0o40700 uid=503 gid=20
parent mode=0o40755 uid=503 gid=20
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "dropbox/client/main.pyc", line 817, in wrapper
File "dropbox/client/main.pyc", line 6387, in finish_dropbox_boot
File "dropbox/client/main.pyc", line 5890, in _init_components_for_account
File "dropbox/client/main.pyc", line 5800, in create_sync_engine
File "dropbox/sync_engine_boundary/factory.pyc", line 239, in make_sync_engine
File "dropbox/sync_engine/nucleus/classic_client/sync_engine.pyc", line 295, in __init__
File "dropbox/sync_engine/nucleus/classic_client/modern_client/modern_client.pyc", line 176, in __init__
File "dropbox/sync_engine/nucleus/classic_client/modern_client/base.pyc", line 143, in __init__
File "dropbox/sync_engine/nucleus/classic_client/thin_adapter/in_proc.pyc", line 232, in __init__
File "dropbox/sync_engine/nucleus/classic_client/thin_adapter/in_proc.pyc", line 625, in _init_new_engine_locked
File "dropbox/sync_engine/nucleus/thin_client/client.pyc", line 206, in __init__
File "extensions/nucleus/nucleus_python.pyx", line 79, in nucleus_python.NucleusSyncEngine.__cinit__
nucleus_python.SyncEngineError: "Initializing engine |>> Initializing filesystem |>> Attempting to register icons |>> Opening dst |>> open syscall |>> Permission denied"

---

HleeLee wrote:

To me, it looks very close to what the OP said (below). ...

---

😁😆🙂 HleeLee, Do the actual error messages look the same:

---

Andy Coda  wrote:

Exception: should not give write permissions to other users for the module, /Applications/Dropbox.app/Contents/Frameworks/DropboxCrashpad.framework/Versions/A/DropboxCrashpad, loaded by Tungsten

---

---

HleeLee wrote:

nucleus_python.SyncEngineError: "Initializing engine |>> Initializing filesystem |>> Attempting to register icons |>> Opening dst |>> open syscall |>> Permission denied"

---

What you would say? 🤔
In both cases permissions are involved, but completely different types and on completely different places! Your log is less informative HleeLee, causa missing exact place, so there are much more possibilities. It's clear only that the problem rise up within Dropbox folder for you (the "nucleus" engine works there). Reason could vary from antivirus protection triggered erroneous (check antivirus protection) up to your system puts Dropbox folder in "quarantine" (are there some unusual extended attributes falls from nowhere).... or similar.

One thing you can try: rename your Dropbox folder to something like DropboxBackup. Create new Dropbox folder and copy all old content to the just created folder (copy NOT move, using move you would move possible unwanted attributes). Try run Dropbox application now. If everything works, you can wipe out the old folder. 😉

Might be there easier way, if we know exact reason and place, but no such information. Let's hope some day Dropbox development will improve error information (in the particular case what exactly "open" command is trying to open and the exact system error code received)... let's hope.

Hope this helps.

I forgot the screen grab last post but I seemed to have figured it out. 

I followed the info here: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208050

I changed from bash to zsh, restarted. Dropbox worked, but I couldn't save anything to the desktop. So then I changed it back from zsh to bash and now it all works. I hope it stays that way! 

So the result of the first command is:

total 2256

drwxrwxrwx@ 5 andrewmackay  staff      170 16 Mar 18:06 .

drwxrwxrwx@ 4 andrewmackay  staff      136 16 Mar 17:58 ..

-rwxrwxrwx@ 1 andrewmackay  staff  1151856 16 Mar 18:06 DropboxCrashpad

drwxrwxrwx@ 3 andrewmackay  staff      102 16 Mar 17:58 Resources

drwxrwxrwx@ 3 andrewmackay  staff      102 16 Mar 17:58 _CodeSignature

Andis-iMac:~ andrewmackay$ 

and here is the ls command again after running those commands:

total 2256

drwxr-xr-x@ 5 andrewmackay  staff      170 16 Mar 18:06 .

drwxr-xr-x@ 4 andrewmackay  staff      136 16 Mar 17:58 ..

-rwxr-xr-x@ 1 andrewmackay  staff  1151856 16 Mar 18:06 DropboxCrashpad

drwxr-xr-x@ 3 andrewmackay  staff      102 16 Mar 17:58 Resources

drwxr-xr-x@ 3 andrewmackay  staff      102 16 Mar 17:58 _CodeSignature

Andis-iMac:~ andrewmackay$ 

to me looks the same, excpet the '-' has moved, if that means anything.