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BoxedInn's avatar
BoxedInn
Explorer | Level 4
2 years ago

I can't link my macOS desktop app to the existing Dropbox folder after unlinking

On Mac, Dropbox stopped syncing about two to three weeks ago. In my Dropbox Security settings I see two Devices with identical names, e.g., iMac.lan. (Formerly, I had the three devices allowed by the DropBox Basic plan: iMac, Macbook, and iPhone. Dropbox now complains that I'm trying to use a fourth device: the two identical links to my iMac, my Macbook Pro, and my iPhone. I unlinked my iPhone so that I could try to deal with the iMac.) I unlinked both copies of the link to my iMac, then killed and restarted Dropbox. Trying to start Dropbox, I now see this message: "There's already a folder or file named Dropbox."

 

I cannot use the existing file Dropbox in the default directory, which I believe is {me}/Library/CloudStorage. If I rename the existing Dropbox file and go through the kill/restart process again, I get a different error message: "Error with selected folder -- Can't create a Dropbox folder in the requested location".

 

So I'm stuck. I cannot use Dropbox on either my iMac (MacOS 14.5) or my Macbook Pro. Help, please.

 

So I cannot use Dropbox, and I cannot unlink/relink my DropBox file. I'm stuck. And, BTW, there's a possibly related symptom. DropBox also has stopped syncing with my MacBook Pro.

desktop
Error Messages
Mac
Setting up the apps

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  • skillet's avatar
    skillet
    Helpful | Level 6
    11 months ago

    I am running into this same error and have deleted Dropbox and all it's assoiated files and it will not let me install Dropbox with two linked accounts to ~/Library/CloudStorage/

    It lets me install to my user folder which is not helpful since I need the path to be the same on the two computers I use. They are both on the same macOS and the same Dropbox version yet one will let me store in error with the selected folder can't create a Dropbox folder in the requested location ~/Library/CloudStorage.

    It uploads but doesn't download from the computer that is stored in my user folder. Such strange issues. 

  • Walter's avatar
    Walter
    Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
    11 months ago

    Hi there skillet - thanks for joining the discussion here and sorry to hear you're also having issues with this.

    When you say it won't let you install, are you getting any particular error? Did you try to install with admin privileges in the first place? 

    Apart from that, what is your computer's exact OS version and the version of the Dropbox desktop app as shown in your menu bar?

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