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macOS Sequoia 15.5 - Getting a message that "The application couldn't be found", after an update.
I've been a Dropbox user for many years. Within the last few months, whenever Dropbox automatically updates on my Mac currently running macOS 15.5 I've noted that in Finder I will see a message above files in my Dropbox folder of "The application "Dropbox" could not be found." and nothing will sync, even though Dropbox is running.
Rebooting my Mac seems to resolve the issue as everything works properly after a reboot and the message is gone in Finder.
This seems like a recent bug as Dropbox didn't do this for many years on my Macs.
I'm not sure how to prevent the issue from happening the next time an update rolls out, or what to do to "fix" this as an end user other than a reboot. It's not the end of the world, but it's a regression and is a bit annoying.
56 Replies
It looks like the problem is back with 231.4.5770
Quitting and restarting Dropbox fixes the problem. Still not clear what is causing the issue.- Hannah
Dropbox Community Moderator
Hey RRGroves, I'm really sorry to hear that, I totally understand where you're coming from.
Can you please check out this article and especially these steps here, to see if they help at all?
The past week this has happened to me about a dozen times, on both my MacBook Pro and my Mac Studio. Both are totally up to date with OS and application updates. Its not much use having Dropbox if files dont sync, and I usually dont notice the error message until I am at at the other computer and wondering why my files are messed up.
Quitting the app and restarting it does work, for a few hours or a few days, but it is happening enough that Dropbox is no longer reliable.
- Megan
Hey jquam, I'd be happy to look into this for you!
Based on the app version that you're using (231.3.5660) it sounds like you have the beta version installed instead of the stable one. That could be the culprit there.
Can you try to uninstall Dropbox from your computer using these steps?
Once you do this, please access your account settings online and then toggle the Early Access setting to Off. After that reinstall the stable version using this link.
I'll be waiting for your update once you try this, to let me know if the behavior remains the same. Thanks!
I'm having the same issue described in this thread and wanted to see whether any further solutions have been identified.
Version 231.3.5660, Mac OS 15.5.
Opening the Dropbox Application solves the problem temporarily, but then a few days/hours later I once again get the message that "the application couldn't be found."
- Megan
Hi kidhkgg!
It sounds like you're referring to the icon shown here, which is linked to a "sync error".
I was wondering if you've tried any of the troubleshooting steps mentioned in this Help Center article. While we're at it, what is the app's current syncing status?
Thanks, Walter. I ended up chatting with a Dropbox person and after an hour and 15 minutes of us trying this and that (it didn't seem to be an antivirus, firewall or VPN/proxy issue on my part), he figured it out. I don't know exactly what he did. But eventually I was able to download and install the app through https://www.dropbox.com/download.
Back from business trip...
- I do not remember what was the specific version when I expreienced the issue. But I always keep all applications up to date. The dropbox issue occurred the current (as of the second of July) version and the previous version. For more previous versions, I am not sure.
- The cloud icon with ! appears to those needs syncing. No icons at all for up-to-date files.
- I searched through my macbook using terminal, but I did not find any other dropbox folder other than ~\Dropbox. I also did not find any trace of the second dropbox folder.
Hope this helps. Best, ildoo
