Spotlight Search Doesn't Link to Files in Dropbox in macOS 13 Ventura

Hey dsnidey, I just sent you an email, so we can continue from there. 🙂

Hi Hannah,

I'm also experiencing the same issue. Would appreciate to be included as an interested party in the ticket. Might be worthwhile to know that also OneDrive seems to suffer from the same issue - maybe is having them both installed is the issue in itself.

Hey 3zero2, sorry for jumping in.

Before taking you to ticket, can you please clarify if you’ve already checked Megan's suggestion here? 

Let me know, and we’ll take it from there.

Yes I did try @Megan's suggestion however that didn't work out. Looks like one needs to click and open each and every folder within the Dropbox folder; not simply Dropbox's folder.

Those folders which haven't been visited using Finder yet are shown by Spotlight as a folder with the dropbox icon and nothing happens when they are clicked.

I'm having the same issue.  I use HoudahSpot and other search tools -- but they don't seem to "see" the Dropbox files now that they have been moved after the upgrade.  I think that they build on what Spotlight is able to see, and apparently Spotlight can't "see" the files in Dropbox that are saved on my hard drive. I'm a premium user, but I understand that if you have a "business" account, then you can search for words and phrases inside of Dropbox files via the Web (using the Web interface).  I don't know if that is true or not, but if so it might be a reason to upgrade to "business."  Better yet, Dropbox could make it available to all users.

I'd like a ticket too. I tried it all now. reinstalling dropbox, spotlight reindexing. But I still dont' get a link form the spotlight search to the files in Dropbox. I use this all the time, so it's really a disaster for me.

thx rikymonty, this has been suggested several times, however it did not work out for me.

i downloaded (from https://dropbox.en.uptodown.com/mac/versions) an old version (154.4.4801) from september  (when everything still worked fine on my system), installed it and it automatically upgraded to 166.4.2920 without even asking and put the folder into my library (cloudstorage - where btw my google drive lives, which i evaluate as an alternative).

so pls specify the 'old version' (do we ned to get back to some 14x..... version from spring 2022?) and tell my how to avoid this auto-upgrade.

tia

It functioned in my case 4 times. I am not sure if it upgrades automatically because of changed file you download or because of the file, which will be downloaded, when you click on a first one. If you would like to try a file, I succeed with, you can download it from my privat Dropbox. This file is not modified or changed. Its an original file I downloaded from Dropbox website few weeks ago: https://www.dropbox.com/s/sa1qb5wwhdbuq7c/DropboxInstaller-5.dmg?dl=0

Posting this just to show dropbox that I have the exact same problem. It's very frustrating... I am paying for dropbox as a very small user because it makes things easier and I trust it to store my important files. But if it makes things harder like it does at the moment I am totally willing to change to icloud for good.

TilmanM I switched to iCloud and it works like a charm.

Don't stay on a sinking ship.

Its very annoying, for me too.

But as ive searched this issue, is mainly because of the apple policy . that changes of location...

I suspect they want their icloud service to be more popular and to decrease the interest for the main competitors

lucianmarin77 If it's Apple's fault, then why Seafile is not affected?

I have been dealing with this issue for a while. What works for me is: 

1. Updated to latest version of Dropbox (v166.4.2920). 

2. Allowed move of Dropbox folder to new location (~/Library/CloudStorage).

3. Made all files available offline. 

4. Removed the CloudStorage folder from Spotlight Indexing (preferences → Siri & Spotlight → Spotlight Privacy... → drag CloudStorage folder into the Privacy box). 

5. do NOT reindex the CloudStorage folder. 

I am able to search for Dropbox files and folders with Spotlight, and open the searched items from within Spotlight. 

I traditionally have everything available offline, but I just did a test and made one folder online-only, and thus far Spotlight is working as expected for that folder and its contents. 

This is on a MBP 2018 with Ventura 13.1. 

I can confirm that ironically adding the "Username/Library/CloudStorage''' folder to the Spotlight Privacy list fixes the problem. I am on Dropbox v166.4.2920 and Ventura 13.1 (22C65).

Great news. Could you confirm please, that CMD+Click opens files direct from Spotlight in place? (in other words - opens Finder and shows where exactly this file is saved?) 

minpi I did the trick, and it (opening the file from the Spotlight results) works flawlessly, except CMD+Click and CMD+return (Show file in Finder) still won't work as it should... CMD+Click and CMD+return for files and folders outside the Dropbox folder still works, of course.

Thanks, works fine! For now...

👍

Thank you for letting me know. This is a reason, why I wont be able to update..I use this function each day and it works on an old version perfectly...

minpi me too - this is the very feature I do miss (Alfred does it, though).

sry guys, but you are missing the point.

the trick 'do not index to find files with spotlight within the library' was mentioned as a 'solution' before (among others by me).

however, it does not solve (all of) the problem:
spotlight - after applying the trick - DOES find filenames and opens the files.

what it DOES not find is any CONTENT of those files now living within the library.

make the test:
look for a filename located in your dropbox using spotlight.
if you have excluded your dropbox from spotlight-indexing in the privacy-settings (system settings \ siri & spotlight - sry if the terms are wrong ... i am using a german system), spotlight will find the file
then identify a (preferably uncommon) word within that file and look for it.
spotlight will NOT find it

then copy that file, move it to the desktop and search again.
give your mac a couple of seconds (no, its not more) to update its spotlight index.

spotlight-search for that uncommon word and ... tata ... here it is:
the copy of the db-file will be found on the desktop, but nowhere else.

so, one more time dear dropbox-team:
pls address/solve that bug or provide us with a workaround.

because not being able to search the contents of files completely destroy my workflow und force me (and about 50 co-workers inmy various consortia) to switch platform.

As reported adding the cloudstorage folder to the spotlight privacy worked to be able to open the files but cmd-r (open in finder) does not work.    Dropbox...what say you?!