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Spotlight Search Doesn't Link to Files in Dropbox in macOS 13 Ventura
After upgrading to macOS Ventura, I was prompted to upgrade to "Dropbox for macOS 12". I proceeded with that, it moved my Dropbox folder to ~/Library/CloudStorage and confirmed all was successful. Now when using Spotlight to search (I often type something like 'drawings folder' to open a folder called Drawings) the results in Spotlight show the Dropbox app icon beside the name of the item I want (rather than a Finder icon for folder or file). Hitting Enter or clicking on the result switches to Finder and does nothing, or sometimes will open the Applications folder and show the Dropbox app. It's not linking me to the actual file in ~/Library/CloudStorage.
I have done the following and the problem is not solved:
- Restarted
- Ensured all files are available for offline access
- Rebuilt the spotlight index
- Unlinked Dropbox from this Mac, did a complete clean install of dropbox, performed the upgrade to v159.4.5870 and synced just one folder to begin
Nothing works. Any suggestions??
- That’s the same problem I had. I solved it by doing a complete clean install of dropbox. You may not need to do all of this, but to be safe, in Dropbox settings Selective Sync uncheck all of your folders and wait for them to be removed from your Mac. Once that’s done, unlink your Mac from Dropbox preferences. You should see the Dropbox getting started screen. Quit Dropbox and move the app to the Trash. Remove all dropbox files from ~/Library being careful to look at the path name. Only remove things that are within a Dropbox parent folder. Look in library application support, and library preferences. Empty the Trash. Restart your Mac. Reinstall Dropbox from dropbox.com. Once reinstalled, to make things faster sync only one small folder and wait for the prompt that new Dropbox for macOS 12 is available. You should see the message within a few minutes of reinstalling Dropbox. Allow it to upgrade and migrate your files to the new location. Once that’s done you can then sync all your folders. Let your Mac index itself and the problem should be solved.
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Update: Spotlight successfully finds and opens Dropbox files and folders, just like old times. A few days ago, here's what I did:
(1) Unlink Dropbox from my computer
(2) Uninstall Dropbox (which deletes all local-only files)
(3) Reinstall Dropbox, and make all files available offline
(4) Update to the latest version of Dropbox, as prompted.
I'm running OS Ventura. I had the same problem everyone describes in this thread and tried re-indexing and all that--no luck. I have no idea why this suddenly worked.
- Maybe you upgraded to Ventura 13.1?
As far as I remember, I was already running Ventura 13.0.1.
Hi Nancy, I appreciate you reaching out. I am not able to open a support ticket on the free plan. However, I did find a way to add Dropbox to the Spotlight restriction, then remove it. After re-indexing, the search still does not work. Is there another way to troubleshoot this?
professor1 Can you report back after a few days / a week if it's still working for you correctly. It appears like newly added / freshly indexed files are usually able to be opened for some days, but afterwards at some point they are not. Would be great to know if this is still working for you in a week from now.
I am experiencing exactly the same problem which is extremely annoying
RuaDropbox Staff
Hi,
There was an issue with opening folders found in a Spotlight search. Upgrading your Mac to 13.1 should fix this issue.
For other Spotlight issues, Walter's reply here outlines steps to re-index your Dropbox folder, we have found that in some cases it is necessary to re-index your entire disk in order to fix the issue.
Hope this helps.
Hi! After the update, all Dropbox files were moved to the Cloud Files folder. [/Users/username/Library/CloudStorage/Dropbox] The Spotlight search function has not worked since then. Or it works, but doesn't open the file. What is the solution to this? Thanks!
Hi,
i have the same problem.
I'm running MacOs Ventura 13.1 and I already tried to rebuild the index, but the issue remain.
Spotlight finds files inside dropbox folder but cannot open it.
I just tried your solution, but it didn't work.
I'm running Ventura 13.1 and Dropbox 163.4.5456
I did a fresh install but the issue persist: spotlight find files in dropbox folder but cannot open it.
