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Lynda C.3
11 years agoNew member | Level 1
Where is the gear icon on my Dropbox desktop app?
Anyone know where to find the gear icon on Dropbox?
I have Windows 10 and finally, finally found the gear icon and preferences. I agree that finding this should have been easier -- it should appear when one clicks the DropBox icon on one's desktop. But it doesn't. I created a very quick and dirty set of 4 screenshots that shows, in a very simple way (which is how I can understand these things) how I got to it. It starts with (1) the "show hidden icons" button that looks like an up arrow, on the lower right-hand corner of my screen (the area known as the "systems tray" - then (2) I clicked the DropBox icon (has a little check-mark on it) - then (3), a little box opens (labeled, "up to date" and lists "recently changed") and, lo and behold, the blasted gear icon appears in the upper right corner of it, so (4) I clicked that and got a dropdown menu that included "preferences." My very amateur set of screenshots is here:
62 Replies
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- barbjaxn9 years agoNew member | Level 2
Thanks so much!!!! I was going nuts trying to figure it out.
- LG269 years agoNew member | Level 2
Same problem here (March 2017, Windows 10, latest Dropbox installer).
For the record, this trick worked for me:
In Windows Display Settings >> Advanced Display Settings, change screen resolution to something low like 1920x1080 as opposed to "recommended" resolution, and restart the computer. Then right-clicking on Dropbox icon in System Tray worked.
p.s. I blame Windows 10. NEVER had any Dropbox problem on my Mac over all versions of OS X.
- Tbutcher9 years agoNew member | Level 2
Thanks for unraveling the mystery. I needed to move the files to another drive and couldn’t do it until I read your post.
- kirakirakira8 years agoNew member | Level 2
Thank you!!! I had to disconnect my external monitors, change the resolution, restart, and then a little window popped up with a gear icon. Before nothing happened when I clicked the dropbox icon in the system tray
- ramy48 years agoHelpful | Level 6
I think the point the whole point is that the icon no longer appears in system tray? i have that problem....
Robert S. wrote:
It really isn't that difficult to find: system tray > Dropbox client icon > gear icon
See also: https://help.dropbox.com/desktop-web/change-preferences
- ramy48 years agoHelpful | Level 6
May I ask more help... what if there is no folder that has the up arrow icon, in the system tray? I'm on Windows 10 too, on a Microsoft Surface... and I can't find the Dropbox icon at all and can't change my preferences/ selective sync... so now it is syncing everything !
- judyc8 years agoExplorer | Level 3
I thought this was going to be the solution, but when I go to the dropbox icon in the system's tray, it doesn't have a check, and shows a box with Up to Date and the version number, but I don't get the recently updated box (or any box) with the gear in it. Does anyone have a solution to this? I already re-downloaded the desktop icon and that didn't work. I am running out of space on my hard drive and need to use selective sync. I' also on a Microsoft Surface, running WIN 10. No gear anywhere.
- ramy48 years agoHelpful | Level 6
So mine had a really simple solution that I'm almost embarassed to post but thought to close the my own loop. Turns out my new surface was on tablet mode, even if, the keyboard was connected. And so, on tablet mode, no gear icon really appears. Switch back to PC mode, and icon found, problem solved. Ooops. New hardware adjustment issues.
- judyc8 years agoExplorer | Level 3
Thanks. I checked, but am on PC, not tablet. Am going to try the suggestion re: changing resolution. Frustrating.
- Rich8 years ago
Super User II
judyc wrote:
when I go to the dropbox icon in the system's tray, it doesn't have a check, and shows a box with Up to Date and the version number, but I don't get the recently updated box (or any box) with the gear in it.
If you single-click that icon you should see the Dropbox window appear, with the gear in the upper-right corner.
Also, the check mark no longer appears on the Dropbox icon. The screenshots shown in previous replies are out of date.
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