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Re: Can no longer access files on Macbook after update

Can no longer access files on Macbook after update

toonafish3D
Helpful | Level 6
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Yesterday Dropbox updated on my Macbook Pro running Monteray 12.6.3, and while doing so it also seems to have relocated the Dropbox files and folders. At least that's what I was warned about before this update.

 

But  it seems now I can no longer access any file. When I click on a tiny image of a few Kb's it no longer opens, but after a few minutes asks me if I want to continue downloading or quit the download.

 

When I click on the Dropbox Icon it keeps telling me it's indexing.  I tried pausing the indexing, but that doesn't help.

 

I un- and reinstalled the Dropbox app, but that doesn't make any difference.

 

Anyone else suffering from issues like this after the recent update and change of file management, and found a solution ?

 

Thanks.

 

I have 74 Gb of 250 Gb available on my drive.

26 Replies 26

JulieGH
Helpful | Level 5
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Hey toonafish3D,

Did you ever get this resolved? I'd been having the exact same problems with "syncing" or "indexing" taking a ridiculously long time. Took 3 days for 6k files and I still had more than 50 to go. In the meantime, I couldn't access *any* of my files -- at all -- while Dropbox was installed. Quitting the application didn't help. I went back and forth with Dropbox support a whole bunch of times but soon tired of "maybe it needs more time," or "send me a screenshot of... whatever." I jumped through those hoops over and over and whenever a new support person logged in, I'd get similar requests. The "Please check to make sure you're connected to the Internet" was one of my particular favorites.

Anyway, I have now officially given up. I've deleted Dropbox. Yay! And until I find a better alternative, I'll use iCloud space to store my files. So far, though, that's looking pretty good. 

I hope things have gotten better for you!

:::Sigh::: I used to really love Dropbox.

toonafish3D
Helpful | Level 6
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Hey JulieGH, sorry to hear there still is no solution.

 

My Dropbox is still indexing, just as it’s been doing for weeks now, and will be for the coming century I suspect.

I have not tried the little re-install routine, maybe I’ll try. But when I see the comments about a reinstall not solving a single thing and support keeping us running in circles, I might just wait for a fix…or not.

 

On all my other devices Dropbox still works as usual.

JulieGH
Helpful | Level 5
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Best of luck, Toonafish. I hope your patience is rewarded!

seb182
Helpful | Level 6
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Hey toonafish,

 

I strongly recommend against the "advanced reinstall" which hasn't been updated for the new dropbox version. I tried (my rough experience is in another macos 12 thread) and it broke dropbox completely on my end, forcing a complete os reinstall (was the quickest and least painful way of sorting it).

 

That "upgraded version" simply doesn't work at the moment (and Dropbox support seems to have no solution outside of "upgrade to a version that your machine doesn't support" - which is obviously not a solution). The only feasible solution at the moment is to stay on the previous version of the Dropbox app and hope it doesn't force upgrade itself (I've used LuLu firewall to block the kext from calling home to dropbox, hoping to delay that process as long as possible).

Emmet
Community Manager
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Hi @toonafish3D,

 

We’d like to check what’s going on here, would you mind if we reached out to the email associated with your community profile to look into this further?

 

Thank you!

Regards,

Emmet

toonafish3D
Helpful | Level 6
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Hi @Emmet,

 

Sure, I would not mind.

 

Dropbox is still indexing after all this time, so it would be nice if you could crack this nut. 

 

toonafish3D
Helpful | Level 6
Go to solution

A little update...

 

A few days ago I was contacted by Dropbox support.  They suggested the following relatively simple solution which fixed the syncing issue on my Macbook  :

 

1) Right-click the Dropbox icon in the system tray, or menu bar, by the clock.
2) Click on your profile picture or initials to the right of the search bar, and select "Preferences".
3) Select the Account tab.
4) Click the "Sign Out" button in the Account tab.
5) Your Dropbox will then prompt you to re-enter your account information. 

 

After it finished syncing it did not show all the folders that are in my Dropbox. But after adding the missing folders to the “selective sync” in my preferences, these showed up as well.

 

So Dropbox is working again on my Macbook.

 

Maybe this will help others that are running into a similar issue.

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