Backup folder name change

[the_ood]

Hello! I have 2 macs, one personal and one for work. Both had backup enabled and when I went online, I saw both computers' backup directories. The directories were both in the format of "My Mac (computername)" However, recently I disabled the Dropbox backup on my work laptop because I didn't think it would be wise to backup my work stuff to Dropbox. But I was subsequently told it was OK, so I re-enabled the backup. While everything was uploaded to Dropbox just fine, the name of the work laptop backup directory is now simply "Mac (2)". I would like to rename the folder to the "My Mac" format I previously had, but it is not letting me rename the folder. Any assistance would be great. Thanks in advance.

[the_ood]

I have to agree. Where’s the product manager when you need them??

[Rommel]

I have this problem too! I agree with the other users that this is something to be adreessed ASAP

[canalla]

Same problem here....It wont let me chose the name of the backup, change the name or delete them...

@Hannah Any update on when these functions will be available? Im seeing people asking about this for over a year.

[marknorgate]

There are lots of posts here about this issue, has anyone managed to solve it??

The name of the folder used to store my computer's backup in my Dropbox seems to be random - "Mac (2)" at the moment. This looks really unprofessional and I need to change it.

I have tried every piece of advice I have been able to find here:

• I have unlinked my device (macOS) on the Dropbox site — in any case, the device name was correct there
• I have changed my device name in Preferences > Sharing on my Mac — I have tried renaming it several times
• I have turned off backups, waited for everything to sync and for the backup folder to be deleted both locally and on the site
• I have uninstalled and reinstalled the app

Is this actually possible? Is there anyone from Dropbox here who can help? It seems a rather straightforward question to ask, but the answers are very unhelpful.

Bottom line: is it possible to configure this name on macOS and, if so, how? Is it necessary to delete the entire account and start from scratch? Of course, that is the most drastic solution, but then there is no guarantee that will even work! 😂

A direct answer to these question please Dropbox?

[Rich]

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@marknorgate wrote:

Bottom line: is it possible to configure this name on macOS and, if so, how?

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No. Originally, the folder included the name of the computer being backed up. Now, the folder will simply be called PC or Mac, with a number being added for each new device of that type that is being backed up.

[marknorgate]

Ok, that’s a shame.

Thanks.

[trendespresso]

Please pass along that as another long-time Dropbox loyalist the backup folders should be able to be changed. If nothing else, they should take on the Computer Name and append (2), (3), etc only if multiple backups are found with the same name.

In my case, I told Dropbox just now to inherit my old backup but instead it created a new backup "Mac (2)" and even after unlinking the original computer and deleting the "Mac" folder my current backup presists with the name "Mac (2)". Really though I should be able to change this folder to any name. If it requires a restart that's fine.

Thanks.

[the_ood]

Like I said earlier, isn't product management paying attention to what their customers are asking for? That's the whole point of their department at a software company (I should know - I've been in product management for 6 years). Listen to what the customers want and prioritize. It's clear from this thread that this requested feature is getting some traction. And as someone mentioned earlier, it looks a bit weird naming these directories PC (1) and PC (2).

I have two Macs - one for work and one for home. Both were named Mac (1) and Mac (2). Then I had to replace both. I had removed Dropbox from both machines, removing the backup of the desktop, downloads and documents directory. Those directories then disappeared from Dropbox. Now with the new machines, Dropbox has added directories Mac (6) and Mac (8). That's insane. 

Please look into this and consider this for a future upgrade.

[chuckwi11]

This has become pretty ridiculous!  Renaming backup folders or at least inheriting the PC name is a feature that MUST be resolved!  For those of us with multiple PCs it is a SIGNIFICANT problem that impacts ease of use.  Where and how does Dropbox derive the PC name?  My PC is named and when linked to Dropbox shows the computer name in linked devices however the backup folder is always PC or PC (#).  I have tried disabling backup, unlinking and restarting Dropbox but the applications continues to attach the backup folder to "PC".  This worked at one point as I have several older computers (Windows 10) that have the actual computer name as the backup folder but my Windows 11 machines continue to use this generic naming convention.  With the number of questions and complaints about this issue it would seem that it is of high concern for Dropbox users and should be addressed ASAP! 

[tuxfan]

Has this been fixed yet?