Dropbox icons change from a green tick to two people?

[Firebrand01]

What does it mean when my Dropbox desktop icons change from a green tick to two people figures?

[Daphne]

Hey there @Firebrand01, I hope you're having a good day!

The green tick sync icon would mean that a file is currently synced locally.

However, the two people icon would usually refer to a folder being shared, rather than a syncing status.

Could you send me a screenshot (excluding personal info) of the icons you're referring to, just to make sure we're on the same page?

Keep me posted - thanks!

[Firebrand01]

 

What does the image with the two people mean?

[Daphne]

Thanks for the screenshot @Firebrand01!

Just to double check with you, are these shortcuts on your Desktop to files within the Dropbox folder on your computer?

Also, is the Dropbox app running at the moment? What's the sync status reporting?

[Firebrand01]

Hello Daphne

No, these are not shortcuts. They are folders. They only exist on the desktop, they do not exist within the Dropbox folder.

The icons in the screenshot appear every couple of weeks, for a hour or so and then they turn back to the Green Tick icon. I don't know what the Sync Status is reporting at that time. I don't have the Dropbox app running when it happens. Next time I will check the Sync Status. But I cannot check it until the icons reappear, and this is happening randomly. To be clear, I am not sharing any folders with anyone. My Shared tab in Dropbox is empty. I do not share, and I have not shared in the past. Also the Share icon is different to the icon in the screenshot (the two identical people icon). 

I MUST KNOW what the icon in the screenshot means, and why it is happening. Please, can you find out and let me know.

[Daphne]

If this occurring when the app isn't running, then it would suggest that this isn't something related to the Dropbox app @Firebrand01.

The icons are not Dropbox related icons either, as you can see a full list of the desktop app's sync icons here.

Having said that, are you manually closing and relaunching the desktop app when you notice this?

The green tick sync icons would only appear when the desktop app is running and syncing, so if you're not manually closing or launching the app, it would be helpful to confirm if the app indeed isn't running.

[Firebrand01]

The app is not running when these icons appear. I am not opening and closing the app when they appear either.

In fact, I don't use the app.

If the icons are not Dropbox icons, whose icons might they be? And why have they only started appearing since I have had Dropbox? If they are not Dropbox icons, I don't understand why they are aligned with the Dropbox format/interface: that is, they change with the Dropbox icons - from green tick, to syncing a new folder, to the 'two people' icon - and then back to the green tick again. It seems to me the two people icon IS part of the Dropbox suite. I don't see how it could be unrelated - that doesn't add up?

Surely, another Dropbox client running on Windows 10 has/is experiencing this icon appearing. Does it have anything to do with automatic back up to computer?

[Daphne]

When you see the green tick icons, could you send me a screenshot of how that looks? 

If you don't use the Dropbox desktop app, then you wouldn't be seeing any sync icons on your files, as these only show when the app is running on your computer.

Is it possible you have another sync service running on your computer?

[Firebrand01]

Thank you for continuing to work with me on this Daphne.

This is what my desktop screen look like most of the time. 

Also, while I do have the Dropbox app installed (it's on my taskbar) I don't use it - that is, I don't open the app and interact with its functions. I seldom actually go Dropbox, but if I do, I tend to do so via the web browser because I have Dropbox in my bookmarks bar. 

I only have a subscription to Dropbox to know that my computer files are backed up in case my laptop is stolen or damaged. I don't use the other functions it offers, such as Share, or Vault or anything else.

I don't have another sync service running on my computer (that I'm aware of). Moreover, I just checked the 'backup' setting and it says that backup needs to be to a external hard drive. I don't have/use an external hard drive.

To add, I don't have any other computer or device that runs Dropbox. I did have the app on my phone for a while, but it was a nuisance  so I uninstalled it from my phone.

If, as you suggest, that the two people icon is not a Dropbox function, would that mean that if I canceled my Dropbox subscription, and uninstalled it from my computer, that the icon would still appear randomly? Because I don't think it would. 

 

[Daphne]

Hmmm, I see, thanks for the screenshot @Firebrand01, these green ticks do look like the Dropbox sync icons. 

While you don't need to open and interact with the app, when it's running you should see a Dropbox icon in your system tray (next to the date/time display), which will show the sync status as it sync your files in the background.

Since you're seeing the green ticks, so the app is running, can you check for the Dropbox icon referred to above and see what it's reporting at the moment?