How to stop dropox from changing explorer icons

[wwingle]

DropBox keeps overwritting registry settings so its icons are displayed in Windows Explorer.  How do I stop this?

DropBox and TortoiseSVN both put custom icon references in the registry in:

Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\ShellIconOverlayIdentifiers

Windows 10 Explorer only uses the first 10-15 icons.  The rest are ignored.  I use TortoiseSVN daily for source code control.  I use DropBox occasionally for a non-professional group.  I can manually change the DropBox icon references (e.g. DropboxExt01, 02, 03, ...) so they are ignored.  Everytime DropBox does a software update though (it seems to do this on its own) it overrides my registry changes.  To fix this, I use regedit to rename or delete the DropBox entries and reboot, but it seems that within a week, things are broken again forTortoiseSVN, and DropBow icons are back.

[Mark]

I do not believe there is a way to I'm afraid.

[ssam]

I found a solution by accident today.  For me, it's a far better solution than the registry hacks that people recommend online for Windows. 

Steps:

1. Map your dropbox folder as a network drive using the subst program in DOS:

subst Z: C:\Dropbox

The mapped folder will not have dropbox sync icons.

2. Work from the new Z: drive, which does not have dropbox sync icons.

This solution conveniently also lets you go back to C:\Dropbox to monitor sync issues.

PS: If you want to undo step 1 and remove the Z: drive, do 

subst Z: /D

[Jeanne P.2]

The drive created this way doesn't have ANY overlay icons, which defeats the entire purpose.

[Jane]

Hey @Jeanne P.2, kindly note that the Dropbox desktop app makes sure the Dropbox folder on your computer is synced with your Dropbox account online. The app will show special symbols (or “icons”) / to let you know what's happening. If you can’t see the Dropbox overlay icons Jeanne, it’s highly likely that your files aren’t syncing to your account online. 

If that’s okay with you, can you share a bit more detail on why you’d like to remove those? Thanks in advance! 

[billko]

I guess the OP gave up on this - as have I - but I believe they stated their reason very well and very explicitly.  I have the same complaint, and that is with Dropbox stepping all over my overlay icons that I use for TSVN as well.  I don't like self-important applications that think they are the most important application on my computer, and Dropbox always thinks it is.  There should be an option to turn off this draconian behavior, even if it's buried in the registry somewhere where only the most determined souls would wander.

Like the OP, TSVN overlays are very much more important to me than Dropbox ones.  I'm not asking to change the default Dropbox behavior from automatically shoving its way to the front of the line to being a more polite application; I'm just asking to have the option to.

PS - I do understand this topic is over a year old, but the subject matter is so annoying that I felt compelled to reply to it.

[Jeanne P.2]

I want to have the option to remove them for the same reason everyone else is trying to tell you.  Because of the design of Windows, not all programs can display their icon overlays at once.  I want the overlays from other programs (mainly Tortoise Git) more than yours.  I know what I want. I do not need your icons, and I know this because I disable them manually everytime you force them on me.  I don't need to see your icons to make the files sync, don't be ridiculous. They sync just fine without the icons.

Don't play dumb and pretend you don't know any of this. People have been complaining about this for many years now, and it's clear you guys just dont give a [removed by moderation according to the Community Guidelines] . The Dropbox program keeps changing the names of its registry keys by adding spaces in front of them specifically to get them to come first alphabetically, which makes them override other overlays.   You wouldn't need to do this if you weren't trying to override people's preferences.

The only thing we can do is either change them back manually whenever the program does or write a script & cron job to do so.  As such things go, it's not a difficult workaround, it's your attitude toward your paying customers that's infuriating.

[Jane]

Thanks for the in-depth message back & detailing us what the ideal behavior would be for you @billko & @Jeanne P.2, that’s very helpful as I can now submit a more concrete report on how this has affected your workflow & what you’d wish to achieve. 

I’ve now made a note of your request to make the overwriting optional in my internal report, however you could also give this a bit more visibility by posting your observations & ideas on the Share an Idea section where other Community members could upvote them. Please let me know here if you’d like me to do so on your behalf & I’ll follow-up with you asap. 

Enjoy the rest of your day until we talk again! 

[billko]

Hi, Jane:

Thank you so much for your response!  As I mentioned before, the default behavior doesn't have to change.  (In fact, for a consistent user experience, the default behavior shouldn't change.)  All I need is for there to be a way to make it behave that way. 

Thank you also for showing me where the "Share an Idea" section is.  I will post my idea there (if it's not there already).

Thanks again!

Bill

[vraimondi]

Any updates about this icon overlay? If not i will unistall Dropbox and will tell the same to my coulleagues. Unfortunately in working envirorment we have to prefer SVN to Dropbox.