I can't see any sync icons next to my files in my Dropbox folder, what can I do?

[BigE1]

For some reason my drop box files and folders no longer show the "green tick" when synced. If I right click the system tray icon there are only two options Dropbox or uninstal. I can see no way of accessing the gearwheel lots of the replies to this issue suggest.  I have installed the latest versio of the app and running windows 10. Any ideas?

[Daphne]

Hello there @BigE1, welcome to the Dropbox Community!

From what you mentioned about the options you see when clicking the Dropbox icon in your system tray, the options indeed sound a little strange. Just to confirm, are you clicking the small icon that appears next to the clock display in the bottom right corner of your screen?

Also, please let me know which version of the desktop app you have installed on your computer, so we can ensure it's not a beta version.

Let me know what you find and we'll go from there - thanks!

[BigE1]

Ah just found the icon on the system tray, I was trying the toolbar icon.  That said I have found preferences - Selective sync and all my folders are checked to sync, but I still have no "green ticks" My app ver is v81.4.195

[Daphne · Accepted solution]

Thanks for checking that @BigE1!

There's a few reasons that could explain why you're not seeing the sync icons next to your files. If you didn't install the app with admin permissions, you may need to just reinstall the app with admin permissions. The steps to do so are outlined here.

Also, Windows does have a limit of only 15 overlay icons that are able to load in Windows Explorer. You can check the overlays that you have registered with these steps:

1. Press the Windows key + R and enter regedit.
2. Navigate to the following registry key with this path:

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

3. Scroll right for complete command line.
4. If the Dropbox overlays are in the first 15 positions, they will display; otherwise you'll need to make room for them. Please note that this requires you to delete or deprioritize other applications' overlays, so only proceed if you're sure about what you'll affect.
5. If you decide to proceed, you can select individual keys and delete them by right-clicking on the desired key. If you don't want to delete them, you can rename them and place a Z at the beginning to send them to the end of the alphabetically sorted list.
6. Quit explorer.exe and launch again from the Task Manager, or restart your computer.
7. Launch Dropbox, and the sync icons should re-appear.

I hope this info helps, let me know what you find - thanks!

[BigE1]

Hi Daphne, 

winner winner chicken dinner! Thank you that has fixed the issue, restarted and the "green ticks" are back and I can see the status of all files and folders

Thank you 

Ian

[Daphne]

I'm very glad to hear that @BigE1!

If you have any other issues with this then please don't hesitate to give me a nudge here and I'll be happy to help out.

Hope you have a great day Ian - cheers! 

[mi11]

Is there a way to turn this off.  Dropbox is hogging the 1st 15 overlays.  I need them for Subversion instead. 

[Daphne]

Hi there @mi11, thanks for joining us here!

From what you mentioned, is it safe to assume that you're using a Windows device? Since Windows has a limit of 15 overlay icons, if you need to prioritize other icons over Dropbox then I can suggest checking which icons are registered with the steps below:

1. Press the Windows key + R and enter regedit.
2. Navigate to the following registry key with this path:

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

3. Scroll right for complete command line.
4. If the Dropbox overlays are in the first 15 positions, they will display. You can either delete the icons you don't want to display or rename them so they are no longer prioritized (which I would suggest over deleting just in case). You can rename the Dropbox icons and place a Z at the beginning to send them to the end of the alphabetically sorted list.
5. Quit explorer.exe and launch again from the Task Manager, or restart your computer.

I hope this helps, let me know how it goes!