Mac client v 122.4.4867: Can't open preferences

[Scott_H41]

My mac was updated to 122.4.4867 in the last day or so, and with this new version I'm finding that I can't open the preferences window anymore; I can select the preferences item from the menu bar item, but nothing happens.

For me, this is a significant problem because my proxy password changes often, and without being able to open the preferences, I can't change it.

Manually downgrading to 121.4.4267 allowed me to get to the preferences window again.

I've also noticed in the last couple of week or so that when Dropbox starts up, it doesn't report that the proxy password is no longer correct. In the past, when this happens, I'd immediately get a mac notification, and clicking on that notification would bring up the Dropbox proxy password screen. Now I don't get anything and I have to manually navigate to that preference screen (prior to 122.4.4867)

[Hannah]

Hey @Scott_H41, thanks for reaching out!

Have you tried restarting your computer and, if needed, reinstalling the Dropbox application (without uninstalling), to see what happens?

Let me know!

[Scott_H41]

Yes, I had tried restarting and reinstalling. When I tried reinstalling, I got a “Not connected to the Internet” error. The client saw my proxy settings and that’s it couldn’t reach the Internet because the proxy password needed to be changed.

Manually downgrading solve the problem. I have seen this problem before several years ago and at that time it was a bug.

[Hannah]

Thanks for the update and I hope you had a great weekend!

The thing is that even if you downgraded to a previous version, the Dropbox app will keep getting updated. 

Dropbox may fail to connect, if your proxy settings are not correct (like in this case), so make sure to keep double-checking those. You can see more info about proxies here.

Let me know if you need anything else!

[Motig]

I run into same problem. Dropbox tells me there is no internet connection. However when I try to change to proxy setting through clicking preference menu, there would be no any kind of response. Can you point me to the Link of the older version of dropbox that does not have such issue?

[Hannah]

Thanks for the nudge here, @Motig.

You can't really install an older version of the Dropbox app on your desktop, as it wouldn't sync and it would keep trying to auto-update.

Now, you said there's no response, when you click through the preferences. Do you mean the app stops responding completely?

Have you tried quitting the app from the Dropbox icon and then restarting it?

Let me know how it goes.

[Motig]

 When I click through the preferences, nothing changes. I eventually get it working through setting up my router to direct traffic through a VPN server.  Though I think this issue should get attention from Dropbox. There are quite some users like me will run into same problem since we are behind some kind of firewall.

[Scott_H41]

@Hannah Downgrading (even if it's just momentarily) does actually work. The problem I was seeing was that the Dropbox client could not make a network connection because it had an old proxy password. Trying to open the preferences did nothing. My best guess is that the client got "stuck" in that failed network connection, and thus it wasn't "listening" to the UI for the instruction to open the preferences window.

What I found was that there was something about doing that downgrade that caused the client not get "stuck" right at the same place, and thus I could open up the preference UI and update my proxy password. The client would eventually update itself back to the current version. 

I haven't had this problem since May 2021, even though my proxy password changes daily.

[Hannah]

Thanks for updating me here, guys.

Have you looked into these articles with more info on using Dropbox with a firewall and a proxy server, to see if they help?

[Motig]

For my case, it is actually not a firewall I have control of. I am aware of those setting for proxy server. What causing problem is I cannot access the interface for changing those settings at the first place.