macOS Monterey 12.0.1 - "Dropbox Folder Missing"

[thecreativeoffices]

The other day, I rebooted my Mac and Dropbox greeted me with the following notification:

"Dropbox Folder Missing.

Your Dropbox folder has been moved or deleted from its original location. Dropbox will not work properly until you move it back. It used to be located at: /Volumes/Data/DB/Dropbox

To move it back, click "Quit" below, move the Dropbox folder back to its original location, and launch Dropbox again.

This computer was previously linked to xxx@xxx.com's account.

If you'd like to link to an account again to download and restore your Dropbox from the web version, click "Relink".

I checked to make sure the folder in question was still there -- and it is. So I quit and tried again. Same notification.

So I figured it was some kind of weird glitch, relinked the account to a new Dropbox folder, downloaded files and went on with my day.

Fast forward to today. I rebooted my Mac again, and when it started it, the same Dropbox notification appeared. The folder is still there. The files are still there. But Dropbox is not connecting.

I'm not enthusiastic about the idea of downloading a few hundred gigs of data *again*... So what's going on with Dropbox? It's worked flawlessly so many years I've forgotten how long. 

Is this happening for anybody else, and what solution(s) did you find?

Thanks in advance for your time and thoughts.

[Jay]

Hi @thecreativeoffices, thanks for bringing this to our attention.

Did this occur after a Mac OS update, or any other updates?

Did you enable iCloud or make any other system changes?

This will help me to assist further!

[thecreativeoffices]

Hi Jay,

Thanks for the response.

The most recent system change I made was a few days ago; I swapped out an external hard disk drive that I was using for Time Machine. It was several years old and beginning to fail. Dropbox had nothing to do with that disk. Prior to that, I upgraded to macOS Monterey in early November, and everything was fine with Dropbox afterward.

I can't think of any other major changes...

[Jay]

Was the Dropbox folder itself located on the old external drive, or an internal drive?

[thecreativeoffices]

In a separate external drive that's still attached and working fine.

(Although even if it wasn't, I don't understand why I can't just re-select the original Dropbox folder and go on my merry way just like I've done lots of times over the years with new computers, new disks, new folder arrangements. It's never stopped me in my tracks at startup before this problem).

[Megan]

Hey there @thecreativeoffices, I hope you're doing well. 

We don't suggest keeping Dropbox on external drives because it can lead to a variety of sync issues, including the one you described.

If you want to preserve space on your computer, you could sync it to your root hard drive but utilize the Selective Sync function to block specific folders from syncing to your computer (they'll only be stored on Dropbox and accessible through dropbox.com).

Also, how do you try to re-link to your Dropbox folder? Do you do it upon installation through the Advanced settings?

[thecreativeoffices]

Hi Megan,

I appreciate your response.

I've been using Dropbox for a very long time -- if not a decade, then pretty close to it. And it's never had a problem before this month. There's got to be some kind of solution...

As for how I used to go about re-linking. Probably through advanced settings. I don't recall exactly because it didn't happen all that often -- except when I changed computers. I'd take a screenshot to show you, but this new error won't let me past the modal dialog without either quitting or logging out of Dropbox to start over. The previous functionality was preferable.

Also -- Selective Sync isn't a viable solution for me. I work with a lot of large files, and I need them on my system for many reasons -- searching, rapid opening and editing, backups, and more. When I double click on a file or attach it to an email, it's got to be there ready to go.

[Andres B.6]

The same thing is happening yo me.

[Nancy]

Hi @Andres B.6! 

Can you share more info on your issue? What were you trying to do exactly, when you received this message? 

Any relevant screenshots you can provide are also appreciated.

[mattyf]

I appreciate this thread is about 2 years old, but it's become relevant to me. I've just sent a message to DB directly, having read this thread. I feel I have to push back on the advisory not to store DB on an external drive. If, like me, you are a MacBook Pro user with a 3TB Dropbox account, you will know that internal storage comes at a huge premium. I have just shifted from a 1TB Intel i7 MBP to a 516GB M2 Pro. This means I have to be careful with my internal storage. As such I have opted to offload my DB to an external storage device. This is primarily so that I have a local offline copy of massive projects that may otherwise take a long time to download. These are the steps every time I've started up my MBP with the external drive connected:

1. Login
2. Dropbox folder missing warning pops up
3. Close and reopen Dropbox
4. Sign-in to dropbox account
5. Select external drive for folder storage, as DB is acting as if this is a new setup
6. DB starts indexing everything on external drive
7. Wait for DB to start its download process

I think the DB platform is a smart solution, but migrating large dropbox folders from internal to external storage is inelegant and time-consuming. I've not had to do this for years, since I've had enough storage to keep what I need online and offline as necessary, and I'm still figuring out exactly how to use my cloud storage going forward. For now, just getting everything download so I have a local copy is the priority. 

What is Dropbox doing to ensure its platform can be stored on external drives? If Dropbox still does not recommend it, what are the issues that Dropbox cannot fix? Or is it just not a priority on the task list?