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Re: Smart Sync and Quick Preview on Mac

Smart Sync and Quick Preview on Mac

Andrew-RFLB
Helpful | Level 5
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Smart Sync causes my quick preview function (spacebar) to not function properly on my Mac. I can't preview thumbnails, or quick preview any videos or photos. Any ideas why this happens?

147 Replies 147

Jane
Dropbox Staff
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Thanks for reaching back out to me on this discussion  User4759, annienar & CNowell, I’ll do my best to follow-up with you & we’ll take it from there! 
 
For starters, I’m assuming that you’re all experiencing the same behavior Rod2 has described above. If someone is seeing something different or they have this issue by following different steps, please do let me know in your replies. 
 
Moving forward, I’m genuinely interested in seeing whether this is specific to Dropbox-related processes & for that reason I’ve made sure to reach back out to you via email CNowell & annienar, so as to try & recreate the behavior. I haven’t reached out to you User4759, because you’ve mentioned that the issue they were facing persisted with Dropbox complete closed. 
 
That all being said, I appreciate your efforts & the time you’ve all devoted in sending us the relevant info & rest assured that I’m here to examine the variables that may apply on this behavior. 
 
Last but not least, I’d like to note that I’m at your entire disposal should you need any updates & chase any newer report that could be posted here, so feel free to ping me at any time & I’ll make sure to check back with you asap. 
 
I hope you all enjoy the rest of your day ahead & I’m looking forward to hearing back form you via email! 

 


Jane
Community Moderator @ Dropbox
dropbox.com/support

 

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User4759
Helpful | Level 6
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What does "completely closed" mean? As Support instructed, I clicked the DropBox icon, clicked the gear, clicked "Quit Dropbox." And yet, I could still access files which were stored on DropBox only via SmartSync. If I completely closed out of DropBox, shouldn't I be unable to see those files?

Jane
Dropbox Staff
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Sure, let me clarify in a bit more detail below User4759!
 
Once you “Quit Dropbox”, the application is no longer actively running on your device, hence it’s a valid troubleshooting steps for us, so as to determine whether it’s affecting any other functionality. 
 
Your folderstructure remains intact on your device though & you can access your files normally regardless, as the Dropbox folder that remains on this device is merely a regular folder on your computer.
 
I hope this sheds some more light on your query User4759 & I’m wishing you a wonderful weekend ahead! 

 


Jane
Community Moderator @ Dropbox
dropbox.com/support

 

Heart Did this post help you? If so please give it a Like below. 
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User4759
Helpful | Level 6
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So, even though I only have those filed stored online, not locally, I can still access them locally with DropBox turned off? I'm use SmartSync so I don't have to keep so many files on my limited hard drive. It doesn't make sense that I'd be able to access them if DropBox was truly deactivated. Plus, I'm not talking about the Dropbox folder. I'm talking about other folders that have SmartSync set to store the files online only. You're saying I should be able to see them without Dropbox being active on my computer?

Jane
Dropbox Staff
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If your files are set to “Online-only” (:cloud:) on your device, you shouldn’t be able to access them locally once you disconnect your Dropbox account from your desktop (though this should apply only to the files inside your Dropbox folder). 
 
As per Rod2’s description on the previous page though, it was my understanding that we were discussing that Smart Synced files are set to local & after doing so, you’re still unable to use the Quick Preview. Am I right or are you seeing something else User4759If so (namely your files are available locally), then Quitting the Dropbox application should be a a valid troubleshooting step. 
 
Of course, I could happily analyze all the above in more detail in case you have more questions, so please do keep me updated if you’d like me to here to explain any of the above more. Happy Monday!

 


Jane
Community Moderator @ Dropbox
dropbox.com/support

 

Heart Did this post help you? If so please give it a Like below. 
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Questions asked in the community will likely receive an answer within 4 hours!)

AlyssaP
New member | Level 2
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I am having the same issue as the above posters. I just installed Dropbox the other day (after upgrading to High Sierra). Now, none of my files can be previewed in Finder. When I relaunch Finder, previews will show again for a few minutes, but then the same issue happens again and I can't preview files anymore. I have tried turning off Smart Sync and online-only settings, but it hasn't worked. How do I turn off the online-only setting so that all of my files can be downloaded and previewed in Finder?

jefflandon
Helpful | Level 5
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I am having this same issue. Previews sporadically working on High Sierra. Having to Force close Finder just to get it working for a few moments. This absolutely is a bug that needs to be fixed. They will of course not admit that.

 

So far my Dropbox customer service experience has been terrible. It took them 7 days to allow me to upgrade my plus account to pro. I am now experiencing these issues and I will not hold my breath about Dropbox caring in the least bit. I think each person simply has to decide if they can live with this arrangement.

Jane
Dropbox Staff
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Hey AlyssaP & jefflandon, apologies for the slight delay in reaching back out to you, let me follow-up on your requests & we’ll take it from there.
 
Just so as to make sure I’m analyzing the issue you’re facing correctly, can you confirm whether you’re experiencing the issue described by Rod2 here?
 
Based on your description AlyssaP, you’re having an issue opting out of system extensions, in order to disable Smart Sync. Assuming that you’re not a team admin, can you please make sure you’re following the steps listed here: 
 

#1. Go to your Account tab online. 

 

#2. Scroll to Dropbox system extension & toggle this setting to off

 

In case you can’t do so or you experience any difficulties in any way, can you please let me know here? 
 
Following, when it comes to your inquiry jefflandon, I understand that your previous experience may haven’t been ideal, though I’m here to focus on the matter as closely as I can. If it’s not too much trouble for you, can you let me know whether you’ve followed any of the suggestions we’ve posted above? 
 
Of course, once I have this info, I’ll make sure to get back in touch in a bit more detail on this conversation. Thanks again & I hope you both have a wonderful week ahead!

 


Jane
Community Moderator @ Dropbox
dropbox.com/support

 

Heart Did this post help you? If so please give it a Like below. 
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:arrows_counterclockwise: Still stuck? Ask me a question! (
Questions asked in the community will likely receive an answer within 4 hours!)

Lauri I.
Helpful | Level 6
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Anyone tried is the same problem also in the latest Mojave betas?

Mojave is coming out today and as always I'm really afraid of upgrading because of dropbox and how well it will work with the new OS.

Lauri I.
Helpful | Level 6
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Just as I feared, the problem is actually much worse in Mojave. We did a clean install of Mojave for two new Macbook Pro's and the quick preview stopped working completely after using dropbox for a while.

The only new thing is that force quitting finder no longer fixes the issue temporarily. Rebooting does not fix it either. Great stuff!

DO NOT UPDATE TO MOJAVE YET IF YOU WANT TO USE QUICK PREVIEW IN FINDER

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