Error on startup (permissions?) Dropbox won't start without admin mode

Thanks for posting on the forum, Alexius321!

When did you start seeing this error exactly? Did you have any kind of update on your Dropbox app/device right before this issue occurred?

Also, what’s the current OS version of your computer? Did you initially install the desktop app with admin rights?

That’ll help me assist you further.

Thank you for the quick answer, the error started to show up maybe about a month ago. I'm not aware that it would be connected with any big system update. Also, I'm not sure about any other specific udpates. I tried to install the app both, with admin rights and without admin rights (after "advanced" unistall) both installations have the same result - the error. 

here is more infor about my OS version:

Windows 11 Pro

10.0.22621 Build 22621

Hey Alexius321, sorry to jump in here, but if you happen to be on the Basic plan, have you ensured that you're not hitting your account's device limit?

If that's not the case, could you try disabling any security programs you may have running temporarily and let us know if you still get the same error? 

I do have basic plan, but only three devices are registered (it says that 3 are allowed).

I don't have any security programs except for default windows firewall, in there all communication for Dropbox is allowed. I turned it off anyway and tried to run again and received the same error. 

Thank you for your assitance

The error message you provided indicates that Dropbox is encountering a permissions issue when attempting to start up. Here are a few troubleshooting steps you can try to resolve the problem:

1. Run Dropbox as Administrator: You mentioned that running Dropbox as an administrator allows it to start without any issues. While this is not an ideal long-term solution, it could indicate that there is a permission problem related to the user account you are currently using. You can right-click on the Dropbox shortcut or executable and select "Run as administrator" to see if it consistently resolves the problem.

2. Check Folder Permissions: Ensure that the user account you are using has the necessary permissions to access and modify the Dropbox folder and its contents. Right-click on the Dropbox folder, select "Properties," go to the "Security" tab, and check if your user account has full control or at least the required permissions.

3. Reset Dropbox Settings: Try resetting the Dropbox settings to their default values. To do this, exit Dropbox completely, press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog, type "%APPDATA%" (without quotes), and press Enter. Locate the "Dropbox" folder, rename it to "Dropbox_old," and then restart Dropbox. This will create a new Dropbox folder with default settings. Note that your preferences and settings will be reset, so you may need to set them up again.

4. Temporarily Disable Antivirus/Firewall: Sometimes, antivirus or firewall software can interfere with Dropbox's functionality. Temporarily disable any antivirus or firewall software you have installed, then try starting Dropbox again to see if the issue persists. If Dropbox starts successfully, you can add it as an exception in your security software to prevent future conflicts.

5. Reinstall Dropbox: If the above steps don't resolve the issue, you can try uninstalling Dropbox completely and then reinstalling it. First, uninstall Dropbox through the Control Panel or Settings. Afterward, download the latest version of Dropbox from the official website and reinstall it. During the installation process, make sure to choose the appropriate installation options and follow any prompts.

Thank you for the tips. Below are the results (in short, it still did not solve the issue).

1. I can run it as administration (by right clicking shortcut) and it runs OK, but as you say that is not a long term solution.

2. I checked folder premissions, they seem to be OK, just in case I added full control to all accounts on my PC (there is only one account though, and it is administrator account). It did not help.

3. I tried this and also no change (I think I menitioned above that I tried the advanced unistall - a part of that is to delete registry folders and also appdata folders. No change, same error.

4. I mentioned above that I do not have any antivirus or firewall except for windows default and there I tried two things: A) I turned it off and try to run dropbox (got same error) B) add a rule to allow all communications for Dropbox app (also got same error afterwards)

5. I did "advanced unistall" several times already but it did not help.  

Hi Alexius321!

Can you also give the following steps a go, and let me know if they help?

1) If Dropbox is running:

• Click on the Dropbox icon in the system tray
• Choose "Exit"

2) Press the Windows Key + R (at the same time) then type "cmd" and press enter to open the Command prompt.

3) Copy and paste the following lines into the Command Prompt, one at a time, and press RETURN after each one. PLEASE make sure you copy and paste these commands(don't type them by hand), as getting them wrong could cause some harm. Also, you can only paste them by right clicking and selecting “Paste”. Don't worry if one of the instructions below fail or you can't find the folder in one of these locations. This is normal.

icacls "%HOMEPATH%\Dropbox" /grant "%USERNAME%":(F) /T

icacls "%APPDATA%\Dropbox" /grant "%USERNAME%":(F) /T

icacls "%LOCALAPPDATA%\Dropbox" /grant "%USERNAME%":(F) /T

If you have any questions before you do this, or if you see an error after running one of these commands, please let me know!

4) Restart Dropbox from Start -> All Programs. Please also restart your computer.

Hello, thank you for the tips, here are the results 🙂

1. command one: (one file in "films" folder access denied error) - i do not have any "films" folder in dropbox folder 

2. command two: success

3. command three: success

sadly, result is the same 😞 same error (even after restarting computer and starting dropbox from start menu)

Any other tips please?

Thanks for trying this, Alexius321!

Can we log a ticket for you then, and check this internally to see what’s happening?

Ok, please make a ticket... i wondered if I should do so myself, but I couldn't find it anywhere 😞

Thank you