Dropbox Icon Not Showing Up After Downloading For Mac

  
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The Dropbox icon has a red notification on it

If running, quit Dropbox. Click the Dropbox icon in your system tray. Click your profile picture or initials, and select Quit Dropbox. Uninstall Dropbox. Open your Finder and click Applications. Locate the Dropbox app and drag and drop it to the Trash. Or, right-click the Dropbox app icon and select Move to Trash. If running, quit Dropbox. Click the Dropbox icon in your system tray. Click your profile picture or initials, and select Quit Dropbox. Uninstall Dropbox. Open your Finder and click Applications. Locate the Dropbox app and drag and drop it to the Trash. Or, right-click the Dropbox app icon and select Move to Trash.

Do you see a red notification on the Dropbox icon in the system tray or menu bar on your computer? Here are some possible reasons:

  • Your computer can’t establish a secure connection to Dropbox. (If this is causing the sync issue, you’ll see a “Cannot establish a secure connection” error).
    • To fix this problem: Check your computer’s system time, proxy settings, or firewall settings
  • Your Dropbox account is over its storage quota. (To see if this is causing the sync issue, click the Dropbox icon in the system tray or menu bar, click your profile picture or initials, click Preferences, then click Account.)
    • To fix this problem: Remove files from your Dropbox account, or upgrade to Dropbox Plus or Professional
    • To fix this problem: If you already have a Plus or Professional account, check your account page to make sure your plan hasn't been downgraded. If you're on a Dropbox Business team, ask your admin to check the team's account status in the Admin Console.

'Whitespace conflict'

If you have two nearly identical file names, you may see a 'Whitespace conflict.' A whitespace conflict means that two files names are identical except that one has an extra space at the end of the file name. Learn more about whitespace conflicts and how to avoid them in the future.

'File is in use'

Dropbox won't sync files that are 'locked' (or in use) by another application. When Dropbox skips the file, the status message in your Dropbox menu (from the system tray or menu bar) will report that the file is in use.

Dropbox

Applications lock files to prevent conflicts from occurring when the file is opened from one or more locations. For example, Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, etc..) typically locks its files while they are open.

  • To fix this problem: When you're done with a file, save it and then exit the application you were using. Dropbox will then sync the file right away.

'Dropbox will stop syncing soon because it can’t update'

If the DropboxUpdate.exe process is disabled, you'll see the error message 'Dropbox will stop syncing soon because it can't update.'

DropboxUpdate.exe is a helper process that checks for new versions of the Dropbox app. It runs during installation of the Dropbox app, and once every hour afterwards. If the process finds a new version, it will auto-update.

This process must exist on any computer where Dropbox is installed. If you want to use Dropbox on your computer, you can’t disable this process.

Dropbox requires access to the internet to function. If the DropboxUpdate.exe helper process is unable to contact our servers to check for updates, Dropbox will stop syncing and you’ll see the “Dropbox will stop syncing soon because it can’t update” message. There are three possible fixes:

  • To fix this problem: If you made adjustments to your firewall or antivirus software in order for Dropbox to run, try making the same adjustments for DropboxUpdate.exe.
  • To fix this problem: Download the desktop app installer and reinstall the application (this will update you to the latest version of the Dropbox app, but won't affect your files or folders).
  • To fix this problem: Check that DropboxUpdate.exe is able to access the internet to check for updates.
    • Depending on your setup, you may need to add “DropboxUpdate.exe” to the list of firewall, proxy, or other security application exceptions
    • If you're on an enterprise or work network, you’ll need to contact your IT admin for help

'Permission errors' and 'access denied' error

While using the desktop app, you may see 'permission errors' or an 'access denied' error if Dropbox was unable to sync certain files.

Permissions determine who (or which apps) can access files on your hard drive. If file permissions don't allow Dropbox access to your files, then Dropbox can't sync.

Use the menu below to show instructions to resolve file permissions errors on your specific computer operating system. If your device is managed by a system administrator, have them follow the instructions below.

Summary :

Dropbox can help you to sync files & folders and you can access them on different devices such as a computer, Mac, Android phone or iPhone with the same Dropbox account. But you may be bothered by Dropbox not syncing in Windows 10. So, MiniTool offers this post to show some solutions and also introduces professional Windows file sync software.

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Dropbox Not Syncing Windows 10

Dropbox, one of the most used cloud storage services (Google Drive, OneDrive), allows you to upload files to the cloud and then you are able to access them anywhere on any of your devices including Mac, PC, iPhone or Android devices.

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In Windows operating system, you use Dropbox to back up files so you can recover your data when the hard drive crashes or other computer accidents happen.

However, many Windows 10 users have reported that they encountered some problems, including Dropbox not updating shared folder, Dropbox stuck syncing, Dropbox not connecting, etc. The serious issue is Dropbox not syncing files or folders.

Actually, the Dropbox sync issue is very common, just like Google Drive not syncing Windows 10. Why isn’t Dropbox syncing? The main causes are misconfigurations and bugs in settings, file in use, identical names, firewall issues, Proxy settings, etc.

If your Dropbox won’t sync files or folders, you come to the right place since we will show you some useful methods to fix the issue of Dropbox files not syncing in Windows 10.

Fixes for Windows 10 Dropbox Not Syncing

As with all troubleshooting, we will start with some basic checks and then work towards some complex methods. Try them one by one if Dropbox stopped syncing.

Solution 1: Restart the Dropbox Process

The first thing you should do is to check whether the Dropbox process is running on your computer. Sometimes, the Dropbox process isn’t running or responding or has frozen up, which causes the sync issue. In most cases, you can simply start or restart the Dropbox process, which is sufficient to solve Dropbox folder not syncing.

Step 1: In Windows 10, go to Task Manager.

Is Task Manager not responding in Windows 10/8/7? Now get the full solutions to fix Task Manager if you can’t open it.

Step 2: Look for the Dropbox process.

  • If you find it in the list of Processes, choose it and click End task.
  • If you cannot see it or have ended the task, click the desktop icon to restart it.

If the restart couldn’t help, try other ways.

Solution 2: Check the File

If the file is open in an application, it cannot be copied from the Dropbox folder on your PC to the cloud server. Dropbox will not sync the file and you may receive the error message - file is in use.

To fix the sync problem of Dropbox, follow these tips to make a check:

  1. Make sure the file you need to upload or sync is not open on your computer.
  2. Check the file name and ensure it doesn’t contain any characters, for example, %, ?, #, &, etc.
  3. Delete the file from the Dropbox folder and copy a new version.

Solution 3: Clear Dropbox Cache

Full Dropbox caches might also cause the client to be not syncing files or folders. To fix the issue, you should empty the cache.

  1. Open Windows 10 File Explorer and go to the Dropbox folder.
  2. Locate to the .dropbox.cache
  3. Choose all the files in that folder to delete.

Solution 4: Use Selective Sync

In Dropbox, there is a feature called Selective Sync that enables you to choose files or folders you want to back up. If you enable this feature, it will only sync the selective files. If you don’t add certain files or folders, you may find Dropbox is not syncing your files.

Try these steps to fix your issue:

  1. Click the Dropbox icon in the taskbar.
  2. Click the Settings button, go to Preferences > Sync.
  3. Click Selective Sync to put the files you want to sync into the selective sync folder. Also, you can unselect files that you don’t need.

Solution 5: Make Sure the Internet Connection

Internet connection is the basic to ensure the normal work of Dropbox. If the PC isn’t connected to the Internet, obviously, Dropbox stopped syncing. So, you should ensure the Internet is connected. In addition, you should keep enough network speed and do not limit Dropbox download and upload rate.

Learn how to troubleshoot Internet connection problems with these 11 tips incl. WiFi connected but no Internet Windows 10, router not connecting to Internet.

Tip: To ensure the download and upload are not limited, go to Dropbox settings > Preferences > Bandwidth and check Don’t limit.

Solution 6: Disable Your Antivirus Software

Your antivirus program like Windows Defender, Norton, AVG, etc. may regard the Dropbox application as a dangerous software; as a result, it stops Dropbox from syncing.

If you are bothered by Dropbox files not syncing, you should remove it from the antivirus program’s blacklist or disable the antivirus software temporarily. Then, you can sync your files with Dropbox again.

Solution 7: Grant Access in Firewall

In Windows 10, Windows Firewall may block Dropbox and then the sync problem happens. In this case, you don’t need to turn off the Firewall but you can add this application to the exception list to allow access.

The Windows Firewall may prevent your program from access the Internet. This post shows you how to allow a program through Firewall Windows 10.

Step 1: Go to the Allow apps window.

  1. Input firewall in the search box and then click Windows Defender Firewall. Then, click the Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall
  2. Alternatively, you can go to Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Defender > Open Windows Defender Security Center > Firewall & network protection > Allow an app through firewall.

Step 2: In the pop-up dialog, click Change settings, scroll down the list of apps, find Dropbox and check the boxes of Private and Public.

Step 3: Click OK to save the change.

Solution 8: Adjust Dropbox Settings (for Advanced Users)

If you have tried the above methods but they don’t work to fix the issue of Dropbox not syncing files/folders, perhaps the problem is caused by incorrect configurations or modified settings. So, you should adjust Dropbox settings by following the steps below.

Here is what you should do:

Step 1: Click the Dropbox icon in the system tray, go to Settings (gear icon in the notifications panel) and choose Exit Dropbox.

Step 2: Input cmd in the Windows 10’s search bar, right-click Command Prompt and click Run as administrator.

Step 3: Copy and paste the following commands to the pop-up window in order and press Enter after each command:

icacls “%HOMEPATH%Dropbox” /grant “%USERNAME%”:(F) /T

icacls '%APPDATA%Dropbox' /grant '%USERNAME%':(F) /T

icacls '%LOCALAPPDATA%Dropbox' /grant '%USERNAME%':F /T

icacls '%PROGRAMFILES%Dropbox' /grant '%USERNAME%':F /T

Tip: If your Dropbox folder’s location isn’t the path: C:UsersYourUserDropbox, change the first command to point to it, for example, icacls “D:Dropbox” /grant “%USERNAME%”:(F) /T. Note that you should let other commands keep unchanged. Besides, wait patiently since the operations may take some time to finish based on the size of your Dropbox.

Step 4: Restart Dropbox and check if the sync problem is solved.

Other Possible Solutions

In addition to the above eight methods, you can try many other possible solutions to fix the issue of Dropbox not syncing Windows 10. You can try these methods but here we won’t show you the detailed steps on them.

And they are:

  1. Unlink Dropbox
  2. Try installing Dropbox from Windows Store
  3. Run the App Troubleshooter
  4. Exit other applications
  5. Rename the files
  6. Update the Dropbox application to the latest version
  7. More…

Other Cases of Dropbox Files Not Syncing

As you know, Dropbox can be used on your iPhone, Android phone or Mac besides PC. If Dropbox won’t sync on your iOS or Android devices or Macs, take it easy! Just search for the solutions based on different cases and some methods are the same as the troubleshooting on a Windows PC.

Tip: Usually, you choose Dropbox to sync files for backup. However, many problems always happen, for example, Dropbox won’t sync (mentioned above), Dropbox not connecting, Dropbox icon missing, etc. If you don’t want to look for solutions or fixing is troublesome, you can use an easy way to sync files in Windows 10 – ask for help from a piece of third-party file sync software.

Use MiniTool ShadowMaker to Sync Files in Windows 10 PC

To sync files or folders on your Windows 10 computer, you can use the professional sync software – MiniTool ShadowMaker.

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At first glance, you will find this program is a piece of professional PC backup software. After launching it, you see it can back up Windows operating system, files & folders, disks, and partitions. Also, you know it supports automatic backup, incremental and differential backup.

Actually, it can be as a file sync software since its Sync feature can easily help you to sync files to other locations, such as a USB flash drive, external hard drive, network (in the same LAN), NAS, etc. If you are using Windows 10, Windows 8 or Windows 7, you can easily finish file sync. Similarly, you can use the Schedule feature to automatically synchronize files or folders.

Now, get MiniTool ShadowMaker Trial Edition (only used within 30 days for free) by clicking the following button for file sync in your PC. Of course, you can upgrade to a full edition to use it forever.

Here is how to sync files in Windows 10.

Step 1: Open MiniTool ShadowMaker

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  1. Double-click the program that you have installed.
  2. Click Keep Trial to use this edition.
  3. Choose a sync mode: local or remote by pressing the Connect button.
Tip: To sync files on another computer (in the same LAN) remotely, you need to type the ID.

Step 2: Choose Files to Sync

Dropbox Icon Not Showing Up After Downloading For Mac Windows 7

  1. Under the Sync tab, click the Source section.
  2. Check all the files or folders that you need to sync.
  3. Click OK.

Step 3: Choose a Destination

  1. Go back to the Sync window, click Destination.
  2. Choose a target for the file sync.

Step 3: Perform File Sync

  1. Click Sync Now to start file synchronization.
  2. In the Manage window, you can see your sync task.

With MiniTool ShadowMaker, you can easily sync files to a hard drive, network or NAS. Unfortunately, it currently doesn’t support cloud storage. If you have a need, now get it to have a try.

Final Words

Have you encountered the issue of Dropbox not syncing in Windows 10? Relax! This post gives you multiple solutions. Just try them to get rid of the trouble. Also, you can use MiniTool ShadowMaker to sync your files easily to other locations.

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On the other hand, leave your idea in the comment part if you have any suggestions or other solutions. Alternatively, writing an email and send it to [email protected] is also available. Thanks for your share.

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Dropbox Not Syncing Windows 10 FAQ

Dropbox Icon Not Showing Up After Downloading For Mac Os

  1. Go to Dropbox’s website to download this app and install it on your PC.
  2. Click the Dropbox icon from the taskbar, go to Settings > Preferences.
  3. Choose which folders to sync by going to Sync > Selective Sync.
  4. Click OK.
If Dropbox won’t sync on your PC, perhaps the issue is triggered by various reasons, for example, file in use, identical names, misconfigurations and bugs in settings, Proxy settings, firewall issues, etc.

Dropbox Icon Not Showing Up After Downloading For Mac Download

The latest available files can be previewed by the Dropbox mobile apps but Dropbox downloads files only if you request them. Just open this app and tap a file or open the Offline files tab to sync or download updates to your tablet or phone. If a file isn’t seen, pull down to refresh the file view.
By default, the Dropbox folder is installed to this path: C: > Users > username. C refers to the main hard drive. Of course, you can choose to place this folder in a different location during the app installation process.