Dropbox Folder Not Showing Up In Finder

Posted : admin | On 30-04-2021



If it's up to date and still not showing the folder in question, you could try renaming it to see if this improves matters. In any case, please keep me posted! Open Finder and select Go to folder. From the Go menu. In the dialog box that appears, type /Dropbox/ and then press the return key. 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. I am NOT sharing photos, videos, etc. Between Mac and Win7, but this folder showed up where Dropbox should be. But I can't write to it in Win7 (it says I need permission to do that), and I don't know where it is in Mac.

If the data you want to keep is on a Mac

  1. Reset the Dropbox data in 1Password on your Mac:

    1. Open and unlock 1Password.
    2. Choose 1Password > Preferences > Sync.
    3. Select your vault and change the sync selection from Dropbox to None.
    4. Select “Delete your data from Dropbox” and click Disable Sync.

  2. On your other devices, reset 1Password. This will remove all 1Password data stored on those devices:

    • Mac and Windows: Open 1Password and make sure it’s locked. Choose Help > Troubleshooting > Reset All 1Password Data and follow the onscreen instructions.
    • iOS: Delete 1Password from your device. Reinstall 1Password but don’t set it up yet.
    • Android: Delete 1Password from your device. Reinstall 1Password but don’t set it up yet.

  3. Restart all your devices.

  4. Set up syncing with Dropbox in 1Password on your Mac. Wait for Dropbox to finish syncing before setting up your other devices.

  5. Set up syncing with Dropbox in 1Password on your other devices. Sign in to the same Dropbox account, and choose the same vault you created on your Mac.

If the data you want to keep is on an iPhone or iPad

  1. Reset the Dropbox data in 1Password on your iOS device:

    1. Open and unlock 1Password.
    2. Tap Settings > Sync, choose your vault, and tap Sync Service.
    3. Note the path listed for Dropbox. It should look something like /Apps/1Password/1Password.opvault.
    4. Tap Disable Sync.
    5. Open the Dropbox app and delete the folder at the path you noted.

  2. On your other devices, reset 1Password. This will remove all 1Password data stored on those devices:

    • Mac and Windows: Open 1Password and make sure it’s locked. Choose Help > Troubleshooting > Reset All 1Password Data and follow the onscreen instructions.
    • iOS: Delete 1Password from your device. Reinstall 1Password but don’t set it up yet.
    • Android: Delete 1Password from your device. Reinstall 1Password but don’t set it up yet.

  3. Restart all your devices.

  4. Create an empty vault on your Mac or Windows PC and sync it with Dropbox:

    • Mac: Open 1Password. Click More Options, choose “Create a standalone vault” and follow the onscreen instructions. Then set up syncing with Dropbox.
    • Windows: Open 1Password, choose “Create a new vault on this Windows PC” and follow the onscreen instructions. Then set up syncing with Dropbox.

    If you don’t have a Mac or Windows PC, you’ll need to delete all 1Password vaults in your Dropbox account before you set up syncing with Dropbox on your iOS device.

  5. Set up syncing with Dropbox in 1Password on your iOS device. Make sure to choose the same vault you created on your Mac or Windows PC. Wait 5 minutes for Dropbox to finish syncing before setting up your other devices.

  6. Set up syncing with Dropbox in 1Password on your other devices. Sign in to the same Dropbox account, and choose the same vault you created on your Mac or Windows PC.

If the data you want to keep is on Windows

  1. On your Windows PC, turn off Dropbox sync and remove your 1Password data from Dropbox:

    1. Open and unlock 1Password.
    2. Click All Vaults at the top of the sidebar or choose View > Show/Hide Vaults (Ctrl + D). If you have a different vault selected, you’ll see its name instead of All Vaults.
    3. Clicknext to your vault and choose “Reveal in Explorer”.
    4. Note the path listed for Dropbox. It should look something like /Apps/1Password/1Password.opvault.
    5. Clicknext to your vault, select “Disable sync”, and click Yes when prompted.
    6. Open the Dropbox app and delete the folder at the path you noted.

  2. On your other devices, reset 1Password. This will remove all 1Password data stored on those devices:

    • Mac and Windows: Open 1Password and make sure it’s locked. Choose Help > Troubleshooting > Reset All 1Password Data and follow the onscreen instructions.
    • iOS: Delete 1Password from your device. Reinstall 1Password but don’t set it up yet.
    • Android: Delete 1Password from your device. Reinstall 1Password but don’t set it up yet.

  3. Restart all your devices.

  4. Set up syncing with Dropbox in 1Password on your Windows PC. Wait for Dropbox to finish syncing before setting up your other devices.

  5. Set up syncing with Dropbox in 1Password on your other devices. Sign in to the same Dropbox account, and choose the same vault you created on your Windows device.

If the data you want to keep is on Android

It’s not possible to reset your Dropbox data on Android without deleting 1Password, which will also delete your data. You’ll need to export your data and then import it into 1Password on a Mac or Windows PC.

  1. Export your data from 1Password on your Android device. Do not skip this, or you will lose all your data.

    Tap Settings > Advanced > “Export primary vault”. Your 1Password data will be saved to a folder named 1PasswordExports in local storage on your device.

    If you don’t see “Export primary vault”, contact 1Password Support.

  2. Delete your vault from Dropbox:

    1. In 1Password, tap Settings > Sync.
    2. Note the path to your 1Password vault. It should look something like /Apps/1Password/1Password.opvault.
    3. Quit 1Password.
    4. Open the Dropbox app and delete the folder at the path you noted.

  3. Delete 1Password from your Android device.

  4. On your other devices, reset 1Password. This will remove all 1Password data stored on those devices:

    • Mac and Windows: Open 1Password and make sure it’s locked. Choose Help > Troubleshooting > Reset All 1Password Data and follow the onscreen instructions.
    • iOS: Delete 1Password from your device. Reinstall 1Password but don’t set it up yet.
    • Android: Delete 1Password from your device. Reinstall 1Password but don’t set it up yet.

  5. Copy the 1Password.opvault you exported from your Android device to your Mac or Windows PC. Learn how to transfer files from your Android device

  6. Add the 1Password.opvault you exported to 1Password on your Mac or Windows PC:

    • Mac: Double-click the file to open it in 1Password.
    • Windows: Open 1Password and choose “Sync using folder”. Select the 1Password.opvault you exported and click “Select Folder”.

  7. Set up syncing with Dropbox in 1Password on your Mac or Windows PC. Wait for Dropbox to finish syncing before setting up your other devices.

  8. Set up syncing with Dropbox on your Android device. Make sure to choose the same vault you created on your Mac or Windows PC.

  9. Set up syncing with Dropbox in 1Password on your other devices. Sign in to the same Dropbox account, and choose the same vault you created on your Mac or Windows PC.

To ensure that your files sync correctly, first verify three things:

  • That your computer, phone, or tablet is connected to the Internet
  • That you’re signed in to the same Dropbox account on those devices
  • That the file or folder is in the Dropbox folder on your computer

If you verified that your computers are online and in sync, but a file still isn't appearing where expected, then there may be an issue with the name of the file itself. Files with a bad filename can sync to dropbox.com, but might not appear in the Dropbox folder on your computer, or work properly on incompatible operating systems.

If you find that you have a bad file (or files), there can be a few possible explanations. Below are some common causes of bad files.

Incompatible characters for all operating systems

If sync isn't working and your file name includes one of these characters, the easiest solution is to rename the original file without these characters.

  • / (forward slash)
  • (backslash)

To prevent sync problems in the future, try to avoid naming your files with these characters as Dropbox can't sync them on some platforms.

Note: Some emojis can also cause sync issues.

Incompatible characters with Windows

If sync isn't working on Windows and your file name includes one of these characters, the easiest solution is to rename the original file without these characters.

  • < (less than)
  • > (greater than)
  • : (colon)
  • ' (double quote)
  • | (vertical bar or pipe)
  • ? (question mark)
  • * (asterisk)
  • . (period) or a space at the end of a file or folder name

To prevent sync problems in the future, try to avoid naming your files with characters incompatible with the Windows file system.

Reserved filenames in Windows

Windows has a set of reserved words that can’t be used as valid filenames. If you create and name a file or folder from dropbox.com or a non-Windows device that includes a reserved word, then the file will not sync to your Dropbox on Windows computers. For a complete list of reserved file names, please see the Naming Conventions section of Windows Developer Network.

Ignored files

Some small system files aren't synced over Dropbox. These include:

  • desktop.ini
  • thumbs.db
  • .ds_store
  • iconr
  • .dropbox
  • .dropbox.attr

Max character length

If you're having trouble syncing files and your file name is over 255 characters, the easiest solution is to shorten the name of the original file.

Notes:

  • Some applications—such as Microsoft Excel—have shorter limits (218 characters).
  • Windows counts the file path as part of the name. For example, Windows counts the below file name as 142 characters:

C:UsersPandaMy DocumentsDropboxCreative NonfictionMy AutobiographyFavorite ThingsFavorite FoodsBambooFamily RecipesFresh Leaves.doc

Max components in a path

File paths with more than 300 components won't sync. For example, the following file path contains 7 components:

Creative Nonfiction › My Autobiography › Favorite Things › Favorite Foods › Bamboo › Family Recipes › Fresh Leaves.doc

Beginning characters on Mac and Linux

Files or folders that begin with a period (e.g. .myfile.doc) will sync properly to the Dropbox folder on your computer. However, Mac and Linux operating systems will regard filenames that begin with a period as system files and hide the files automatically. You won’t be able to see the files without modifying advanced settings on your computer. Instead, you can sign in to dropbox.com and rename the files or folders (e.g. _myfolder).

Trailing characters

Files and folders that end with periods (.) won't sync properly between operating systems. If a file ends in a period, like file.txt., the file won't sync.

Temporary files

When some applications (such as Microsoft Word, Excel, or PowerPoint) open a file, they will often save a temporary file in the same directory and name it in one of the following ways:

  • Name begins with ~$ (a tilde and dollar sign) or .~ (a period and tilde)
  • Name begins with a tilde and ends in .tmp, such as ~myfile.tmp

Dropbox doesn’t sync these temporary files on any operating system.

Metadata and resource forks

Avoid syncing files that use metadata (or resource forks), including Mac aliases or Windows shortcuts. These types of files typically only work on the operating systems they were created on.

Junction points

Dropbox will follow Windows junction points and sync the files or folders they link to. However, any changes to those files or folders made from the Windows operating system will not sync again until the Dropbox desktop app is restarted. To get around this, move the original folder to your Dropbox and add a junction point from its previous location to link to its new location in the Dropbox folder.

Reparse points

In some rare cases, Windows may append a certain type of extended attribute, called a reparse point, to files or folders. The Dropbox desktop app cannot sync files or folders with this attribute.

If you see a red 'X' on files or folders, it’s possible the cause is a reparse points. To correct this for an individual file, create a new file of the same file type, then copy the contents of the file that can't be synced to this new one and save it. To correct this on a folder, create a new folder and then copy and paste the contents from the folder that can't be synced to this new one.

Note that you may have multiple files and folders with reparse points. If this is true, you’ll need to apply this workaround several times. If you continue experiencing this issue, contact Microsoft support for more help.

A warning regarding metadata and FAT32 drives

Some documents have file attributes, or xattrs, in data attached to the file. We call this data metadata. Operating systems use metadata in many different ways: storing the icon, labeling your documents, attaching information to the file, permissions, and so on. Dropbox supports xattrs on all platforms. However, thumb drives and portable drives that use the FAT32 file system do not support metadata. If your Dropbox folder is on a FAT32 drive, unfortunately it is impossible to retain metadata when the file is moved or renamed.

Monitoring more than 10,000 folders on Linux

Dropbox Folder Not Showing Up In Finder Mac

The Linux version of the Dropbox desktop app is limited from monitoring more than 10,000 folders by default. Anything more than that is not watched and, therefore, ignored when syncing. There's an easy fix for this. Open a terminal and enter the following:

This command will tell your system to watch up to 100,000 folders. Once the command is entered and you enter your password, Dropbox will immediately resume syncing.

Turning on extended attribute (xattr) support in Linux

Dropbox Folder Not Showing Up In Finder

Can't See Dropbox Folder

Some Linux distributions have extended attributes (xattrs) turned off by default. If you're running a Linux distribution with an ext3 or ext4 file system, it's possible to turn on xattr support, typically through your /etc/fstab settings file. Please refer to your Linux distribution's documentation for instructions.

Using referenced files in Dropbox

Dropbox Folder Not Showing Up In Finder

We strongly recommend against methods that add referenced files (symlinks, junction points, or networked folders) to the Dropbox folder. Using reference files can cause high CPU usage, poor syncing performance, permissions issues, and quota usage disparities.