You might see that the Dropbox Community team have been busy working on some major updates to the Community itself! So, here is some info on what’s changed, what’s staying the same and what you can expect from the Dropbox Community overall.

Forum Discussion

MimiB's avatar
MimiB
Helpful | Level 6
6 years ago

Smart Sync options are missing on my context menu

I have scoured the forums for help. There is no "Smart Sync" Option when I right click on a folder on my business dropbox. I used to have the option, it disappeared 2 days ago. 

Pertinent info - Windows 10, version 71.4.108, Business account

I have already rebooted countless times, uninstalled and reinstalled multiple times, checked or completed everything in this article https://help.dropbox.com/desktop-web/smart-sync-experiencing-issue and completed an advanced reinstall of the app per this post https://www.dropboxforum.com/t5/Syncing-and-uploads/Smart-Sync-options-are-missing-on-my-context-menu/m-p/295315#M43907 

I do have green checks but no syncing arrows in windows explorer. I also appear to have lost at least some files during this process. 

I am at a loss but I would sure like to be able to smart sync again

desktop
sync
  • MimiB's avatar
    MimiB
    6 years ago

    Yes we got it resolved. We did a more in-depth removal of dropbox even than the one I found above followed by repeating several of the same simpler steps outlined above and finally something triggered it to work. I can't tell you exactly what worked because I have no idea to be honest. Something in the sequence of events maybe. 

  • Walter's avatar
    Walter
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
    6 years ago

    Hey there MimiB  - sorry to hear about this.

    This might sound far fetched but could it be that you're running the desktop app without admin rights (on the computer at hand)?

    If that's the case, note that the Dropbox desktop app requires admin privileges to run with full functionality on your computer. This enables multiple different core features of Dropbox, including:
    • Sync icons that show the sync status of files and folders
    • Right-click context menus for taking quick actions in Dropbox
    • Access to Smart Sync
    For the vast majority of users, the desktop app is automatically installed with admin privileges. However, if you didn't install with admin privileges you can follow the instructions below to do so.
     
    [If you don't have admin rights on your computer (for example if you're using a work computer), you may need to ask your IT department for help.]
     
    This is how to install the Dropbox desktop app with admin privileges
    1. If you already have Dropbox installed, uninstall the application.
    2. Download the Dropbox application.
    3. Open the installer.
      • Do not right-click, and do not command-click Run as an Administrator
    4. Follow the instructions in the install wizard.
      • If you’re asked for an administrative username and password, enter them or contact your administrator to sign in.
      • If you’re not asked for an administrative username and password, you’re already an admin on your computer.
    5. Complete the installation and sign in to Dropbox.
    Let me know if this helped Mimi!
    • wml's avatar
      wml
      Explorer | Level 4
      6 years ago

      This worked for me. If you have trouble completely deleting Dropbox.app from your Mac, go to Applications and open Package Contents. Click on the folder and trash the Plugins folder. After doing this, you should be able to delete Dropbox from your computer.

      UPDATE: Once my local files got reindexed, the Smart Sync option again disappeared from my context menu. I waited several days because of the issues with High Sierra operating system on Mac, but it was still missing. I looked in my DropBox app, Preferences (General), and saw that it said Dropbox Smart Sync was not enabled. I clicked to enable it. The link appeared to be inactive, but it worked. The message disappeared from Preferences and the Smart Sync option is now visible on my top level folder context menus.

      • rowbear97's avatar
        rowbear97
        New member | Level 2
        6 years ago

        I was expereincing the same issue as stated with the Windows user in this string but running a Mac using Mojave version 10.14.5 (18F132). I used CleanMyMac X to remove the desktop app and reinstall fixing the issue.

    • MimiB's avatar
      MimiB
      Helpful | Level 6
      6 years ago

      I knew I was missing a point - this is my personal machine. I am the admin. 

      • Walter's avatar
        Walter
        Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
        6 years ago

        So are you back up and running now Mimi?

    • StephenDoherty's avatar
      StephenDoherty
      New member | Level 2
      5 years ago

      Thank you very much... this fixed my Dropbox Discrepancy with the Smart Sync.

About Create, upload, and share

Find help to solve issues with creating, uploading, and sharing files and folders in Dropbox. Get support and advice from the Dropbox Community.

Need more support

If you need more help you can view your support options (expected response time for an email or ticket is 24 hours), or contact us on X or Facebook.

For more info on available support options for your Dropbox plan, see this article.

If you found the answer to your question in this Community thread, please 'like' the post to say thanks and to let us know it was useful!