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

Dropbox keeps quitting on my Mac Pro

After years of successful use Dropbox stopped working on my Mac Pro a few days ago. It keeps trying to launch (I see it in the menu bar) and then immediately quits. I can't manually launch it. I get ...
Desktop
Mac
Setting up the apps
  • insch's avatar
    insch
    6 years ago

    I did get it resolved, thanks. I had to follow a very specific method to re-install Dropbox. My first attempts to do that had not worked. This was the solution:

    1.Restart your computer, holding down command+R to enter Recovery Mode

    2.Open your Terminal app (Located at /Applications/Utilities/Terminal)

    3.Copy and paste the following line into the Terminal. PLEASE make sure you copy and paste the command (don't type it by hand). You'll be prompted for your computer's admin password (not your Dropbox password) after entering the command. Keep in mind that the password field in the terminal will remain blank as you type your password. After you type it, just press ENTER. You'll know that these instructions complete normally once the initial line of text (called prompt) comes up again:

    spctl kext-consent add G7HH3F8CAK

    If the command returns an error or does not respond after an hour, you may want to restart your computer and try these steps again.

    4.After this you can restart the machine, and let it load as normal. Once restarted, you can re-install Dropbox again (basic reinstall this time, pasted below). When Dropbox has finished installing, while it will not prompt you again to install Smart Sync, the required components will now be present on your machine.

    You should now be able to proceed with using Smart Sync without further issue.

    Basic reinstall: 

    First, make sure you save and quit ALL programs that access files in the Dropbox folder.

    Here are the steps:

    1. Download the newest version:


    https://www.dropbox.com/downloading

    1. Stop Dropbox (If needed):

     

    • Click the Dropbox icon in the menu bar at the top of your screen
    • Click on your profile picture or initials to the right of the search bar and select 'Quit Dropbox'

     

    1. Delete the Dropbox application from the Applications folder. You may need to provide your computer password in order to perform this action.

    2. Reinstall the Dropbox desktop application

     

    • Open the Dropbox .dmg file and double click the Dropbox icon.
    • Dropbox should appear in your menu bar.
Lusil's avatar
Lusil
Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff

Hi there insch, 

I just wanted to follow up on this and check if you were able to resolve this in the end. If you were, could you let us know what did the trick for you?

Thanks! :slight_smile:

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

I did get it resolved, thanks. I had to follow a very specific method to re-install Dropbox. My first attempts to do that had not worked. This was the solution:

1.Restart your computer, holding down command+R to enter Recovery Mode

2.Open your Terminal app (Located at /Applications/Utilities/Terminal)

3.Copy and paste the following line into the Terminal. PLEASE make sure you copy and paste the command (don't type it by hand). You'll be prompted for your computer's admin password (not your Dropbox password) after entering the command. Keep in mind that the password field in the terminal will remain blank as you type your password. After you type it, just press ENTER. You'll know that these instructions complete normally once the initial line of text (called prompt) comes up again:

spctl kext-consent add G7HH3F8CAK

If the command returns an error or does not respond after an hour, you may want to restart your computer and try these steps again.

4.After this you can restart the machine, and let it load as normal. Once restarted, you can re-install Dropbox again (basic reinstall this time, pasted below). When Dropbox has finished installing, while it will not prompt you again to install Smart Sync, the required components will now be present on your machine.

You should now be able to proceed with using Smart Sync without further issue.

Basic reinstall: 

First, make sure you save and quit ALL programs that access files in the Dropbox folder.

Here are the steps:

  1. Download the newest version:


https://www.dropbox.com/downloading

  1. Stop Dropbox (If needed):

 

  • Click the Dropbox icon in the menu bar at the top of your screen
  • Click on your profile picture or initials to the right of the search bar and select 'Quit Dropbox'

 

  1. Delete the Dropbox application from the Applications folder. You may need to provide your computer password in order to perform this action.

  2. Reinstall the Dropbox desktop application

 

  • Open the Dropbox .dmg file and double click the Dropbox icon.
  • Dropbox should appear in your menu bar.
  • Lusil's avatar
    Lusil
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
    6 years ago

    Thanks for letting us know and for providing such detailed troubleshooting, insch! Awesome work. 

    If you have any other questions in the future, don't hesitate to give us a nudge. In the meantime, have a wonderful weekend ahead! :relieved:

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