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
MikeLV
4 years agoExplorer | Level 4
Dropbox app won't start on M1 Mac running Big Sur
I just got a new MacBook Air M1 running BigSur. Dropbox does show up in the Finder sidebar and it appears the Dropbox files and folders on my Mac have synced with Dropbox.com. However the dropbox icon does not show up in the tool bar at the top of the screen. Plus, I downloaded the Dropbox app but it won't start. error message is shown below. I am not on a network share. Don't know what is the deal with permissions. Suggestions?
- Thanks for providing the full error-log MikeLV.
Could you please try an advanced reinstall with admin privileges and let me know how it goes?
While at it, please make sure that there's no antivirus or firewall that might be causing issues.
Keel me posted with your progress!
- MKschmittExplorer | Level 4
I am having major issues with it as well. Just updated to BIG SUR and I can't even download the app. I can't find the folder in FINDER, nothing and nobody to call and talk to. I have been messing with it for the last week and am beyond frustrated. Sorry this doesn't help you but know you are not alone.
- MikeB2Explorer | Level 3
What "might" have worked for me... I changed my regular user account to an administrator and ran through the Advanced Reinstall. I'm pretty sure it failed the first time through, but then I removed administrator from the user account, rebooted, and suddenly it was working properly...
(To change administrator status, log out of the account, log in as an administrator, open System Preferences, select Users & Groups, click the padlock icon if needed, then select the user account and check/uncheck "Allow user to administer this computer").
- MikeB2Explorer | Level 3
Out of the blue, with no changes to my system or environment, the startup failures have returned. This is extremely frustrating!
bn.BUILD_KEY: Dropboxbn.VERSION: 127.4.4265bn.constants.WINDOWS_SHELL_EXT_VERSION: 48bn.is_frozen: Truemachine_id: 81473c3e-02f8-54bb-bc0e-2632fb565d70pid: 754ppid: 1uid: 502user_info: pwd.struct_passwd(pw_name='user', pw_passwd='********', pw_uid=502, pw_gid=20, pw_gecos='User', pw_dir='/Users/user', pw_shell='/bin/bash')effective_user_info: pwd.struct_passwd(pw_name='user', pw_passwd='********', pw_uid=502, pw_gid=20, pw_gecos='User', pw_dir='/Users/user', pw_shell='/bin/bash')euid: 502gid: 20egid: 20group_info: grp.struct_group(gr_name='staff', gr_passwd='*', gr_gid=20, gr_mem=['root', 'mjbunnell', 'user', 'mike', 'boinc_master', 'boinc_project'])effective_group_info: grp.struct_group(gr_name='staff', gr_passwd='*', gr_gid=20, gr_mem=['root', 'mjbunnell', 'user', 'mike', 'boinc_master', 'boinc_project'])DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH: Nonecwd: '/'real_path='/'mode=0o40755 uid=0 gid=0parent mode=0o40755 uid=0 gid=0HOME: '/Users/user'appdata: '/Users/user/.dropbox/instance1'real_path='/Users/user/.dropbox/instance1'mode=0o40700 uid=502 gid=20parent mode=0o40755 uid=502 gid=20dropbox_path: '/Users/user/Dropbox'real_path='/Users/user/Dropbox'mode=0o40700 uid=502 gid=20parent mode=0o40755 uid=502 gid=20sys_executable: '/Applications/Dropbox.app/Contents/MacOS/Dropbox'real_path='/Applications/Dropbox.app/Contents/MacOS/Dropbox'mode=0o100755 uid=502 gid=20parent mode=0o40755 uid=502 gid=20trace.__file__: '/Applications/Dropbox.app/Contents/Resources/python-packages.zip/dropbox/client/ui/common/boot_error.pyc'real_path='/Applications/Dropbox.app/Contents/Resources/python-packages.zip/dropbox/client/ui/common/boot_error.pyc'not foundparent not foundtempdir: '/var/folders/vw/hs31tvjn26d1mypmb2zsztn80000gp/T'real_path='/private/var/folders/vw/hs31tvjn26d1mypmb2zsztn80000gp/T'mode=0o40700 uid=502 gid=20parent mode=0o40755 uid=502 gid=20Traceback (most recent call last):File "dropbox/client/main.pyc", line 827, in wrapperFile "dropbox/client/main.pyc", line 6650, in finish_dropbox_bootFile "dropbox/client/message_queue.pyc", line 307, in _wrappedFile "dropbox/client/main.pyc", line 6147, in _init_components_for_accountFile "dropbox/client/main.pyc", line 6073, in create_sync_engineFile "dropbox/sync_engine_boundary/factory.pyc", line 225, in make_sync_engineFile "dropbox/sync_engine/nucleus/classic_client/sync_engine.pyc", line 278, in __init__File "dropbox/sync_engine/nucleus/classic_client/modern_client/modern_client.pyc", line 219, in __init__File "dropbox/sync_engine/nucleus/classic_client/modern_client/base.pyc", line 150, in __init__File "dropbox/sync_engine/nucleus/classic_client/thin_adapter/in_proc.pyc", line 223, in __init__File "dropbox/sync_engine/nucleus/classic_client/thin_adapter/in_proc.pyc", line 591, in _init_new_engine_lockedFile "dropbox/sync_engine/nucleus/thin_client/client.pyc", line 182, in __init__File "desktop/extensions/nucleus/nucleus_python.pyx", line 76, in nucleus_python.NucleusSyncEngine.__cinit__nucleus_python.SyncEngineError: "Initializing engine |>> Initializing filesystem |>> Marking Nucleus cache directory as ignored |>> Writing to xattr |>> fsetxattr syscall: write_xattr |>> Permission denied"
- victoriabaumExplorer | Level 4
I have same problem and have 2T Pro, 3 allowed. Works on iPhone and old MacBook Air 😞
- WalterDropbox StaffHey there MikeLV & victoriabaum, thanks for posting on our Community and sorry to hear about this.
Could both of you please click on the hypertext from your error message and send us the full error log?
This will help us assist further!- MikeLVExplorer | Level 4
Thank you for getting back to me. The error message I receive is at the top of this stream. FYI I have deleted and re-downloaded the installer numerous times and always get the same result. Also shut down and restarted the computer after deleting the installed app and the installer. None of that worked. I am running Mac OS BigSur version 11.4.
You asked for the full error log. It is very long. Here it is:
bn.BUILD_KEY: Dropboxbn.VERSION: 125.4.3474bn.constants.WINDOWS_SHELL_EXT_VERSION: 48bn.is_frozen: Truemachine_id: 3c855c8f-1be4-5167-9ada-50e978519c94pid: 12896ppid: 1uid: 501user_info: pwd.struct_passwd(pw_name='Mike', pw_passwd='********', pw_uid=501, pw_gid=20, pw_gecos='Michael Vaughn', pw_dir='/Users/Mike_1', pw_shell='/bin/bash')effective_user_info: pwd.struct_passwd(pw_name='Mike', pw_passwd='********', pw_uid=501, pw_gid=20, pw_gecos='Michael Vaughn', pw_dir='/Users/Mike_1', pw_shell='/bin/bash')euid: 501gid: 20egid: 20group_info: grp.struct_group(gr_name='staff', gr_passwd='*', gr_gid=20, gr_mem=['root', 'mike', 'Patty', 'Mike', '_nsurlstoraged', '_serialnumberd'])effective_group_info: grp.struct_group(gr_name='staff', gr_passwd='*', gr_gid=20, gr_mem=['root', 'mike', 'Patty', 'Mike', '_nsurlstoraged', '_serialnumberd'])DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH: Nonecwd: '/'real_path='/'mode=0o40755 uid=0 gid=0parent mode=0o40755 uid=0 gid=0HOME: '/Users/Mike_1'appdata: '/Users/Mike_1/.dropbox/instance1'real_path='/Users/Mike_1/.dropbox/instance1'mode=0o40700 uid=501 gid=20parent mode=0o40700 uid=501 gid=20dropbox_path: '/Users/Mike_1/Dropbox'real_path='/Users/Mike_1/Dropbox'mode=0o40700 uid=501 gid=20parent mode=0o40755 uid=501 gid=20sys_executable: '/Applications/Dropbox.app/Contents/MacOS/Dropbox'real_path='/Applications/Dropbox.app/Contents/MacOS/Dropbox'mode=0o100755 uid=501 gid=20parent mode=0o40755 uid=501 gid=20trace.__file__: '/Applications/Dropbox.app/Contents/Resources/python-packages.zip/dropbox/client/ui/common/boot_error.pyc'real_path='/Applications/Dropbox.app/Contents/Resources/python-packages.zip/dropbox/client/ui/common/boot_error.pyc'not foundparent not foundtempdir: '/var/folders/dp/6dr17q2s32s1p26mmx5tt44m0000gn/T'real_path='/private/var/folders/dp/6dr17q2s32s1p26mmx5tt44m0000gn/T'mode=0o40700 uid=501 gid=20parent mode=0o40755 uid=501 gid=20Traceback (most recent call last):File "dropbox/client/main.pyc", line 819, in wrapperFile "dropbox/client/main.pyc", line 6472, in finish_dropbox_bootFile "dropbox/client/message_queue.pyc", line 307, in _wrappedFile "dropbox/client/main.pyc", line 6005, in _init_components_for_accountFile "dropbox/client/main.pyc", line 5932, in create_sync_engineFile "dropbox/sync_engine_boundary/factory.pyc", line 225, in make_sync_engineFile "dropbox/sync_engine/nucleus/classic_client/sync_engine.pyc", line 275, in __init__File "dropbox/sync_engine/nucleus/classic_client/modern_client/modern_client.pyc", line 219, in __init__File "dropbox/sync_engine/nucleus/classic_client/modern_client/base.pyc", line 149, in __init__File "dropbox/sync_engine/nucleus/classic_client/thin_adapter/in_proc.pyc", line 223, in __init__File "dropbox/sync_engine/nucleus/classic_client/thin_adapter/in_proc.pyc", line 597, in _init_new_engine_lockedFile "dropbox/sync_engine/nucleus/thin_client/client.pyc", line 182, in __init__File "extensions/nucleus/nucleus_python.pyx", line 76, in nucleus_python.NucleusSyncEngine.__cinit__nucleus_python.SyncEngineError: "Initializing engine |>> Initializing filesystem |>> Attempting to register icons |>> Opening dst |>> open syscall |>> Permission denied"
About Apps and Installations
Have a question about a Dropbox app or installation? Reach out to the Dropbox Community and get solutions, help, and advice from members.
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!