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Forum Discussion
macOS Monterey 12.0.1 - "Dropbox Folder Missing"
The other day, I rebooted my Mac and Dropbox greeted me with the following notification:
"Dropbox Folder Missing.
Your Dropbox folder has been moved or deleted from its original location...
Jay
Dropbox Staff
Dropbox StaffWas the Dropbox folder itself located on the old external drive, or an internal drive?
In a separate external drive that's still attached and working fine.
(Although even if it wasn't, I don't understand why I can't just re-select the original Dropbox folder and go on my merry way just like I've done lots of times over the years with new computers, new disks, new folder arrangements. It's never stopped me in my tracks at startup before this problem).
- MeganHey there thecreativeoffices, I hope you're doing well.
We don't suggest keeping Dropbox on external drives because it can lead to a variety of sync issues, including the one you described.
If you want to preserve space on your computer, you could sync it to your root hard drive but utilize the Selective Sync function to block specific folders from syncing to your computer (they'll only be stored on Dropbox and accessible through dropbox.com).
Also, how do you try to re-link to your Dropbox folder? Do you do it upon installation through the Advanced settings?Hi Megan,
I appreciate your response.
I've been using Dropbox for a very long time -- if not a decade, then pretty close to it. And it's never had a problem before this month. There's got to be some kind of solution...
As for how I used to go about re-linking. Probably through advanced settings. I don't recall exactly because it didn't happen all that often -- except when I changed computers. I'd take a screenshot to show you, but this new error won't let me past the modal dialog without either quitting or logging out of Dropbox to start over. The previous functionality was preferable.
Also -- Selective Sync isn't a viable solution for me. I work with a lot of large files, and I need them on my system for many reasons -- searching, rapid opening and editing, backups, and more. When I double click on a file or attach it to an email, it's got to be there ready to go.The same thing is happening yo me.
I appreciate this thread is about 2 years old, but it's become relevant to me. I've just sent a message to DB directly, having read this thread. I feel I have to push back on the advisory not to store DB on an external drive. If, like me, you are a MacBook Pro user with a 3TB Dropbox account, you will know that internal storage comes at a huge premium. I have just shifted from a 1TB Intel i7 MBP to a 516GB M2 Pro. This means I have to be careful with my internal storage. As such I have opted to offload my DB to an external storage device. This is primarily so that I have a local offline copy of massive projects that may otherwise take a long time to download. These are the steps every time I've started up my MBP with the external drive connected:
- Login
- Dropbox folder missing warning pops up
- Close and reopen Dropbox
- Sign-in to dropbox account
- Select external drive for folder storage, as DB is acting as if this is a new setup
- DB starts indexing everything on external drive
- Wait for DB to start its download process
I think the DB platform is a smart solution, but migrating large dropbox folders from internal to external storage is inelegant and time-consuming. I've not had to do this for years, since I've had enough storage to keep what I need online and offline as necessary, and I'm still figuring out exactly how to use my cloud storage going forward. For now, just getting everything download so I have a local copy is the priority.
What is Dropbox doing to ensure its platform can be stored on external drives? If Dropbox still does not recommend it, what are the issues that Dropbox cannot fix? Or is it just not a priority on the task list?
- Megan
Hey there matt_sonicvisor, thanks for posting here!
As a first step, keep in mind that your comments on our app have been quite helpful, and I will do everything I can to ensure that your voice is heard.
I'll forward your feedback to the appropriate areas so we can continue to improve.
In the meantime, feel free to also have a look at this relevant idea, and maybe give it your vote.
Another thing to note, is that we don't advise our users into storing on an external drive. And as you know, if the drive isn't mounted correctly before the app starts, it's a common issue to expect an unstable behavior or even loss of your content.
Also, since we are moving towards an overall migration to File Provider, storing your Dropbox folder on an external drive isn't supported.
Do you think that using an external backup would be a good, working solution for you, in order to keep a backed up archive?
Let me know more!
