The Dropbox desktop appneeds to update (or "sync")whenever you add or update files in your Dropbox account.
This article explains how to:
- Check if your files are syncing
- Check the sync status of your files and folders
- Change the order your files are syncing in
- What to do if your files aren’t syncing
You can alsolearn how to pause and resume syncing.
Not using Dropbox yet? See how Dropbox makes syncing files easy.
How to check if your files and folders are syncing
To check the sync status of all files and folders:
- Click the Dropbox icon in yourtaskbar (Windows)ormenu bar(Mac).
- The sync status will display at the bottom of the window that appears. You may see:
- Indexing:This status means your files and folders are preparing to sync with your Dropbox account. While in this state, changes to files and folders won’t be reflected.
- Syncing [file name]:This status indicates that a specific file is syncing with your Dropbox account.
- Syncing [x] files:This status indicates that a specific number of files are syncing with your Dropbox account.
- Syncing paused until [x]:This status indicates thatyou have paused syncing. Syncing can be paused for30 minutes,1 hour,Until tomorrow, orIndefinitely. The status will show the timestamp of when the pause expires.
- Your files are up to date:This status indicates that your files have synced to your Dropbox account and are current.
- Starting: This status means the Dropbox desktop app is starting up.
- Connecting components (only on Dropbox for macOS on File Provider): This status is part of the startup process for the Dropbox desktop app and means the app is connecting to all components required to run on macOS.
How to check the sync status of a specific file or folder
To check the sync status of a specific file or folder:
- Open the Dropbox folder in File Explorer (Windows) or Finder (Mac).
- Locate the file or folder you'd like to check.
- Note: You can use the search bar in the top right to find the file or folder.
- Look at the sync icon next to the file or folder. Learn about the different sync icons and what they mean.
Choose which folders sync with selective sync
Selective sync allows you to choose which Dropbox folders to store on or remove from your computer’s hard drive.
Learn how to use selective sync.
How to change the order your files and folders sync in
- Click the Dropbox icon in your taskbar (Windows)or menu bar (Mac).
- Click the Sync history tab near the top.
- Dropbox Backup users will see Sync and backups instead.
- If files and folders are syncing, they’ll show in the order they’ll sync next.
- Hover over the file you’d like to prioritize.
- Click Sync next.
What to do if your files aren’t syncing
If synced files or folders aren’t appearing locally on your device, or in your Dropbox account, there are multiple ways to troubleshoot and fix the issue.
Learn how to troubleshoot and fix files not syncing.
FAQs about sync status
What should I do when the Dropbox desktop app indicates everything is up to date, but files are missing?
If your Dropbox desktop app inaccurately reports that everything is up to date, when you know that files in your account are missing, there may be a few causes:
- The files are still syncing—large files can take extra time to sync to your device.
- The app needs to restart—if an error has caused the app to stop syncing, closing the app and reopening it may resolve the issue.
- The app should be reinstalled—there may be an issue with your installation of the Dropbox desktop app, uninstall and reinstall the app to see if it resolves the error.
Browse more troubleshooting for sync issues.
Where can I access sync settings?
Sync settings can be changed in the Sync tab of theDropbox desktop app preferences.
Here, you can set how Dropbox treats new files, select folders to sync, and move the Dropbox folder to a different location on your computer.
Learn how to view your Dropbox preferences in the taskbar or menu bar.
