iCloud and cloud storage
Dropbox moved on most Macs: it now sits under Locations in the sidebar, in a folder inside your Library. Here is where to look and what to switch on when it goes missing.
If your Dropbox uses Apple's File Provider (Dropbox's name for the current Mac setup), the folder lives at ~/Library/CloudStorage/Dropbox and appears in the Finder sidebar under Locations, not under Favorites. Dropbox's own help says exactly that. If it isn't there, do these in order:
~/Library/CloudStorage. If a Dropbox folder is there, the files are fine; only the sidebar link is missing.If you set up Dropbox some years ago and never accepted the File Provider update, your folder may still be at ~/Dropbox under Favorites. Both are normal.
Dropbox on File Provider needs macOS 12.5 or later, and Dropbox says moving to it is optional. To see which you are on, click the Dropbox icon in the menu bar, click your avatar or initials, choose Preferences, then Sync (a tab or a sidebar item, depending on the app version). Under Dropbox folder updates it says either that you are already on File Provider or offers to start the update. Dropbox is also rolling out a choice to keep the folder on a compatible external drive, so some setups won't be in CloudStorage at all.
| You are on | Folder location | Sidebar |
|---|---|---|
| Dropbox on File Provider | ~/Library/CloudStorage/Dropbox | Under Locations |
| The earlier setup (or opted out) | Usually ~/Dropbox | Under Favorites |
macOS treats Dropbox like any other cloud storage app, so one sidebar switch covers it. In Finder > Settings > Sidebar, Cloud Storage sits under Locations. If it's ticked and nothing shows, the Locations section may be collapsed: hover over the word Locations in the sidebar and click the arrow that appears. Some people on Dropbox's forum report the tick not helping until Dropbox is quit and reopened, and a few say the entry vanishes again after a restart.
TidBITS found that any cloud service's item can be dragged from Locations up into Favorites, and Dropbox's help says individual folders from inside your Dropbox can go to Favorites too. What isn't supported on File Provider is adding Dropbox to the Finder toolbar.
Two things to rule out. First, online-only files: Dropbox's help says files not marked Make available offline may be switched to online-only when the disk is low on space. That saves room, and the files are still part of your Dropbox. Second, an old folder: if you opted out of File Provider, Dropbox's help describes an "unlinked Dropbox" folder left under Locations, with a notice at the top. That one is not your live folder. Otherwise check the app isn't signed out or paused, and that you're in the right account.
An old ~/Dropbox in your home folder is a third possibility. After the move, it can be a link to the new folder, or, as TidBITS saw on its own Macs, a disconnected copy that stopped syncing. ls -l ~ tells them apart: a link's line starts with l and ends with -> and a path inside Library/CloudStorage, while a real folder's line starts with d.
If you use more than one Dropbox account, each gets its own folder under CloudStorage. Dropbox's example names are "Dropbox - Personal" and "Dropbox - Work Team", so look at the whole ~/Library/CloudStorage list before deciding one is missing.
Dropbox documents a "domain conflict" error: an older or duplicate Dropbox folder in CloudStorage, often left behind after an uninstall or a restore from backup. Its fix involves quitting Dropbox and moving the old folder out of CloudStorage, and it says not to delete the old folder. Follow Dropbox's article on resolving a domain conflict for the move itself rather than improvising with commands. If you want to know what else lives in that folder first, the CloudStorage folder explained covers it.
Reinstalling is the last resort. Dropbox has an "advanced reinstall" article for when its support team suggests it. It says to keep your Dropbox folder untouched throughout.
Dropbox files still exist under CloudStorage even when Finder isn't showing the link, and searching Dropbox files on a Mac covers the search side. In Everywhere, path:Dropbox .pdf lists PDFs with Dropbox anywhere in their path, and the Recent button cuts that to files changed in the last 7 days. It can see CloudStorage only after you grant it Full Disk Access.
Dropbox on File Provider appears in the Finder sidebar under Locations, not Favorites. Tick Cloud Storage in Finder > Settings > Sidebar, and make sure the Dropbox app is running and signed in.
With Dropbox on File Provider it is at ~/Library/CloudStorage/Dropbox, unless you moved it to a supported external drive. On the earlier setup it is usually ~/Dropbox. The Sync section of Dropbox's Preferences shows which you have.
They may be online-only, the app may be signed out or paused, or you may be looking at the wrong account's folder under CloudStorage. Check the Dropbox menu bar icon first.
Yes. Cloud storage items can be dragged from Locations into Favorites, and Dropbox's help says individual folders from inside Dropbox can be added to Favorites too. Adding Dropbox to the Finder toolbar is not supported on File Provider.
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