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Forum Discussion
Not seeing my backups on other devices, after updating the Backup feature
Dear All.
I have been using Dropbox for over a decade. It would always sync my desktop in such a way that I was able to access any file from my desktop on any of my other devices, including phones and tablets. I love this feature.
Recently the desktop app asked me if i want to put my desktop in backup which I accidentally said yes to. I instantly regretted it as I lost Desktop sync and now can no longer access my desktop files on other devices. I turned off backup feature and reinstalled Dropbox to no avail.
Please help! I loved desktop sync and have been using it over a decade. It is the FEATURE i use dropbox for.
How do I reenable desktop sync? It used to show up as an icon in my Dropbox folder under ‘Mac’
I use a MacBook Pro.
Thank you in advance.
Has there been any update on this, it's frankly ridiculous, it's almost the sole reason I pay for Dropbox to be able to access my files from anywhere.
- I have received correspondence and Dropbox grammar stating the functionality has been taken away that we all enjoyed and the message from Dropbox to Customer “DROP DEAD” - we don’t care about your functionality problems. We’re gonna issue the software the way we want it. Customer be damned. Now I am working on a bunch of workarounds to try to restore the functionality that I needed when I use my mobile device to look up dropbox data.
I have this exact same issue. I used to be able to access my desktop from my phone, and now I can't. It's very frustrating (as was the response they gave you).
- I got the same problem and the same runaround from Dropbox why they took away this wonderful thinking of the desktop to the iPhone or iPad apps. The new update has a back up of my Mac and I ask - Why is my new Mac Desktop files on DB file Backups/Mac/Desktop not visible on my iPhone Dropbox app? Dropbox, please provide access to this file on my mobile devices?
- Why is my new Mac Desktop files on DB file Backups/Mac/Desktop not visible on my iPhone Dropbox app?
Please revert back to the previous version where you can actually access all files via the app on a phone or other device. The functionality of dropbox is now totally ruined.
I honestly have no idea why anybody thought it should have been removed. The new update means I can no longer access my files easily without going into back up.
Please correct this massive failure by Dropbox or I and many others will be cancelling subscription.It's completely destroyed. I can't even see the content in the shared folders, from my phone. I'm so devastated by this ridiculous update.
- Jay
Dropbox Staff
Hi @, thanks for bringing this to our attention.
Could you clarify what you mean by 'desktop sync'? If you're referring to the Dropbox Backup feature, then it wasn't around 10 year ago, since it was only introduced two years ago.
Do you see any backups on this page?
Any other info or screenshots would be helpful!
I don't see any backups on that page as I intentionally disabled dropbox backup.
When I say 'desktop sync' what I mean is my laptop used to have a Apple logo in the dropbox folder. This was called 'Mac' and represented my Macbook's desktop. Any files or changes I made to the desktop of my laptop would automatically be synced to dropbox and I could access my desktop documents from any of my other devices.
I loved this feature and it was so simple and useful to me.
I accidentally clicked yes to a desktop prompt a few days ago that asked if I wanted to move my desktop to 'backup'. The moment I clicked yes, my desktop folder in dropbox disappeared and I could not access my desktop files on any other device anymore.
I am trying to re-enable that feature such that my macbook's desktop is automatically synced on dropbox and so essentially I can access my Macbook desktop from my other devices.
Thank you
- Nancy
Hey Roroboo, and sorry for jumping in.
Did you click on a prompt to update Dropbox Backup perhaps, before this happened?
I have this same exact issue. Messed up my entire work flow that I've been using for many years now. Made it simple and easy to use and sync across multiple devices. PLEASE PLEASE Nancy pass on the feedback there's many of us who are running into this issue and there's no way to revert back. This messed up the way we worked this entire time with Dropbox.
Any idea how soon something like this can be (re) implemented. As others have suggested, the usability of Dropbox is not there anymore. I will definitely be looking for alternatives if the sync feature is not put back. I honestly can not think of a single reason why it would have been done in the first place, was very smooth before.
This is confirmed as being a feature that has been decommissioned/depreciated. (I spoke with support about it today)
If you have had the backup enabled BEFORE the "BETA" version, then your sync should stay intact. If you have, for any reason, had the "Dropbox Backup BETA" replace your old "Dropbox Backup", then there's nothing you can do.
You cannot revert backwards, you cannot reinstall/reset, nor can you create a new account: as this BETA is the default Backup currently.
This feature was one of the key reasons I even chose to use Dropbox over Onedrive [which also has the feature, but Onedrive doesn't save Metadata: i.e Thumbnails, for certain file-types].
I previously could open the app and see the shared team folder and the 'PC' folder for my desktop backup.
Now we're expected to access the backup via the web, yet you can't do some tasks: like delete a file via the browser version. [I'm not sure if that could be done in the past via the phone app]
Just a dumb choice to remove one of the best features provided by the service. This honestly leads me to feel compelled to look elsewhere.- Rich
Super User II
schroeder8210 wrote:
If you have, for any reason, had the "Dropbox Backup BETA" replace your old "Dropbox Backup", then there's nothing you can do.
