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Forum Discussion
Add option to disable icon overlays in Windows Explorer
Please add an option to disable Dropbox icon overlays. It is so frustrating to remove Dropbox Shell Icon identifiers from the top of ShellIconOverlayIdentifiers list after each update!
It is disrespectful to users to decide for them which overlays they need.
I'm using TortoiseGit and I really need its overlays, they are useful and important for my work. Every time Dropbox updates I can no longer see status icons and have to go to Registry editor and remove newly added and USELESS Dropbox overlays.
I've seen dozens of feature requests from Dropbox users for many years but Dropbox pretends everything is fine!
UPD:
I had patience to open a thread and communicate with Dropbox team on this issue. After almost 2 years, more than 100 upvotes they have just thrown my idea away suggesting me to edit Windows registry. I've heared your answer, that's how you treat your loyal users.
So long Dropbox!
I don't want or need the Dropbox overlays. But I DO need my Subversion overlays. However, Dropbox from time to time changes my overlays in the registry
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\ShellIconOverlayIdentifiers
I've disabled overlays forever in Dropbox, but Dropbox STILL changes my registry & I have to delete the Dropbox entries, restart Windows Explorer to get Subversion to run again
- Rich
Super User II
digisolve wrote:
However, Dropbox from time to time changes my overlays in the registry
This happens because Dropbox updates the registry whenever a new version is installed.
*** UNOFFICIAL *** NOT SUPPORTED *** DO AT YOUR OWN RISK ***
Change the permissions on that Registry key so nothing can write to it, and your overlays will never change. I don't know what other consequences this could result in so DO SO AT YOUR OWN RISK.
I came across an unforeseen issue with this. Arconis want to update to a new version, and that installer wanted to write to the overlay registry. Because it was denied, the installation failed.
Luckily, it came up with a decent error and I temporary gave it write access and the problem was solved.
As so many have said, we shouldn't have to do this. It's a trivial thing to have an option in dropbox to not write to the overlay registry. Pretty shameful that they won't add it.
