Start 2025 on time and up to date! Seamlessly integrate your calendars into Dropbox with these simple steps! 📆
Forum Discussion
Solved
Dropbox folder bounces in the dock on Mac when syncing.
NOTE: a thread already exists for this issue but was closed without a solution. I'm writing this here to reopen it.
The Dropbox folder in my dock (Mac OS Sequoia) bounces every time a file is updated by dropbox Sync. When syncing hundreds of files, it will bounce constantly. When opening a cloud document (online-only document that is opened via the desktop file explorer and temporarily loaded onto the computer), it also bounces. This means that if I even use quick-look to preview a batch of images, my dropbox folder icon will bounce incessantly as it loads higher-resolution preview thumbnails.
People have tried disabling this in terminal and it hasn't worked. I haven't personally tried the terminal method due to these reports, but I would prefer to manage this in the notifications preferences of Dropbox instead. Even with everything turned off on my notification preferences, it still bounces.
We have received confirmation from Apple that this behavior is expected and unfortunately there is no way for Dropbox or the user to disable this behavior. This behavior occurs because the FileProvider API publishes progress updates to Finder to communicate progress in downloading files. The Dock will bounce in response to progress completions (when a file is successfully downloaded).
- Megan
Dropbox Staff
Hey izaacmp, let's jump right into this!
Was that always the case & behavior when it came to your Dropbox folder, or is this something that started happening recently?
Would you mind clarifying the version of the Dropbox desktop app that you're using on your end too?
Let me know more, and we'll take it from there!
Thanks Megan for following up 🙂
I only recently re-added the Dropbox folder to my dock about a week ago, and its been occurring the whole time. I believe I also had it in my dock 1 year or so ago without this issue, but I can't be certain.
I'm using v209.4.3661 on macOS 15.0.1 on the Apple Silicon/ARM platform.
- Megan
Thanks for the heads up izaacmp! 😀
I did some digging, and this might be related to your OS, and the settings there rather than Dropbox, but in any case we'll look into it to see what we can find.
Have you tried turning off "animate opening applications" in System Preferences, by any chance?
LynnDbxDropbox Engineer
We have received confirmation from Apple that this behavior is expected and unfortunately there is no way for Dropbox or the user to disable this behavior. This behavior occurs because the FileProvider API publishes progress updates to Finder to communicate progress in downloading files. The Dock will bounce in response to progress completions (when a file is successfully downloaded).
Thanks for checking. Did you let Apple know that this behavior is obnoxious and extremely distracting? Did they have any recommendations for how to file a complaint with them?
- LynnDbx
We did communicate that this was causing user frustration. It looks like this issue has already been surface in Apple Support Community and has not gotten traction yet, unfortunately, which would have been my suggestion for how to file a complaint with them.
