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Forum Discussion
Dropbox notifications popup window is partially off screen; cannot access preferences
Dropbox popup window is partially off screen; cannot quit Dropbox. In Windows 10, in the task bar, I click on Dropbox icon in the task bar notification area and the Dropbox window pops up with the upper half off screen, so I cannot quit Dropbox or access any Dropbox settings, search, open Dropbox folder on local computer or in cloud. Please don't tell me that is a software limitation with Windows display management. Many other programs do not have this problem in Windows. When I increase my resolution through Windows Display settings then Dropbox pops up the window with all the normal icon controls visible. Up until a few weeks ago the Dropbox window would pop up with the menu icons at the top of the window easily accessible. Not anymore. There mus of been a Dropbox update that has screwed up that dialog window. How do I report this recently introduced bug to Dropbox--not that I actually believe they will fix it.
Hello everyone!
This Dropbox app scaling issue has been brought to my attention. The issue can be resolved by making DPI scaling adjustments directly to the Dropbox application without making the change to your complete system.
Please follow the steps below to make these changes.- Open Windows File Explorer, then copy and paste this file path in the search bar:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Dropbox\Client - Right-click on the Dropbox application in this folder
- Select Properties and then click the Compatability tab.
- Select Change high DPI settings
- Check the box labeled Override High DPI scaling behavior
- Then, click the drop down menu and be sure that System (Enhanced) is selected.
- Click Apply to save the changes.
- Restart your machine and open Dropbox from the system tray.
Sorry for any inconveniences this may have caused. Please let us know if there are any further issues after making these adjustments.
- Open Windows File Explorer, then copy and paste this file path in the search bar:
- Hannah
Dropbox Staff
Hey Don Jensen, thanks for letting us know about this.
Is your screen zoomed in by any chance?
Can you send us a screenshot of how this looks for you, so we can have a visual?
Thanks!
I don't know what you mean by zoomed in this context. I don't know if Windows 10 has a zoom lens or if the scaling option in Windows suffices for what you mean by zoomed. I am accustomed to zooming in on a Macintosh and that is not what I see with the scaling options in Window's "Scale and layout" option in Display Settings. On the Mac 'zoom' actually zooms into the displayed screen; with one option therein truncates the visual area while zooming, and another zoom option is like a magnifying glass to a portion of the screen. Screen resolution and zooming works on the Mac. On Windows all-too-many applications have windows that are displayed partially or entirely off screen if the resolution isn't set high enough. I have only seen an application do that once while using Macintosh computers for 35+ years.
The takeaway for you is that less than a few weeks ago, whenever I wanted to shut down Dropbox I could click on the icon in the notification area and see the full Dropbox dialog drop down and then choose to quit the application. In addition, when I go to the applications list from the Windows Start menu, I Dropbox doesn't allow me to quit from there either. I suppose I could go into task manager and end the process—but that is really stupid programming on the part of Dropbox programmers to require ending the process just to temporarily quit Dropbox—especially considering that it worked previously! Apparently some update screwed up the notification area access to quit.
Here are two images of the Dropbox issue:
dialog hiding icon menu off-screendialog showing icon menu at top
How do I report a Dropbox bug? I have already sought help for my issue on the Community Forum and got no help to solve it. Therefore I am left to assume it is a bug in a recent update to the Dropbox program code.
- Megan
Hi Don Jensen, sorry to jump in here.
I would like for you to locate your Dropbox icon next to your WiFi, and hover your mouse there. That should give you the app's version.
Also, can you let me know how long this has been happening for?
The version is 152.44880. The pop-up also says "Up to date".
How long has this happened for? I cannot say precisely. I noticed it sometime during the last month or two.
I don't need to shutdown Dropbox every week…probably average 2 or 3 times per month…when I need to stop all Internet communications except for security reasons, a select application. Presently this requires (1) quitting the Dropbox processes because I cannot access the Dropbox menu, then restarting the computer to get Dropbox working again, or (2) changing my display resolution to reach the Dropbox quite menu, then changing it back afterwards; which is a nuisance and sometimes error prone since I have to remember or write down 4 different resolution parameters, e.g. 1600 x 1200 and 1360 x 768. That is a lot of machinations just to temporarily quit Dropbox. Nearly all other applications provide access to "quit".
I've been waiting for a fix of this Dropbox bug since June of 2022. Earlier this week (01/05/2023) I downloaded and installed the latest version of Dropbox for my Windows 10 computer. The display issue I reported which fostered this thread, has yet be corrected.
Please...all of you who make suggestions to remedy this problem...you're probably wasting your time and mine. There is a workaround for this problem, as I have previously reported. I can adjust my Windows 10 display resolution so that it will display the configuration dialog window and therefore allow me to perform any normal Dropbox activity. Nevertheless, that is not a practical fix for this bug. I've been using Dropbox for many years. I know how Dropbox has worked in the past—prior to last year. It does not work well for me anymore, as this thread identifies, to some other users as well. I cannot access the Dropbox preferences nor even quit Dropbox—which I need to do once or twice a week, without a lot of machinations & workarounds.
I am having the same issue, each time I open the dropbox icon, it has shifted further to the right, off the screen and the desired controls are unavailable.
version 165.4.4300
Changing the screen resolution doesn't affect the problem.
I can however, and to those who also have this, and as stated before, I can ctrl+left click the icon and pull up a menu of choices that give me access to the desired commands.
I find it oddly amusing that every time I cause the standard window to open, it has shifted a little bit more and more. eventually there will be nothing left! I would attach an image, but snipping tool, win+shift+S doesnt work either. The screen dims with the offending dropbox popup there ready to be imaged, I make a rectangle. Nothing happens. Snip won't snip for me unless I click "new" and that scares dropbox away. What a world of frustrating apps we have today.
I reinstalled the app, and the popup position is reset, however, the problem persists; each time I open the popup, it is shifted offscreen a little more.
Hi there
Am Running Window 11pro
When I click on my Dropbox Icon. The pop windows is too big, I cannot see the Notification or settings or Account Icon.
I have tried uninstalling and reinstalling the app but no change..
Please advise.
Thank you!
I have exactly the same issue. I did a reinstall (twice) and also installed the latest stable version with no change. The Dropbox popup goes partially off screen. This is new and not something that happened in prior versions. Laptops (like my Dell 9430) automatically size the screen to a readable resolution (in my case (200%) and never has this been an issue (including my prior Dell laptop ) Not sure what changed but apparently others are experiencing the same issue. When I have 2 screens going with them set to "Extended Desktop" the Dropbox popup is partially on one screen and partially on the other.
- Hannah
Hey DaveK1955, sorry to see you're having this issue.
Have you also tried our advanced reinstall, to see if that helps?
Yes I tried that as well. This is a recent phenomenon that just started. I've not had any prior issue. Also noticed that the popup will change in terms of how much of it is off the screen from time to time. This appears to related to not being able to properly size with the current screen. Also would be nice to have a way to move that window more toward the center when desired. Doesn't appear to be a way to do that.
