Dropbox files not downloading

The Dropbox icon has a red notification on it

Do you see a red notification on the Dropbox icon in the system tray or menu bar on your computer? Here are some possible reasons:

• Your Dropbox account is over its storage quota. (To see if this is causing the sync issue, click the Dropbox icon in the system tray or menu bar, click your profile picture or initials, click Preferences, then click Account.)
  • To fix this problem: Remove files from your Dropbox account, or upgrade to Dropbox Plus or Professional
  • To fix this problem: If you already have a Plus or Professional account, check your account page to make sure your plan hasn't been downgraded. If you're on a Dropbox Business team, ask your admin to check the team's account status in the Admin Console.

"Whitespace conflict"

If you have two nearly identical file names, you may see a "Whitespace conflict." A whitespace conflict means that two files names are identical except that one has an extra space at the end of the file name. Learn more about whitespace conflicts and how to avoid them in the future.

"File is in use"

Dropbox won't sync files that are "locked" (or in use) by another application. When Dropbox skips the file, the status message in your Dropbox menu (from the system tray or menu bar) will report that the file is in use.

Applications lock files to prevent conflicts from occurring when the file is opened from one or more locations. For example, Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, etc...) typically locks its files while they are open.

• To fix this problem: When you're done with a file, save it and then exit the application you were using. Dropbox will then sync the file right away.

"Dropbox will stop syncing soon because it can’t update"

If the DropboxUpdate.exe process is disabled, you'll see the error message "Dropbox will stop syncing soon because it can't update."

DropboxUpdate.exe is a helper process that checks for new versions of the Dropbox app. It runs during installation of the Dropbox app, and once every hour afterwards. If the process finds a new version, it will auto-update.

This process must exist on any computer where Dropbox is installed. If you want to use Dropbox on your computer, you can’t disable this process.

Dropbox requires access to the internet to function. If the DropboxUpdate.exe helper process is unable to contact our servers to check for updates, Dropbox will stop syncing and you’ll see the “Dropbox will stop syncing soon because it can’t update” message. There are three possible fixes:

• To fix this problem: If you made adjustments to your firewall or antivirus software in order for Dropbox to run, try making the same adjustments for DropboxUpdate.exe.
• To fix this problem: Download the desktop app installer and reinstall the application (this will update you to the latest version of the Dropbox app, but won't affect your files or folders).
• To fix this problem: Check that DropboxUpdate.exe is able to access the internet to check for updates.

"Permission errors" and "access denied" error

While using the desktop app, you may see "permission errors" or an "access denied" error if Dropbox was unable to sync certain files.

Permissions determine who (or which apps) can access files on your hard drive. If file permissions don't allow Dropbox access to your files, then Dropbox can't sync.

Use the menu below to show instructions to resolve file permissions errors on your specific computer operating system. If your device is managed by a system administrator, have them follow the instructions below.