How to manage Dropbox accessibility settings on Mac

Updated Sep 04, 2023

The information in this article applies to all Dropbox users on Apple devices.

Accessibility is an Apple setting that allows applications on your Mac to interact with other applications. For example, it allows the Dropbox badge to work in non-Dropbox applications.

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Why does Dropbox want to turn on accessibility?

Accessibility is used for some Dropbox features like:

The Dropbox badge
Seeing who’s viewed your files
Better prioritization for file syncing

How to turn on accessibility

When you install Dropbox on your Mac, you may see this dialog box.

Note: If you don’t see the dialog box above, follow the instructions in the section below titled “How to edit accessibility settings” to turn on accessibility.

To turn on accessibility from the dialog box:

Click Turn on Accessibility.
Go the Privacy tab, if you’re not there already.
Click the lock icon to unlock your system preferences.
- You’ll be asked to enter your computer username and password (not your Dropbox username and password).
Check the box beside the Dropbox icon to enable accessibility.
Click the lock icon again to re-lock system preferences.

How to turn off Dropbox accessibility prompts

If you don’t want to keep being asked about accessibility, check the box next to Don’t show this to me again, then click Not Now.

Note: If you change your mind after dismissing the prompt, you can edit your accessibility settings at any time by following the instructions in the section below titled “How to edit accessibility settings”.