The Dropbox desktop app makes sure the Dropbox folder on your computer is synced with your Dropbox account online. The app will show special symbols (or “icons”) to let you know what's happening. You'll see these icons in a couple of places:
- The Dropbox icon in your taskbar (Windows) or menu bar (Mac) shows the overall status of Dropbox
- Icons on individual files or folders show the status of that file or folder
In this article, you’ll learn what each icon means, and what to do if they get stuck or go missing.
Not using Dropbox yet? See how Dropbox makes syncing files easy.
Note: If you're not sure what "sync" means, you can learn more about Dropbox sync and how it works.
The sync icons that appear on files and folders
 |
Synced
A green circle with a check mark means a file or folder has finished syncing the latest changes. These could be changes you made, or changes made by someone you shared the file or folder with.
|
 |
Sync in progress
The blue circle with rotating arrows means individual files and folders are in the process of syncing to Dropbox.
|
 |
Not synced to dropbox.com
The gray circle with the minus sign will appear on a file or folder you've chosen not to sync to dropbox.com. That file or folder remains on your computer's hard drive. |
 |
Sync not happening
The red circle with the x means that something is wrong, and Dropbox isn’t syncing this file or folder. There are a few common reasons for this:
- Invalid filenames (files can’t sync if their names have certain characters or symbols)
- Permissions errors (meaning you don’t have access to shared content, or a computer system permission)
- File changing very rapidly (meaning multiple edits in quick succession)
- Your Dropbox account is out of storage space (which means you can't upload to it)
|
 |
View-only access in a shared folder
If you see a lock on a shared folder, it means that you have view-only access to that folder. This means you can view the files, but not edit them or share them with others. To request edit access to the folder, contact the owner of the folder.
|
Smart Sync
If you’re a Dropbox Plus, Family, Professional, or Business customer, you may also have icons unique to Smart Sync:
 |
Online-only content
Files and folders with the cloud icon are online-only. This means that they’ll appear in the Dropbox folder on your computer, but they’re not fully downloaded. These placeholder icons simply show that the item is available in your Dropbox account online. You can then choose to fully download it if you’d like.
|
 |
Local content
Local content is available in your Dropbox account online, and it’s also downloaded to the hard drive of your computer. You can directly edit these files from applications on your computer.
|
 |
Mixed state folders
Mixed state folders contain both local and online-only files.
|
The status icons in the taskbar or menu bar of your computer
There are a several Dropbox icons that appear in your taskbar (Windows) or menu bar (Mac). Depending on your operating system, these icons may be different colors.
 |
Synced
If the Dropbox app is fully synced, the icon is solid, either black or white depending on your operating system.
|
 |
Sync in progress
If Dropbox is in the process of syncing, the icon appears with a syncing symbol in the lower right corner.
|
 |
Paused
If the Dropbox app is paused, the icon is faded with a paused symbol in the lower right corner.
|
 |
Not connected
If the Dropbox app on your computer can't connect to Dropbox servers, the icon is faded.
|
 |
Notifications
If you have unread notifications, the icon has a red dot in the lower left corner with a number indicating the number of notifications. If you have more than 99 notifications, the icon has a red dot with 99+ in the lower left corner. |
 |
Camera import
If you are uploading from a camera, the icon has a camera in the lower right corner while the upload is in process.
|
What to do if the Dropbox icon is missing in the taskbar or menu bar
The Dropbox icon will only appear in your taskbar (Windows) or menu bar (Mac) if the Dropbox desktop app is downloaded to your computer and running. Occasionally, the Dropbox icon will seem to disappear, but this only means that the desktop app isn’t running.
To resolve this, first try launching the app again. If this doesn’t work, you can download (or re-download) the Dropbox desktop app and sign in to your Dropbox account when prompted. To relaunch the app:
- Windows: Click the Start menu, then click Programs, then find and run the Dropbox app
- Mac: Open the Applications folder, then find and run the Dropbox app
- Linux: Click the Applications menu, then open the Internet folder, then find and run the Dropbox app
What to do if the Dropbox sync icons are missing from your files
If you don't see Dropbox syncing icons on your files, there can be a few possible explanations. But the most likely one is that Dropbox shut down unexpectedly and is no longer running. To check if Dropbox is running, look for the Dropbox icon in your taskbar (Windows) or menu bar (Mac). If it’s not running, see the instructions in the section above to re-launch or re-download.
If you've verified that Dropbox is running, but you’re still having issues with sync icons on your files, here are some other possible explanations:
- Start Dropbox on system startup is unchecked in your preferences, or Dropbox was forced to quit
- You’re looking at an inactive Dropbox folder in its previous location
- You need to restore the Dropbox operating system defaults by installing Dropbox again
- Installing and signing-in again will fix most issues with sync icons
- You may have a corrupted settings file
There are a few other explanations for why the sync icons might not work on a specific operating system. Click your operating system below to learn more: