Dropbox File Structure Upgrade Post-Transition Checklist
This article covers the steps for CSUF faculty, staff, and students to take after the Dropbox File Structure upgrade from Friday, September 20, 2024 at 5 pm through Monday, September 23, 2024 at 5 am.
How do I know when the upgrade is complete?
CSUF IT will send out an email to the campus when the upgrade is complete. At that time, you can start following the post-transition checklist items below.
Dropbox Folder Icons Explained
Desktop Dropbox Team and Shared Folders Icons:
A. Desktop Team folder has an icon with two buildings.
B. Desktop Shared folder has an icon with 3 people.
Web Dropbox Team and Shared Folders:
C. Web Team folder has an icon with two buildings.
D. Web Shared folder has an icon with 2 people.
All Users
After the upgrade, you will want to check your content to make sure you are able to find and access all of your content and content that has been shared with you.
1.1. Check your Member Folder.
Most of your content will have been moved to the Member Folder with your name on it.
1.1.1. You should see all of your folders, files, and shared folders in your Member Folder. All of your loose files have now been moved to this folder as well.
1.2. Check your Team Folders for any content that you did not find in your Member Folder.
You may see unfamiliar Team Folders in your All files. This is likely because a sub folder in that Team Folder was shared with you.
What is a Team Folder?
Team Folders allow departments (or colleges or divisions) to share content, even as employees join or leave. The content in a Team Folder is not tied to a specific person's Dropbox account, so you never have to worry about losing any content in the Team Folder because an employee leaves. When CSUF IT creates a Team Folder, they also create a Dropbox Group. The department can then add/remove employees from the Dropbox Group to grant/revoke access to the Team Folder.
After the Dropbox file structure upgrade, Team Folders will appear in All files for all members of the Team Folder and for anyone who has access to a sub folder in a Team Folder.
In this example, we'll look at finding the Training Materials folders that appeared in the All files section.
Pre-Transition
Before the transition, the Training Materials folders appeared in the All files section of Dropbox.
You may notice that the Team Folder icon appeared next to the Training Materials folders. This lets you know that it is content being shared from a Team Folder.
Post-Transition
Ideally, the person who shared the folder would let people know the new file path ahead of time. However, if you were not informed of the new file path, you may just have to go through the sub folders of the Team Folders that appear in your All files section to find the content.
Notice that the Training Materials folders are not found in the Member Folder. That means, that although they are shared folders, they are actually shared from a Team Folder and not from a specific person's Dropbox account.
After going through the Team Folders, the two Training Materials folders have been found in the IT Training Projects Team Folder under the Project 1 and Project 2 sub folders.
So the new paths to the folders are: IT Training Projects Team Folder > Project 1 > Training Materials and IT Training Projects Team Folder > Project 2 > Training Materials.
Want to create a shortcut to a file or folder?
Star a file or folder so you can easily find it on the Dropbox web or mobile apps
Pin a file or folder so everyone with access to the shared folder or Team Folder can easily find it on the Dropbox web app
1.3. If you are unable to find content that was shared with you, click on the Shared menu. This will show all of the folders and files that have been shared with you.
- Click on the Shared menu on the left.
- Click on a folder to jump to where that folder is located in your Dropbox account.
1.3.1. A new tab/window will open with that folder open. Note the path to the folder.
Want to create a shortcut to a file or folder?
Star a file or folder so you can easily find it on the Dropbox web or mobile apps
Pin a file or folder so everyone with access to the shared folder or Team Folder can easily find it on the Dropbox web app
In this example, the Training Materials folder is found in IT Training Projects Team Folder > Project 2.
1.4. Still unable to find the shared content? Contact the person or department that shared the content with you.
It is possible that your permissions to a folder have changed if you cannot find it in the Shared section of your Dropbox web app. It is also possible that the name of the folder has been changed.
Contact the person or department that shared the content with you to have them check your permissions and confirm the name of the folder.
If you copied files/folders from Dropbox to another location and then made changes to the files, you will need to move the updated files back into Dropbox.
If you edited files that are in a shared folder or Team Folder it is possible that other users have also made changes to the same file(s). This will result in conflicted copies of the files when multiple people attempt to upload their edited version of the file(s).
2.1. Upload any updated files to your Dropbox.
Dropbox Desktop App Users
Don't try to access any Dropbox files or folders on your computer while the Dropbox desktop app is syncing your content. Use the Dropbox web app to access your content in Dropbox.
1.1. Turn on the laptop/computer and open the Dropbox desktop app (if it doesn't automatically start).
1.2. The Dropbox app will begin upgrading your content.
You may see an "Upgrading database" notification at the bottom of the Dropbox app while your content is upgraded.
1.3. Next, the Dropbox app will start syncing your content. This may take a long time if you have a lot of Dropbox content.
1.4. Once the sync is complete, you're done! You can now use the Dropbox files and folders that are synced to your computer.
Remember to follow these same steps for each computer/laptop where you have Dropbox installed.
1.5. Note that the Dropbox label will show differently in your file explorer. Instead of being called Dropbox (CSU Fullerton), it will be called CSU Fullerton Dropbox.
The example below is from our test environment which changed from Dropbox (CSUF Sandbox) to CSUF Sandbox Dropbox.
If you set up a shortcut, quick access link, or alias to your Dropbox content, you'll need to set these up again as the name of the Dropbox account has changed from Dropbox (CSU Fullerton) to CSU Fullerton Dropbox.
The example below is from our test environment which changed from Dropbox (CSUF Sandbox) to CSUF Sandbox Dropbox.
2.1. Navigate to the content you want to add as a shortcut, quick access link or alias. Use the instructions below to re-add the shortcut/quick access link/alias.
If sub folders in a Team Folder are shared with you but you are not a member of the Team Folder, you may find that those sub folders are no longer showing in the Dropbox folder on your computer/laptop if you use the Selective Sync feature.
You will need to adjust your Selective Sync settings to have the folder sync to your computer/laptop.
3.1. Click on the Dropbox desktop app in your task bar and select the account icon.
- Click on the Dropbox desktop app in your task bar.
- Then select the account icon.
3.2. Select Preferences.
3.3. Select Sync in the left menu.
3.4. Click Select folders.
3.5. Click on the Team Folder where the content you want to sync is located. Place a checkmark next to each sub folder you want to sync to your computer/laptop. Then click Update.
- Click on the Team Folder where the content you want to sync is located.
- Click on the caret icon next to a sub folder to view the content of the subfolder.
- Place a checkmark next to each sub folder you want to sync to your computer/laptop.
- Then click Update.
3.6. Click Confirm.
3.7. You will see a success notification and your selective sync settings will be applied.
If you are using Dropbox Backup, you'll need to turn it back on after the upgrade as it was recommended that you turn it off before the upgrade.
Note that you will want to wait until the Dropbox desktop app has completely synced before trying to enable Dropbox Backup.
4.1. Follow the Dropbox instructions on enabling Dropbox Backup for each computer where you are using it.
Troubleshooting
If you are having trouble locating your files or folders, follow these steps.
Remember that nearly all of your content, including shared folders, has moved to your Member Folder (the folder with your name).
1.1.1. Your Member Folder should contain all of your files, folders, shared folders, and backup files (if you use Dropbox Backup).
Any loose files that were not in a folder have been moved to the Member Folder.
You may see unfamiliar Team Folders in your All files. This is likely because a sub folder in that Team Folder was shared with you.
What is a Team Folder?
Team Folders allow departments (or colleges or divisions) to share content, even as employees join or leave. The content in a Team Folder is not tied to a specific person's Dropbox account, so you never have to worry about losing any content in the Team Folder because an employee leaves. When CSUF IT creates a Team Folder, they also create a Dropbox Group. The department can then add/remove employees from the Dropbox Group to grant/revoke access to the Team Folder.
After the Dropbox file structure upgrade, Team Folders will appear in All files for all members of the Team Folder and for anyone who has access to a sub folder in a Team Folder.
In this example, we'll look at finding the Training Materials folders that appeared in the All files section.
Pre-Transition
Before the transition, the Training Materials folders appeared in the All files section of Dropbox.
You may notice that the Team Folder icon appeared next to the Training Materials folders. This lets you know that it is content being shared from a Team Folder.
Post-Transition
Ideally, the person who shared the folder would let people know the new file path ahead of time. However, if you were not informed of the new file path, you may just have to go through the sub folders of the Team Folders that appear in your All files section to find the content.
Notice that the Training Materials folders are not found in the Member Folder. That means, that although they are shared folders, they are actually shared from a Team Folder and not from a specific person's Dropbox account.
After going through the Team Folders, the two Training Materials folders have been found in the IT Training Projects Team Folder under the Project 1 and Project 2 sub folders.
So the new paths to the folders are: IT Training Projects Team Folder > Project 1 > Training Materials and IT Training Projects Team Folder > Project 2 > Training Materials.
Want to create a shortcut to a file or folder?
Star a file or folder so you can easily find it on the Dropbox web or mobile apps
Pin a file or folder so everyone with access to the shared folder or Team Folder can easily find it on the Dropbox web app
- Click on the Shared menu on the left.
- Click on a folder to jump to where that folder is located in your Dropbox account.
1.3.1. A new tab/window will open with that folder open. Note the path to the folder.
Want to create a shortcut to a file or folder?
Star a file or folder so you can easily find it on the Dropbox web or mobile apps
Pin a file or folder so everyone with access to the shared folder or Team Folder can easily find it on the Dropbox web app
In this example, the Training Materials folder is found in IT Training Projects Team Folder > Project 2.
If there is a file open or being used by another application on your computer, you will see an error indicating that your Dropbox account can't be synced.
Be sure to follow the instructions below carefully to avoid issues with your Dropbox files and folders.
2.1. Close the file or application that is causing the issue. Then click Try Again.
Not sure what is causing the issue? Click Show Details.
2.2. Try restarting your computer/laptop and then opening the Dropbox desktop app again.
Don't start any other apps on your computer after the restart other than the Dropbox desktop app.
2.3. If Dropbox is still NOT syncing, contact the IT Help Desk. Do NOT click Cancel!!!!
Do NOT click Cancel if you still have issues syncing! Please contact the IT Help Desk for assistance.
Faculty/Staff - contact the IT Help Desk at [email protected] or 657-278-7777.
Students - contact the Student IT Help Desk at [email protected] or 657-278-8888.
2.1. You may see sub folders in Team Folders that are grayed out on the web or that are empty on your Dropbox desktop app.
2.1.1. When you click on the folder on the web, you may see a message indicating that the folder is restricted.
2.2. Typically this means that you do not have permission to that particular folder.
Within a Team Folder, it's possible to lock down a folder so only certain members of the Team Folder can access it. All members of the Team Folder will see the folder, but they will not be able to access or view the contents.
If you think you should have access to the folder, contact the person who manages the Team Folder for assistance.
If you get an error when trying to open a file on your computer/laptop, try these troubleshooting steps.
2.1. Try opening the same file on the Dropbox web app.
2.2. If you are able to open the file on the web, try these troubleshooting tips to open the file on your computer.
- Restart your computer/laptop and then try opening the file again.
- Download the file from the Dropbox web app. Then move the downloaded file to the same Dropbox folder on your computer and replace the file that won't open. Allow the Dropbox desktop app to sync and then try opening the file again.
- Try using Selective Sync to un-sync the folder containing the file from your computer. Once the folder has been removed from your computer, go back to Selective Sync and re-sync the folder. Then try opening the file again.
- Uninstall the Dropbox desktop app, restart your computer, and then re-install the Dropbox desktop app.
2.3. If you cannot open the file on the Dropbox web app, try these troubleshooting tips from Dropbox.
If you did not disable Dropbox Backup before the upgrade, it may generate an error and stop the upgrade of your account. Re-enable Dropbox Backup to continue the upgrade and sync your files.
2.1. You may see an error that the PC or Mac backup has stopped. Click OK.
2.2. Click on the Dropbox desktop app in your task bar and select the account icon.
- Click on the Dropbox desktop app in your task bar.
- Then select the account icon.
2.3. Select Preferences.
2.4. Select Backups.
2.5. Click Manage backups.
2.6. Click Enable backup and then follow the prompts to re-enable Dropbox Backup on this laptop/computer.
Note that if you use Dropbox Backup on multiple laptops/computers, you will need to follow these steps on each computer.
Need More Help?
Faculty & Staff:
Contact the IT Help Desk at [email protected] or 657-278-7777.
Additional training materials are available at the CSUF Dropbox for Business webpage.
Students:
Contact the Student IT Help Desk at [email protected] or 657-278-8888.
Additional training materials are available at the CSUF Student Dropbox for Business webpage.
You are done. Great job!