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Forum Discussion

Bob P.19's avatar
Bob P.19
New member | Level 1
9 years ago

How can I remove the word "(Personal)" in the name of my Dropbox folder?

I recently added a Dropbox Business account to my Mac and so Dropbox prompted me to add "(Personal)" in the name to signify which account it was. 

However, after disconnected the Dropbox Business account, my personal Dropbox folder is still named "Dropbox (Personal)". When I try to rename the folder to just "Dropbox," the computer tells me the "name "Dropbox" is already taken."

Is there a way to rename this folder to just Dropbox again?

Thanks so much for any and all help!

  • Brent L.'s avatar
    Brent L.
    New member | Level 1

    The answer we've all been waiting for!!! The uninstall and re-install proposed solution does not work. The problem is there is a hidden file named "Dropbox" in the location where you are trying to rename and save the "Dropbox (Personal)" file. What you need to do is show the hidden files and delete the sneaky culprit called "Dropbox" (For mac users look here: http://www.instructables.com/id/Show-hidden-files-in-Mac-OS-X/step2/Run-the-defaults-command/). Rename your "Dropbox (Personal)" file to "Dropbox". Dropbox will need to relink, but when it does so this time, it will be named correctly.

    //huge sigh of relief for this guy

  • Rich's avatar
    Rich
    Icon for Super User II rankSuper User II

    The folder cannot be renamed. If it's that critical, uninstall and reinstall Dropbox.

    Uninstall the Dropbox client. Rename your Dropbox (Personal) folder to something else (just in case) like Dropbox_OLD. Reinstall the Dropbox client. Once installed it will immediately start to sync your files from the cloud. Either pause syncing or exit Dropbox. Move the data from the Dropbox_OLD folder into the Dropbox folder and either resume syncing or relaunch Dropbox. Allow it time to index all your files.

  • Rich's avatar
    Rich
    Icon for Super User II rankSuper User II

    It's not a hidden folder, but a symbolic link, at least that's what it should be. When Dropbox renames the folder to Dropbox (Personal) or Dropbox (Company Name), it creates a symlink to that folder using the Dropbox name. So while you see your folder renamed to Dropbox (Personal), it remains accessible using that name or just the normal Dropbox name.

    From here: https://www.dropbox.com/help/4210

    For admins: File and folder paths

    • If your team members already have Dropbox installed on their computers, all files and most applications will automatically point to the new work Dropbox folder and subfolders. Dropbox will create a hidden symlink that points to the new Dropbox folder from the old location. Fresh installs don’t require this, as the Dropbox folder is created with the business name from the beginning.

  • Demian H.'s avatar
    Demian H.
    New member | Level 1

    +1 for an answer on this please, @Dropbox

    If you're going to automate an amend to add "(personal)" to the root folder when adding a seperate business account then surely it can't be that difficult to automate a rename to remove the "(personal)" label.

    Or at least tell us how to do it manually.

    Is there a terminal script or way of doing it though dropbox.com in browser?

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