Backblaze won't backup Dropbox folder while files on disk are flagged as online-only

Thanks for following up, and great question, this definitely gets into some confusing Windows behavior, so let’s break it down:

Why your Dropbox folder shows as a reparse point

It's normal for the Dropbox folder to show as a reparse point only when Dropbox is installed and using the Microsoft Cloud Files sync engine.

Here’s what’s happening:

• When Dropbox is installed, it tells Windows to manage your Dropbox folder using the Cloud Files sync engine, which is how Windows enables features like showing files in File Explorer before they’re fully downloaded.
• As soon as this happens, Windows adds a reparse points to the files inside your Dropbox folder.
• If you uninstall Dropbox, that integration is removed, so Windows removes the reparse point too, and fsutil command shows nothing.
• Even if you mark all files as "Available Offline," Windows still keeps the reparse point on the folder, because it’s needed to manage file sync state behind the scenes.

Why some people say Backblaze works

• Some users may still be able to back up their Dropbox folder if they’re using on an older Dropbox version with the legacy sync engine.
• But once Dropbox is using Cloud Files API (which became mandatory for full compatibility with modern Windows versions), there’s no supported way to remove the reparse point without breaking sync.

Can you make Dropbox not use reparse points?

Unfortunately, no. There’s no supported way to prevent Dropbox from using reparse points on Windows. This behavior comes from Microsoft’s Cloud Files platform, and Dropbox uses it to deliver key functionality like online-only files, fast sync status, and better integration with Windows features.

What can you do to back up Dropbox files to Backblaze?

• Downgrade to a legacy version of Dropbox (Not recommended long term). Older versions of Dropbox didn’t Windows Cloud Files or reparse points. In theory, if you install one of those, your Dropbox folder should sync normally. It can potentially break on newer Windows versions or during OS/security updates. Cloud Files became a default sync engine for Dropbox, so eventually all users will be updated to use it and the solution will stop working.
• The best solution is to have Backblaze update their software to fully support backing up files from sync solutions like Dropbox that use Cloud Files.
  
  

Let us know if you have any other questions!