How to fix Dropbox and Google Drive import problems

When you import from Dropbox or Google Drive, uplads doesn't copy the file — it links to it. That keeps imports fast and storage light, but it also means a few cloud-specific issues can show up later. This article walks through the most common ones and how to fix each.

If you're just getting started with cloud imports, see import creatives from Dropbox and import creatives from Google Drive first.

The "File missing in Dropbox" warning (⚠️)

In the media library grid, a Dropbox-linked tile may show a red File missing in Dropbox badge with a warning icon. Because uplads links to the file rather than storing a copy, this appears when the original has been moved, renamed, or deleted in your Dropbox since you imported it.

A few things to know:

• The check runs automatically in the background whenever the library loads, so you see the warning before you pick the asset — not as a cryptic error at launch time.
• A flagged tile is dimmed and not selectable. Clicking it does nothing, on purpose, so a known-broken file can't slip into a launch.
• If the warning is wrong (for example, Dropbox was briefly unreachable), reload the page — a network or token hiccup is treated as "OK," never falsely flagged, so a real miss means the path is genuinely gone.

To fix it: restore the file to its original Dropbox location and name, or delete the broken tile and re-import the file. The blue Dropbox chip on each linked tile is your reminder that uplads doesn't keep its own copy.

Google Drive thumbnails not rendering

If the Google Drive picker opens but the gallery shows blank or grey thumbnails, the file previews aren't loading — though you can usually still click and select files normally.

This is almost always a Picker API key issue. The picker needs a Google Cloud API key (with the Picker API enabled) to render its preview gallery. Without it, the picker loads and selection works, but thumbnails stay blank. If you self-host uplads, set NEXT_PUBLIC_GOOGLE_PICKER_API_KEY and make sure the Picker API is enabled in your Google Cloud project. On the hosted version, contact support if thumbnails are consistently blank.

Files not appearing because of the drive.file scope

uplads requests Google's privacy-friendly drive.file scope. This means uplads can only ever see the specific files you select in the picker for that session — not your whole Drive.

So this is expected behaviour, not a bug:

• You won't see a browsable list of your entire Drive inside uplads.
• Files you imported in an earlier session aren't "remembered" by the connection — each import grants access only to that session's picked files.
• If a teammate uploaded something to a shared Drive, you still have to pick it through the picker for uplads to read it.

If a file you expect isn't importing, re-open the picker and explicitly select it there.

Re-connecting Dropbox or Google Drive

If imports stop working entirely — repeated errors, an account showing as Not connected, or a token that's been revoked — refresh the connection:

1. Go to Configuration and open the Cloud connections card.
2. Find the Dropbox or Google Drive row. If it's still linked, click Disconnect.
3. Click Connect and complete the provider's sign-in and consent screen.

Cloud connections are per user, so each team member links their own Dropbox and Drive. Re-connecting only refreshes your own access. For step-by-step connection help, see connect Dropbox and connect Google Drive.

Note: only owners and members with configuration-edit permission can change cloud connections. If the buttons are greyed out, see why configuration is view-only.

Confirming the import landed in the media library

After a successful import, files appear as tiles in the media library on the creatives step of the launch wizard. To confirm:

• Each imported tile carries a source chip — a blue Dropbox or green Drive label in the corner.
• Use the Search creatives box to find a file by name.
• Open the eye / preview icon on a tile to view the full creative and verify it's the right file.

If a tile never appears after the import toast, re-run the import and watch for an error message — partial imports report which specific files failed. For broader upload errors (not cloud-specific), see fix creative upload failures.

Once your imported creatives look right, continue with the bulk launch wizard steps.