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My Dropbox Not syncing other users' changes/editions

If any of my co-workers adds, edits or deletes anything in Dropbox it does not sync for me. If I add, edit or delete anything using Finder on my MAC, it will sync. I can see their changes when I log in on-line but when I look at the folders through Finder, there are not there. I have logged in and out several times, rebooted my computer, uninstalled the app and reinstalled. When I click on the icon, the number of files being synced is a larger number every day.

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Hannah

Hey @wendy_mugridge, thanks for bringing this to our attention today.

Can you please check the exact sync status when you hover you mouse over the Dropbox icon?

Do you see any sync errors maybe?

Also, can both you and your co-workers see your own changes online?

Keep me posted.

wendy_mugridge

I am not seeing any error messages. I am hovering over the dropbox icon in the notification area of my Mac. When I hover over the icon it says Uploading 3 files...downloading 13,201 files. Not sure why it says downloading. I had this problem earlier in the year. I was getting messages that my hard drive was full - we got it fixed but it seems as though it is attempting to download again? And yes my co-workers can see everything that I save in Dropbox. In my settings, the smart sync update for Mac is turned on. I took Dropbox off my favourites lists in finder when I uninstalled it. Since I've re-installed it, I haven't put it back on my favourites list. I do have the icon on the toolbar. When I click on the menu, smart sync is set to local only. I have changed it to Online Only countless times but it is ignoring it. Thank you

Hannah

Thanks for the update, Wendy and happy holidays!

The 'local/online-only' settings refer to Smart sync, which is a feature that helps you free up hard drive space.

If the app's sync status indicates that it's downloading files, it means that it's trying to sync changes or files added by other users, or changes you made to your files directly through the website.

Does it seem stuck on the same number of files, or is it moving?

wendy_mugridge

When I click on the app, the number of files usually goes up every day. It was showing around 13,000 when I left for vacation on December 24 to around 11, 000 today. It says it is syncing.

I am currently looking at a folder on Dropbox on-line that I know was added by another user on December 15, 2021, but when I look at that folder in finder on my MAC, it is not there. I think that there has been enough time for it to have synced everything by this point, especially since very little would have been added by anyone over the long weekend.

I don't know what else to do but cannot continue like this...

Hannah

So, if I understand this correctly, syncing is happening and the number of files downloading is reducing, it's just super slow.

Can you try to reduce the files in your Dropbox folder, by removing some folders you don't really use often with selective sync?

This might help speed things up.

wendy_mugridge

the number of files being synced has gone back up again. It goes up every day. I think it was just because there was not a lot going on in the office that it went down.

In any event, this still does not answer my question as to why things uploaded by other users do not show up on my MAC through Finder. I am looking at a folder that had two subfolders added on December 30 that are not showing on my MAC. Not to mention the item that won't appear that was weeks ago. i can't wait a month (or longer) for things to sync.

I don't have the option to reduce anything in dropbox as I am the person at the firm who does conflict checks. I need access to everything. Also, this is not happening to anyone else and I am not the only user in the firm who has access to everything.

there must be some setting that is not configured properly for me. I need this fixed.

Jay

Hi @wendy_mugridge, is it possible that the folder or file names have invalid characters on them?

This could prevent them from syncing to your Mac.

Ben Wilson

I have facing Syncing issue between users we have shown everything on our systems but nothing is syncing to each other.

Megan

Hi @Ben Wilson, I'd be happy to help with that one!

Can you start by comparing each device to the info you see on the web for the account? Each computer should sync the info to the web, and vice versa.

Feel free to also have a look into this Help Center article.

Also, how is the content shared between each account? Do you use shared folders?

Let me know more!