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Slow Sync Speed (<1MB) on MacBook Pro (M1)

Currently, my MacBook Pro with the M1 chip, purchased in October 2022, is syncing my files to Dropbox at less than 1mb/sec, but I've seen that I can send up to 100mb/sec to Dropbox.

My initial sync 2 weeks ago was smooth. Yesterday, I made 200GB worth of changes (additions/edits), and since then, the sync has been slow.

Because DropBox sync is slow, edits I currently make to folder names and file locations in my Dropbox folder do not get updated. I assume all of the other files need to be updated before these simple edits do.

I believe the problem is that Dropbox analyzes file by file (or a batch of files), and there is a limit set on the file count, rather than the data size. Currently, Dropbox is syncing my Computer Programming files, which consist of a ton of very small files. Because Dropbox is processing these small files, the total amount of data sent is extremely small, and the process is taking forever.

I've tried this community post, as recommended in this similar post. This sped up my DropBox BackUp to 100mb/sec, but my file-sync speeds remain the same.

Screenshots:

Dropbox Slow Sync.png

CleanShot 2023-05-12 at 00.53.17@2x.png

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djbkwon

Yes, Dropbox is functioning, and the file count is decreasing.

I can see new files being uploaded live.

CleanShot 2023-05-12 at 12.49.46@2x.png

I still feel that the issue is what you told me before:

The Dropbox client will batch upload smaller files into batches of 800 files. If you have 800 * 1 kB files the effective batch that's sent to Dropbox will be 800 kB in size. You may commonly see this behavior when Dropbox first starts syncing as the client starts with smallest files first and then progresses to larger files.

There must be too many of those smaller files that it is taking forever. I assume that, eventually, it'll get to the bigger files, and the speed will increase.

Edit (5/15): Maybe I need to mention you (@Megan for you to get a notification for my reply...

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Megan

Hi @djbkwon, welcome to our Community!

Great job following the second thread, the first isn't entirely related to what you're experiencing. Let's see what we can find together.

Keep in mind that the Dropbox servers do not set caps on the upload or download speeds from the Desktop client, but file sync is a complicated process that includes more than just the transfer of the data.

The Dropbox client will batch upload smaller files into batches of 800 files. If you have 800 * 1 kB files the effective batch that's sent to Dropbox will be 800 kB in size. You may commonly see this behavior when Dropbox first starts syncing as the client starts with smallest files first and then progresses to larger files.

I can also see based on your screenshot that the amount of data is rather large. Now, we would need to check two things: one being the version of the app that you're using, just to exclude that you're not using a beta version.

You can hover your mouse over your little, Dropbox icon on your menu bar, next to your WiFi in order to check this. And two, that you've adjusted the bandwidth limit accordingly, to not limit content as shown here.

Let me know more, and we'll take it from there!

djbkwon

Thank you @Megan, that's super interesting to know. I believe what you said is exactly what is happening. I'm happy that I guessed correctly.

To answer your follow-up questions:

1. It looks like I am using a Beta version of the app. I'm not sure why.

CleanShot 2023-05-12 at 01.34.29@2x.png

2. There are no limits on my upload/download rates. As mentioned, I've seen Dropbox send 100MB/sec of data before on my device.

CleanShot 2023-05-12 at 01.36.39@2x.png

Megan

Hi @djbkwon, thanks for the speedy reply!

You mentioned in your first response, that these are changes that you made yesterday. What is the progress that the app has made ever since?

Has the number of files that are seen on the first screenshot decreased?

djbkwon

Yes, Dropbox is functioning, and the file count is decreasing.

I can see new files being uploaded live.

CleanShot 2023-05-12 at 12.49.46@2x.png

I still feel that the issue is what you told me before:

The Dropbox client will batch upload smaller files into batches of 800 files. If you have 800 * 1 kB files the effective batch that's sent to Dropbox will be 800 kB in size. You may commonly see this behavior when Dropbox first starts syncing as the client starts with smallest files first and then progresses to larger files.

There must be too many of those smaller files that it is taking forever. I assume that, eventually, it'll get to the bigger files, and the speed will increase.

Edit (5/15): Maybe I need to mention you (@Megan for you to get a notification for my reply...

Bacall

I'm having this issue too. I hope Dropbox fixes this 800 * 1kb = 800 kb limit. I'm uploading a lot of very small files, 100.000 small files each a few kb (this is normal when working with Unity game projects, at least on macOS).

Edit: the folder it self weighs 3-4 GB, but because of the amount of small files it takes several hours to sync. Even though I have 250 mb/s upload rate.