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Dropbox.com folders slow to open and access

I've been a user for years without issue. Mostly, I access shared folders by logging in online rather than syncing to a device because I work with a lot of people and a lot of files.

A few months ago, this become a huge problem. It doesn't matter what computer/device/location/internet service/browser I use, the folders open really slow. If the folder structure is many folders deep, it could take several minutes for me to reach the file I need to access. Just this morning, a file that was 6 folders deep in the hierarchy took just shy of 3 minutes to reach. ...before this issue, I could have gone 15 folders deep in seconds.

I have two separate dropbox accounts (personal and business), both are doing this from all locations/browsers/devices.

Things I've tried:
Use different devices
Use different browsers on the various devices
Cleared my cache and cookies on all devices
Turned off all security/firewall monitoring to see if Norton was causing the issue
Turned off all browser add-ons/extensions/themes to see if one was interfering
Tested it at a friends house who uses a different internet service provider
Uninstalled dropbox app from my computer thinking maybe it was creating a sync conflict

Anyone have any other suggestions?

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Comments

Jay

Hi @DMJS, thanks for bringing this to our attention.

Did you perform an advanced reinstallation of the app using these steps?

As you've done all the know steps to resolve this behavior, there isn't much else we can suggest.

If you have any further queries, feel free to message back.

DMJS

I haven't but will try it this afternoon.

DMJS

Just a quick update. I tried the advanced reinstallation of the app and that didn't help either.

I guess I'll have to learn patience. lol

Nancy

Hi @DMJS! I’d also like to ask if you’ve tried a mobile browser on your mobile device.

Does that make any difference when trying to access your folders online?

DMJS

Hey Nancy. I tried Chrome and Firefox on my phone - the same slowness. I have not installed the app on my phone since I log into the accounts online to access everything.

If it worked on my phone but not the desktop or laptop, I would 100% blame Norton 360 since it has jammed up my computer before, but since I get the same results using the phone, I really am at a loss as to what could be causing it.

Walter

Hey @DMJS - sorry to jump in here, but as a last test, could you try an incognito window with no extensions or plugins running and let us know if the issue persists?

Also, have you ensured that your device's OS is up to date?

DMJS

Walter - Firefox incognito with no extensions or plugins running works perfectly!

Walter

So there must be a certain extension causing this @DMJS

In this case, you can try to disable them one by one to see which one is the problematic one, if needed.

DMJS

I did that as a first step, but will try it again.

Walter

Let us know of any updates @DMJS

DMJS

I turned off all plugins, extensions & themes in Firefox, then closed & reopened the browser. Dropbox was still slow.

While the browser was still open, I cleared my cookies and cache for all dropbox related pages. Tested dropbox and it was immediately fast again.... until I closed my browser.

I reopened Firefox (theme/plugin/extensions still off) and tested dropbox, it slowed back down - but isn't quite as slow as before.

I turned on my plugins, themes, etc. and it is holding steady at slow but not as slow.

Any idea why cache/cookies would be causing it to drag? I cleared them before making a post here and it still lagged so I'm not 100% sure that's the issue/fix.

DMJS

I wanted to give one last update since it's been a few days. As I said Monday, I believe it is a cache/cookie issue.

Accessing the files and folders this week was slow, but not nearly as slow as it was prior to me starting this thread. Then, this morning it was back to being seriously slow. I immediately cleared my cache and cookies and it sped back up. So it's definitely something with the caching/cookies.

Walter

Does the issue persist on private browsing windows as well @DMJS?

Also, have you ensured that your browsers are up to date?

DMJS

It works fine on private browsing. Yes, both browsers are up to date (Edge and Firefox).

Hannah

Hey @DMJS, since this isn't really related to Dropbox, there's not much we can suggest on our end.

However, you could take a look at some browser settings that might help, like blocking 3rd-party cookies or this suggestion here.