Syncing is suddenly very slow/stopped after the last desktop app update

Hi there, @jarvist, thanks for bringing this to our attention.

I completely understand your frustration, so let's see what we can do to figure out what's causing this.

Can you check this article and make sure that you've followed all the troubleshooting steps here, to see if they help?

Also, can you let me know how many files you currently have in your Dropbox folder?

Thanks in advance!

jarvist

I have 474GB on Dropbox, but have only changed a few files lately.

I've checked everything I can in that article.
* There is no problem with the Internet connection,
* Dropobox has been enabled on my Mac for a long time and worked flawlessly until the latest update of Dropbox.
* Date and time are correct

There *is* an antivirus (Falcon Crowdstrike) that was installed by my employer and which has no settings that I can change. But again, this was installed long ago and Dropbox worked with it just fine until the latest update of dropbox.

Thanks for the update, @jarvist.

Can you also let me know what the exact number of files in your Dropbox folder is? Could it be more than 300K?

If so, can you remove some folders with selective sync, to see if that makes things better?

I'm having the exact same issue. I'm on Starlink internet, 34Mbps upload speeds, trying to upload a 1.2 GB file through Dropbox, it has been uploading for 20 minutes and only has uploaded 24MB. This is slower than the rural internet upload speeds I had pre-Starlink.

What is going on with this terrible Dropbox desktop app?? I need to upload my file tonight for a deadline. This is why I pay for Dropbox's service... This isn't a network issue on my end. Uploads to YouTube, other platforms are fast. This is something with the Dropbox desktop app.

Update: I uploaded the file to Google Drive and it took about 20 minutes for the 1.2 GB file. So again, this looks like an issue with the Dropbox app.

Sorry to see that you're having this issue, @cyeager; I'll make sure to pass your feedback along to our team.

To see if it helps at all, please check your settings, by following these steps, to see and manage how much bandwidth your internet uses to run the Dropbox desktop app and make sure it's not limited.

lucywightman

It is a huge Apple/Dropbox problem. You can no longer view online only files on an updated mac.

Hey @lucywightman, thanks for posting here and sorry to see that you're also having issues.

Can you let me know more about it? What happens when you try to open online-only files on your Mac?

If you could send a screenshot of the issue as well, so we can have a visual, it would be really helpful.

I'm actually on Windows 10, so this is both a Mac and Windows Dropbox app issue.

@Hannah No bandwidth restriction settings are enabled, mine is set to "not limited".

Hey @cyeager!

When did you first notice this behavior? Also, does this happen when you try to upload content using our website too?

Would you mind clarifying which app version you currently have installed, along with the app's syncing status? You can find both by hovering your mouse over the little Dropbox icon in your menu/task bar next to your WiFi.

@Megan First noticed last night. Uploaded a similar file on 9/30 with no issue. I was able to upload the 1.2GB file this morning through the desktop app. I did not try and upload it through the website, I should have, but I had a pressing deadline and couldn't risk any shenanigans if it got hung up again using Dropbox. Uploaded it through Google Drive in 20 minutes. (So again, this wasn't a network issue or internet upload speed issue for me.)

The app version I have is 233.4.4938. The sync status is currently up to date.

Walter

Hey @cyeager - could you update to the latest stable version of the Dropbox desktop app from this page and let us know if this persists for you?

Nancy

Hey @cyeager, did you happen to try Walter’s suggestion? If you did, let me know how that went.

Yes, I did. It has been working like normal.

Hey @cyeager!

Thanks for letting us know about this.

If you need something else, please let me know and I will be more than happy to help every step of the way.

Summit Geomatic

We have had the same issue. Updated DropBox a few weeks back and it was noticeably slower. I have just tried installing the 'stable' version, however this doesn't seem to have helped much as far as I can see.

When syncing files previously they would appear pretty much straight away after activating the file folder. Now we are lucky to see files appear after 2 minutes or so. Typical folder size I am refering to consists of 200 odd files in 20 folders with 300 - 500 MB so they are not huge.

I am running WIN 11 Pro. Internet speed is 54 Mbps download 18.8 Mbps upload.

Hey @Summit Geomatic, let's jump right into this!

Would you mind clarifying the app's current syncing status and version that you're using? You can find it by hovering your mouse over the little Dropbox icon in your taskbar next to your WiFi.

While you're at it, could you also confirm the update you mention at the beginning of your post? Are you referring to the Dropbox for Windows update?

Also, can you let me know how many files you currently have in your Dropbox folder? To check the number of files in your Dropbox folder, use your computer's file explorer, right-click the folder and view Properties.

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

Summit Geomatic

Dropbox version is 238.3.6038

I am not sure exactly when the current version was installed, probably 3 weeks ago(?)

There was a change in appearance and interface with this update and it seemed to take a while for files to synchronise immediately afterwards. After some time and plenty of opportunity to update files we are find that it takes a long time for files saved on one PC to download to other PC's in our (small) office. This could involve a folder containing 2 or three jpeg images a word doc and PDF. Nothing too hectic. LAN sync is on but it is still slow.

When folders are selected to be syncronised from on-line to the PC it is noticeably s l o w .

As a test I just tried synchronising a folder with 31 MB of data. Inside are 33 files and 9 separate folders. this took over 2 minutes to appear in the file manager.