My files won't load in the Dropbox folder, unless I manually open each folder

Question

Starting from a fresh install of Dropbox (after a fresh install of macOS Sequoia), I'm experiencing a major Dropbox problem:

* Initially all my Dropbox files are absent
* So initially Spotlight thinks there are no files, so the entire Dropbox file structure is invisible
* This means I can't search for a file I have in mind
* …but then once I visit a folder, and wait 3 seconds, the files show up
* Now Spotlight can search only those files that have now showed up, but not the Dropbox files that are still invisible, because they have yet to load
* So to find the files I want, using Spotlight, I would need to manually visit (lets say) 600 folders each, open each one, wait 3 seconds, and then Spotlight can index them into search

Clearly something is wrong, because I've been using Dropbox since 2010 on multiple Macs and reinstalls, and this behavior has never happened.

(Note 1: It's been over a month since my fresh install—this isn't a "Spotlight still indexing" issue.)

(Note 2: I emailed support on October 5th and it's been two weeks of them wasting spinning the wheel. The rep basically ended it today by saying "[It's a third part app issue.] If there is anything else, I am here for you." Which is unbelievable because this issue started with a fresh install, and the issue persists in Safe Mode where third-party apps do not load.)

Any idea what went wrong, and how to fix it? Reinstall Dropbox on top of Dropbox? Erase my Mac's storage drive and start over? Is File Provider the problem and I need to reinstall the non-File Provider way?

(Mac is M2 MacBook Air with macOS Sequoia 15.8)

Nancy · Answer

Thanks for your post today, @OChannel. I’m sorry to hear the issue persists, and thanks for the video.

First things first, I’ve found the ticket you mention in the system and left an internal note for our support team on your behalf.

Now, regarding your Dropbox app, you can definitely reinstall it next (as I understand you haven’t since first installing it on your device), and also restart your computer before checking the files in your Dropbox folder again.

If that doesn’t make a difference though, I’d love to know the syncing status and app version of your Dropbox app.

Keep me in the loop for any updates.

OChannel · Answer

Here is a video showing a seemingly empty folder, which I just opened, taking a few seconds to populate the inside files. So Spotlight cannot see those files until I've done this to all my Dropbox folders.

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/bbtifslo63fbw7xfvi0l6/Folder-Loading-Files.mp4?rlkey=njabmdvwo37vtrx9m8m6xkyed&dl=0