Camera Upload Error on Mac OS High Sierra/ Photos...Could Not Be Imported

I got a solution that worked for me from Dropbox Support. Thought I'd share it here for those who might benefit:

The application "Image Capture" which apparently comes with Macs -- who knew? -- can act as a "middleman" in the process to transfer images to Dropbox.

Go to the Spotlight Search (top righthand side of your computer) and type "image capture".
When it comes up, select your phone from the interface on the lefthand side of the app.
The images from your phone will pop up in the main window of the app. Select those which have not been imported.
(You might want to click the box that says "delete after import" or "Keep originals" at the lower left of the app.)

Select Other -> Dropbox -> Camera Uplpads in the "Import To" dropdown.
Click on the "Import" or "Import All" button and it will import.

Most of these steps don't have to be repeated on subsequent uses.

As I mentioned, I'm not thrilled with this "workaround," but I suppose it will do until Dropbox engineers get around to fixing what is obvious problems.

benjuang

I might have a fix (or at least a better workaround than using the "Image Capture", since that doesn't use the same naming format as Dropbox and you might end up with duplicates once importing works again - at least I get file like "IMG_9365.JPG" instead of "yyyy-mm-dd hh:mm:ss.jpg").

On your iPhone, go to Settings > Photos. At the very bottom, toggle "Transfer to Mac Or PC" from "Automatic" to "Keep Originals". After doing this, I reconnected my iPhone and importing worked.

Note: This might transfer your current photos as HEIC files instead of JPEGs. I'm not a big fan of this HEIC format, but eh, at least I have importing now. If storing HEICs make you sad, I believe you can go to Settings > Camera > Formats and toggle it over to "Most Compatible", so future photos will be in JPEG.

2018-05-15 00.38.29.png

My environment is as follows:

MacBook Pro, OS X 10.13.4

iPhone 8, iOS 11.3.1

Dropbox app on OS X: Stable Build 49.4.68

- - - Most people can stop reading here - - -

Additional notes while debugging:
I noticed that while importing fails when the setting is set to "Automatic", certain photos do get imported. These consisted of iPhone screenshots and some low-res close-ups of stuff.
I found https://www.dropboxforum.com/t5/Syncing-and-uploads/Since-iOS-11-upgrade-camera-uploads-stopped-working/td-p/242509, which led me to suspect HEIC or image formats being the problem (again), especially in light of (1).
I was able to confirm that if I took a photo, switched the setting back to "Automatic", then reconnected my phone, the import process would fail with the error message.

All comments

Hey @Michelle A.8,

What happened on, or around, April 10? Any changes, updates to your phone or computer?

Can you please double-check that your phone’s operating system is on iOS 11.3, and that you’re using the latest version of our app (90.2)?

Also, I’m assuming that your Mac is on 10.13.4 (not 10.14.4 :upside_down:).

Let me know.

Have a great week ahead!

Thank you for your response, @Sanchez.

We can't think of anything that happened on 4/10 which might have anything to do with our connection or my computer, or even the phone, which is not where I use Dropbox. I did get updates to Clean Text Menu, Evernote, and iMovie on that date, though. I can't imagine they would be a problem. Could they?

Phone and iPad both using iOS 11.4.

Computer, which is where I use Dropbox, is using macOS High Sierra version 10.13.4, which is, according to my App Store, the most recent one available to me.

Hey @Michelle A.8,

Thanks for the update. I recommend that you downgrade both your iPhone and iPad back to the current stable version of iOS, 11.3.

Issues like these are common when running beta versions of operating systems, as they are incomplete and unstable. If you continue to experience these issues after that, then it would be a good idea to contact our support team.

Cheers!

@Sanchez wrote:

Hey @Michelle A.8,

Thanks for the update. I recommend that you downgrade both your iPhone and iPad back to the current stable version of iOS, 11.3.

Issues like these are common when running beta versions of operating systems, as they are incomplete and unstable. If you continue to experience these issues after that, then it would be a good idea to contact our support team.

Cheers!

Well, I guess I could do that on my iPad and iPhone, but the problem happens only on my Mac, so I'm not sure how this will affect the problem. Will do it, though, because I'm really wanting Dropbox to continue to work for me.

Hey @Michelle A.8,

I understood that you were having an issue importing photos and videos from your iPhone to your Mac. If this isn’t the case, we’ll take a different route.

In any event, if your process involves connecting your iDevices to your Mac, it’s a good idea to be on stable versions of their operating systems.

Cheers

Max_in_Madison

I am experiencing exactly the same problem as Michelle A.8. On a MacBook Pro, I am running OS 10.13.4, Mac Dropbox v47.4.74; on an iPhone X, I am running iOS 11.3, Dropbox 92.2 (updated 2 days ago from 90.2 -- I have experienced the failure to download on both). I am not running any beta software.

After not having had any problem for years, my photos stopped uploading around the same time as Michelle A.8. I have also tried the same remedies as Michelle A.8, including unchecking and re-checking the "Enable camera uploads for Photos and videos" box, reinstalling the software, etc.

Please let us know what to do to fix this, as I value having my photos uploaded to Dropbox.

Thanks.

jernimtz

I have the same issue as Michelle and Max. I am running Mac OS High Sierra 10.13.4 and an iPhone 8 running 11.3. I had not syched for roughly 4 months but when I attempted to synch and backup my photos on 4/15/2018, I received the message stating that 550 photos could not be synched. Oddly, I was able to synch all of my phone screenshot .png files but other files (such as 'Live' photos and .mov files) would not synch.

Previously, unchecking/rechecking the "Enable camera uploads for Photos and videos" feature would work. This action does not remedy this issue.

gabradoodle

Exactly the same issue here as well.

Norah

Hi @Max_in_Madison, @jernimtz and @gabradoodle, welcome to Dropbox Community!

First let’s check that you have updated the latest version of your desktop app here.

Can you tell me where is the issue occurring, is it happening when you plug your phone or tablet into your computer or is it on your mobile device?

A screenshot of the error message you receive would also be very helpful to make sure I understand further the issue you are experiencing.

Also, here are some Quick fixes for camera uploads that you may utilize as an initial troubleshooting step:

If this issue is only happening with videos (not photos), check that you have video uploads enabled in the camera uploads settings on the Dropbox app.
If you can’t upload, try turning off your data and just uploading with Wi-Fi. If that doesn’t work, try uploading with both data and WiFi turned on.
If you can’t upload, check that your device has enough battery life (or plug it in to charge) before uploading.

Thanks in advance for your reply!

exactly the same problem here as well.

i plug in my iphone as i used to to for years but can't get synchronized my photos anymore.

Screenshot 2018-04-21 16.08.58.png Screenshot 2018-04-21 16.09.18.png Screenshot 2018-04-21 16.09.26.png

Jane

Hey @mrboss, thanks for posting these photos indicating the behavior you’re getting on your end!

If I were in your shoes (assuming that you’ve checked the tips @Norah posted in the previous page: i.e. ensuring that you’re running the latest Stable Dropbox version on your Mac & you’ve made all OS updates :white_check_mark:), I’d reset the Camera Uploads settings once & then re-enable it to see if that lets me complete the upload as expected:

Click the Dropbox icon in your menu bar.
Click the :gear: icon & choose Preferences…
Under Import, you may go to "Change Autoplay Settings", which will re-direct you to your Control Panel. From there, you can check whether all settings have been applied correctly for your connected media devices. (Tip: Yous iPhone should be towards the bottom of the page.

Additionally, have you tried any of the quick fixes posted previously (namely trying to reproduce via a different network perhaps)?

Please let me know how the steps above work for you in your next reply & I’ll do my best to check back with you. Until then, take care & I’m wishing you a wonderful day ahead!

Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but I have nothing that resumbles a "Change Autoplay Settings" optiion under IMPORT or anywhere else in Dropbox or SYSTEM PREFERENCES, on my Mac, my iPhone, or my iPhone. Here's what I have available under IMPORT.

For a very long time, when imports messed up, I was able to fix it by toggling ENABLE CAMERA UPLOADS off and back on again. That stopped working just before I posted my OP.

Knowing as I do how infrequently stuff like this gets fixed in a forum, I did indeed try all of the other "quick fixes" posted here and everywhere else I could find.

At this point, I'm beginning to look alternate options to Dropbox, as I really do hate it when I'm paying for something that is unusabe for weeks on end and apparently has no telephone support offered.

@Jane wrote:

3. Under Import, you may go to "Change Autoplay Settings", which will re-direct you to your Control Panel. From there, you can check whether all settings have been applied correctly for your connected media devices. (Tip: Yous iPhone should be towards the bottom of the page.

Additionally, have you tried any of the quick fixes posted previously (namely trying to reproduce via a different network perhaps)?

Please let me know how the steps above work for you in your next reply & I’ll do my best to check back with you. Until then, take care & I’m wishing you a wonderful day ahead!

Rich

Autoplay Settings is an item specific to the Windows operating system.

Thank you, @Rich.

Looks like there is no way for a Mac user to fix the problem. Nor the will of Dropbox to help. :-(

Thanks for the post, @Jane.

While this may indeed be a solution for some, it is NOT a solution to the originally posted question, which was specifically a question about the problem on an Apple product.

Perhaps someone can give me a phone number for support as I am disabled and unable to do it through email or chat.

I feel the sameas Michelle A.8. the problem is still unsolved and the support weak. they are asking things to do we discussed week ago.

since when are we talking about windows?! it is a problem on Mac OSX as introduced clearly by Michelle A.8 three weeks ago.

Jane

Hey all, apologies for any frustration my latest post my have caused you, I’m on the same page with you right now & I’ll try to take it from where we’ve left off since last week.

I was able to re-read all your posts anew, therefore let me gather the specifics in regards to the issue you’ve experienced. You may keep in mind that I’ve unaccepted my latest post as the Solution, as it hasn’t fixed the issue in question for you.

For starters, let me re-phrase the issue at hand, in order to take it from there:

You’ve all noticed a “Failed to import x of y photos” error message, when you’re trying to set your photos to upload automatically through on a Mac OS X 10.13.4 with the Dropbox version 48.4.58 installed & running correctly in the background (i.e. all Dropbox-related icons are loading correctly for you ).

Moreover, your iOS devices have been updated to the latest iOS version (11.3.1).

If all of you are experiencing the same issue as described above & you’ve already tried toggling between your two options (namely “Photos” or “Photos & Videos”) on your desktop preferences while trying to trigger the upload, whereas you’ve been seeing the same behavior roughly since April 10th, maybe it’ an issue that we’d need to investigate further.

For that reason, I’ve made sure to get in touch with you directly via email @Michelle A.8, as you need hands-on troubleshooting based on our last cmments. At the moment, please keep in mind that we provide phone support for Dropbox Business admins through their admin console, so what I can offer you in order to make the troubleshooting more smooth for you would be to work with you as closely as possible on that correspondence. I do understand that we’ll need to make this as short as possible, so rest assured that I’ll make sure to follow-up from where we’ve left off here.

At your convenience, please check your inbox for my latest message and let me know here if you have any issues locating it. Once you get back to me, I’ll make sure to get back in touch with you as soon as possible.

When it comes to you @mrboss, @gabradoodle, @jernimtz & @Max_in_Madison, please let me know if you’d like us to continue working on this issue via email & I’ll make sure to follow-up with you asap.

Once again, apologies for any inconvenience my latest message may have caused you & I’ll be awaiting your next posts here, in order to move forward together. Thanks!

Oh, jeez. Found it.

Oops! Dupe.

Hoping that Dropbox can provide everyone answers publicly, not just via email to those listed above. I'm one of the many, it appears, who is struggling with this issue. I've stepped through all suggestions above, all to no avail.

This "may" be related to some incompatibility between the Dropbox client for MacOS High Sierra. I say this because everything was working just fine for me too on or around 4/10/2018, when some High Sierra updates (10.13.4) were pushed to my machine via the MacOS auto-update. Another update occurred on 4/25/2018 (re: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208742).

Finally, another possible clue for the Dropbox team ... when I open Console, I see a number of messages like these from Dropbox, "nw_path_close_fd Failed to close guarded necp fd 30 [9: Bad file descriptor]". Seems to be something to do with "lib system_network.dylib.

annkek

I am also have this problem, any solution ? please email me [personal info removed by moderators]

Hey @rdayno, welcome to our community!

I understand that a solution posted here would be great, and if I had one, I would be more than happy to put it up. However, by getting each case onto a ticket, and into our support platform, our team is able to examine each case, and identify any similarities between them.

This helps in the troubleshooting process, and in finding a solution more quickly. In your case, you have provided some more specific details, and these are just the kinds of things that can assist our team’s investigation.

If you’d like, I can get a ticket started for you with the email address associated with your forum profile. Alternatively, you can create your own ticket here.

Have a great week

Welcome to our community, @annkek!

I’ve removed your email address from your last post, for privacy reasons

, and I have asked an agent to reach out to you via email. Have a look at that, and get back to them when you can.

Cheers!

I have a new input to the present old problem. on my device (iPhone 7 with all current updates) the photos that came from WhatApp chats gets synchronized. self taken camera photos from the Photos library still don't. Same for photos from iMessage. They still produce the mentionned error: Screenshot 2018-05-09 23.20.51.png

Norah

Hey @mrboss,

Let's check a few more things to have a better idea on why you are still experiencing this issue.

Try temporarily disabling your WiFi and verify if the issue persists over your cellular network. Do you have the same issue when you try connecting on a different WiFi? Can you also tell me what is the size of the file(s) that you are trying to upload?

Additionally, try clearing the cache on your app and then sign out and back into your Dropbox account?

To clear your cache follow the steps below:

Navigate to the “Personal” tab
Tap the gear icon in the upper-left corner of the screen
Select “Clear Cache”

In case you don’t see the gear icon on this main page, first click on the icon on the bottom right of the app that says “Account”, “Personal” or your Dropbox Business name. You should see the gear icon on this account page.

Once this is done, ensure you log out of the Dropbox app, then restart your device and log back in again.

Lastly, a screencast of the issue (omitting any personal information) would be very helpful. You can do this by first enabling screen recording on your phone and then repeating the steps that cause the issue. To activate screen recording see here.

Thanks in advance for your reply!

Jane

Hey @mrboss, thanks for getting back in touch with us, I appreciate your ongoing cooperation & detailed replies!

I’d suggest continuing this discussion via email & for that reason I’ve made sure to create a Support Request on our system on your behalf, so as to focus on the issue in question based on the info I have on my tools for your account & move forward together. Whenever you find some time, please check your inbox for my email & I’ll make sure to promptly follow-up with you from where we’ve left off here.

When it comes to your inquiry in regards to:

<SPAN class=" author-d-iz88z86z86za0dz67zz78zz78zz74zz68zjz80zz71z9iz90za3z66zsz65z7gz85zz86zz70zz79zz80z3z85z6z87ziz78zz83zigfz86zz80z5z80zblcz70zz86z">Hoping that Dropbox can provide everyone answers publicly, not just via email to those listed above</SPAN>

@rdayno, you may keep in mind that we’re currently actively working on it (:meaning that we’re gathering all relevant cases internally, we’re troubleshooting & we’re narrowing down the possible causes) & that’s the reason why we’re asking for an email correspondence. If you’re experiencing the same behavior, I’d happily check back with you in more detail via our Official Support channel, so please let me know how you’d like us to proceed in your next reply.

Thanks again for posting to us on the Forum on this behavior & I’m always here if you'd need further assistance. Wishing you all a wonderful weekend ahead!

Benzman

Experiencing the same problem as the OP. Reinstalled/updated Dropbox, but same problem. Error importing 500 of 500 photos. A fix (or workaround) to this problem would be greatly appreciated.

hej Norah

i went throught all the steps (disable WiFi, clear cache, sign out, restart, sign in)

files sizes are from 5MB to 22MB (panorama picture). movies are in the same dimensions.

conclusion

I can upload my photos with WiFi, with cellular but NOT with the cable

christian