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Folder has too many files to download

I have a large folder called Pictures, within which are many subfolders (532 if Windows Files Explorer is to be believed), the whole containing 17,732 files (all pictures), adding up to 46.5 GB - quite a small proportion of my 2TB allowance on Dropbox. This all syncs to my PC. I use my iPad to access these pictures from time to time, and this works fine. But when I do this, red crosses appear against all the folders and files with the message 'Folder has too many files to download'. But I am not trying to download the whole folder, just one picture at a time: obviously there wouldn't be room for the whole folder on the iPad anyway. The thumbnails duly appear on the left hand side of the screen when I navigate through the folders, and the pictures I want to look at come up when I tap them. But clearly Dropbox is trying to tell me something. Is it trying to download the whole folder, and if so how can I tell it not to? Or what? Can anyone help me understand?

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John B.234

Thanks for your prompt reply. I have (I think) identified the problem. Dropbox was trying to offline all my picture files, and they obviously wouldn't fit on the iPad. I don't know why it was doing this, I never told it to, and it never told me what it was up to. It seems strange that there is no on-screen indication that offlining is taking place. Anyway, I've made it stop and the red crosses and warning messages have disappeared. Many thanks anyway.

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Lusil

Hey @John B.234, thanks for reaching out to us about this.

I'd be more than happy to help, I'll just need a bit more info. For example:

Are you trying to download or offline files?
What are the exact steps you're following that result in this message?
Could you also send me a screenshot of the error and the red crosses that you mention you see on your files?

Keep me posted!

Здравко

Hi @John B.234,

Dropbox perform caching of all contents you have working on ( even when you want to see some full resolution picture, not just thumbnail ). The cache gets cleared automatically from time to time, but not too often. If your device free space is limited and you reviewed too many pictures at once, cache can grow up enough and that could be the reason. If so, workaround could be force your application cache clearance (take a look on settings).

Hope this helps.

John B.234

Thanks - this is a good idea and I tried various versions of it before stumbling on the solution below. Thanks anyway.

Lusil

Thanks for keeping us in the loop, @John B.234! Glad to hear that you were able to resolve your concern in the end.

If you have any other questions in the future, don't hesitate to give us a shout. In the meantime, have a lovely day ahead!