Incorrect out of space error message about available space when I try to add content to my account.

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

Could you clarify how large the files you're trying to save to your Dropbox account are?

This will help me to assist further!

Jay,

Thanks for the quick response. They can be any size really (usually on the smaller .pdf/.docx size and type), but the file that prompted me to post after throwing the dialog box up was a 467k .pdf.

-Mike

Could you clarify how you're copying files directly to your Dropbox account via the browser? Are you adding shared links to your account?

I'm just hovering over a file in someone else's shared Dropbox. I get the two options; "Copy to Dropbox" and "Download". Clicking "Copy to Dropbox" immediately throws up the dialog about being out of storage.

Are you certain of the file size? you can check this by changing the view to list view.

Are you signed into the correct Dropbox account to add it to the right account?

Jay,

Yes - to both the size and correct account (I only have the one Dropbox account).

Going forward, just to save us some iterations on the 'simple' quesitons - I've got 20+ years of IT support experience. Hence, feel free to talk tech. 🙂

Jay,

I just got a Dropbox link from the same client as earlier and when I tried to pull down the file - it worked flawlessly. So I went back and tried something different with the earlier link that was throwing the error. Here's the behavior:

Get a Dropbox link to an individual document (with the "Download" and "Edit" buttons in the upper left-hand corner) - saving to Db works perfectly.
Get a Db link to a folder (where "Copy to Dropbox" and "Download" appear when you hover over the file name) - saving to Db throws the storage space error
However - if I then double-click on the file so that it opens like the first bullet point above - it works perfectly.

So, there appears to be something particular about the folder view that's throwing it all a curve. Hopefully this data point helps some.

-Mike

Jay, or anyone else who happens to field this. Has the previous behavioral datapoint helped at all?

I received a link to join a shared Dropbox drive. But I get an error that says "I'm out of storage" even though I have 750Mb of storage left and the files I am joining to access are only 4Mb. Is this a bug with Dropbox, or are they finding every angle now to prompt upgrades for more storage... even if it's just for 4Mb? Something is either broken or shady with Dropbox here

Not sure if this is a new Dropbox bug or if their marketing team selling storage upgrades is getting super aggressive ... or both.

My Basic account has a 4.25Gb storage limit due to extensions over the original 2Gb allotted due to recruiting fellow Dropbox users. Of that, I am currently using 3.42Gb -- so I should have over 750Mb available.

Yet when I get a link to join a Dropbox share that consists of a mere 4Mb of files, Dropbox throws an error in my face saying I can't do that because I don't have enough space. My only option is to click towards upgrade my space, and for my account it shows a big red bar saying I'm using 3.42Gb out of 2Gb allotted.

What gives, Dropbox? Are you enforcing double standards on my account?

Mark

If you are getting that message the folder does not have just 4mb in it.

What does www.dropbox.com/account/plan show you as to how much space you have?

Does the error screen show how much more space you need?

It says 3.4Gb of 4.25, as I said. I took a screenshot below.

Just FYI, I'm not a Dropbox newb either. I've used this account for over 15 years, including previous shares. I downloaded the shared join link request and the files were 4Mb.

This is completely new brain dead behavior I've first observed from Dropbox for the first time in over 15 years.

Nancy

Welcome to the Community, @swag! I hope you’re doing well.

To check this further, can you please send me a screenshot of the error message you keep receiving, as well as one more showing the actual size of the folder you’re trying to join?

Let me know when you’re ready.

Here's the boatload of screens:

The join page I received

The error message I get when I try to click Join

The page I get when I click Add Storage, showing me maxed out at 2Gb

And a screen shot of my downloads folder showing file sizes when I click Download instead of Join for the folder: it's just 4Mb.

Nancy

Hey @MikeMcGVO! Hope you don't mind me jump in here.

One more clarification; does the folder you're trying to save to your Dropbox account only contain one file within?

Can you please download this folder instead to your local device and let me know what's the exact size it shows? That'll help us isolate the issue more.

Thanks!

Nancy

Thanks for these screenshots, @swag!

To check the exact available space on your Dropbox account, it's better to always consult your Plan page, like Mark suggested above.

As per the downloaded folder, can you please unzip it on your computer, and let me know what's the size it shows now?

Nancy,

Thanks for getting back to me on this! I'm not sure I know how to download the folder itself, so I just clicked the 'Download' button that's 2 buttons to the right of 'Join Folder'.

I ended up doing it twice with two differing folders, simply because things worked correctly the first time... (wouldn't you know it... )

For the one that worked, the folder contained 2 pdf's - one 30k in size and the other 38k.

For the one that failed and generated the same error message that started this thread, it was again 2 pdf's. But this time, they were 185k and 263k...

So somewhere between 68k and 448k is the magic breakpoint.

Hopefully this helps some, but let me know if not and we'll go from there.

Thanks!

-Mike

https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/informix-servers/12.10?topic=compression-ratio-estimates

This is the Plan Page, right? (attached below)

But if you're going to ask me to open a 4Mb zip file on the chance that it somehow expands to over 885Mb, I honestly have to start wondering if you're just trolling me now. If you're trying to discourage me by sending me off to do busywork to pursue nonsensical scenarios, please let me know and I will stop wasting everyone's time. But the expanded zip file is just three folders and 7 pdf files with a combined size of 4Mb (almost no compression) as shown in the Info view of the top folder at bottom.

2023-07-20_22-56-48.pmg.png

Hi @swag, could you confirm the full size of the shared link you showed by opening up the subfolders in that link to see the size of the files within each one, instead of the downloaded zip file?

Hi @MikeMcGVO, thanks for the info. Does this occur for other folders with greater or fewer files, and for different total file sizes?

Jay,

I honestly can't give you an answer on that as the bulk of these are simple set ups with two files. If you want to set up a handful of folders that have various file counts and sizes, I'm more than happy to play guinea pig for you. If not, I'll just keep a running tally of what works and what doesn't as things come through (though it may take a few weeks to get a useable data set).

-Mike

Hannah

Thanks for the additional info, Mike.

Can we send you an email, so we can take a closer look into this?

Hannah,

Of course! Do you need me to provide you with my email, or do you already have it?

-Mike

Hannah

No worries, we got it, Mike!

I just sent you an email, and we'll continue there. Cheers!

Hi Jay -

I did just that two posts ago when I first shared this attachment.

This was obtained by doing a command-i on a Macbook, which shows the full combined byte size of all subfolders and files in a folder. It's pretty much next to zero compression rate, or about 4Mb.

I can send you the individual files if it helps. I promise you I am not making any of this up and the 4Mb compressed file isn't hiding something that expands to 890Mb (!). I've worked in tech for three decades, not that it matters, but just so you know I'm not a complete noob about these kinds of details.

But since I have managed Internet software engineering teams for over two decades, I can tell you what my diagnosis already is. Someone on your software engineering team likely is enforcing a rule that Basic accounts can ever have only up to 2Gb of storage. Thus a mere 4Mb or even 2 bytes wouldn't make a difference: my account would appear 2x over the allotted storage.

Problem is that you probably have old unit tests that prior developers embedded the business logic that accounts for Basic accounts that could be expanded beyond 2Gb because of sharing sign-ups to Dropbox with others and other business incentives. But these rules or unit tests have been bypassed, ignored, or deleted. Thus your software is no longer aware of old business rules.

I'd say there's an 80%+ chance likelihood that's what's broken on your end.

2023-07-20_22-56-48.pmg.png

I am referring to this image you posted of the shared folder, not the zip file you downloaded:

Could you open the folders in that link and check the size of the files within and attach a screenshot showing these sizes?