Desktop file on Mac not syncing with Dropbox.com. Shows "Waiting to sync"

Question

I have a Mac Powerbook with Ventura on it. And since a recent Dropbox update which placed the Dropbox folder in a different place on the Finder, I have been having erratic problems with files not sycing.

I record Zoom sessions and then send the Dropbox link to participants. And in the past year it has worked seamlessly.

Since this upgrade, the files sometimes sync very slowly. Sometimes not at all. Typically I have two files per session. One uploads fine. And the second might get stuck.

For example, a file I want to sync shows in the Mac Finder with a white cloud signifying that it is syncing. When I got to the Dropbox app assistant tray app it shows as "waiting to sync" but never does. There is however a message at the bottom of the app tray that says 'Syncing 2 files' - but this never seems to change.

Could it be that there are two 'phantom' syncs in the queue which are holding things up?

Does anyone have any suggestions? Is there a way of 'clearing the cache' or the queue?

The chat help here was really supremely UNHELPFUL so  I'm hoping the community might be a better bet.

Walter · Answer

Did you enable hidden files to show on your computer before searching for the cache folder @Alistair Appleton?

If you did and still can't find it, it means that you're probably on the Mac File Provider version of the app since the Dropbox cache folder doesn't appear on that version.

Have you tried fixing your hardlinks and permissions as outlined here perhaps?

Alistair Appleton · Answer

Hi there Walter,

There are not issues reported when I click on my profile when the issue is happening.

But I was not able to locate a hidden file when I followed your instructions on my mac. Is there another way of finding the .cache file?

Walter · Answer

Hey @Alistair Appleton, sorry to hear about your syncing issue.

Could you click on your account's photo in the app and then click on the 'View Sync Issues' option? Is anything showing there?

As for clearing the cache, you can follow the steps outlined here.

In any case, please keep us posted!