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Dropbox abysmally slow - can't reinstall, can't sync, etc.

Hi all,

I've recently built a new Windows 11 Pro PC with reasonably high-end specs (AMD 9800X3d CPU, 64GB RAM, 5080 GPU, etc.), and I'm trying to get it all set up the way I like. Everything is working great except Dropbox, which for some reason is so unbearably slow that it's effectively unusable.

I'm on a 10Gbps internet connection (Sonic Fiber Optic) and this PC is connected via a 1Gbps router, so my SpeedTest.net results are great, averaging 900+Mbps up and down via a wired Ethernet connection. Literally no other app or service is having speed issues - it's just DropBox.

I am currently stuck with the installer struggling to even download the app, let alone syncing data from my 2Tb account. What gives?!

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Huxley_D

Update: finally got the app installed, selected "Sync Everything" during install, and it is sllloooowwwlllyyy pulling files down. Also weird: I currently have 585GB of content in DropBox, but the app keeps insisting that I have only 130GB. Why?!

Huxley_D

Update 2: I figured out why the local DropBox app wasn't showing all my stuff: despite carefully clicking "Sync Everything" during install, the not-at-all-obvious "Selective Sync" option to randomly disable a ton of my folders from being synced was automatically enabled. Absolutely bizarre design decision!

Now that I've manually enabled all my folders, the local app does finally show the full 585GB 'weight' of content - now I just need to sync faster than a tortoise on morphine...

Megan

Hey @Huxley_D, thanks for posting here!

Apologies for the lengthy reply, I just want to make sure we've covered everything here.

Keep in mind that Dropbox can sync as fast as your Internet service provider (ISP) allows. Consumer ISP's normally provide 1/10th the upload speed compared to download speed.

In your case that you just linked a new computer to your account, the initial sync of your data is going to be the most time and resource intensive period. While we're at it, would you mind hovering your mouse over the little Dropbox icon on your taskbar, next to your WiFi and letting me know the version of our app that you're using?

I just want to make sure that you're not using a Beta version, which might be causing slower syncing speeds.

You may additionally keep in mind that the 300K files limitation, is a soft limit and depends highly on the hardware specifications of the computer running the app, though some users can sync more files without issue.
In that case, if you choose to have all of your 585GB content locally, that might also cause slower syncing time.

Lastly, Dropbox doesn't use all of your bandwidth. However, you can change that by manually setting the upload/download speed:

Access the app's preferences, then click the "Bandwidth" tab.
On this tab you will need to either select "Change Settings" or will see the bandwidth settings immediately. Here, you can set the Upload and Download to a specific kB/s limit if you know your connection speed or simply Don't Limit to allow Dropbox to use as much bandwidth as possible.

I'll be waiting for your updates!