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Relinking hard drive with old Dropbox files resulted in stuck syncing.

Alex_Jacquet

I recently built a new computer and took my old SSD which was only used for Dropbox files and connected it to my new computer. After doing this, its been stuck on indexing for days. I first saw it stopped indexing due to a corrupt file, so I removed it and indexing moved along from 157,177 files to 157,076 files. Since then indexing has stalled despite showing no red X's. I've paused and restarted syncing many times, restarted computer, and also have the latest version of Dropbox Desktop installed on my computer.

How do I fix this indexing issue?

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Megan

Hey there, @Alex_Jacquet, welcome to our Community!

Could you please confirm your device's exact OS, along with the version of the Dropbox desktop app and its syncing status? You can find this by hovering your mouse over the Dropbox icon in your taskbar, next to your WiFi.

That said, how long has the app been indexing your files? Does it seem stuck on a specific number of files or is it moving?

On a side note, have you tried adjusting your bandwidth settings through the app's preferences to see if it helps at all? Do you have any 3rd party apps running on your computer that might be monitoring your files somehow?

Lastly, can you try logging out of your account through the app's preferences and then back in?

I'll be waiting for your update!

Alex_Jacquet

The version is 260.4.2926

Its been indexing for maybe 5 days. Keep in mind that my computer goes to sleep every three hours so it hasn't been consistent on for 5 days. Right now its been stuck at 157,076 files for three days at least.

I've logged out and back in and that did nothing.

I can change bandwidth but you need to tell me what to change that to.

Megan

Hey @Alex_Jacquet!

If you check the hyperlinked Help Center article that I provided, it's going to give you a step-by-step on how to change your bandwidth. More specifically if you know your connection speed, you can set your preferred Limit upload rate and Limit download rate. If you toggle Custom bandwidth settings off, Dropbox will manage the bandwidth settings for best performance automatically.

Additionally, how many files do you have in your Dropbox folder approximately? Are the files all marked as available offline, or do you have some online-only, or are you using selective sync? I'm asking because the app has a soft limit of around 300K files, so you might need to reduce it if it's more than that.

Could you try reinstalling the Dropbox desktop application, without uninstalling it first, by using this link?

May I ask if you see any content within your Dropbox folder with the blue syncing icon when the app is indexing?

Alex_Jacquet

See attached for the variety of statuses:

Screenshot 2026-07-13 134752.png

Megan

Hey there, @Alex_Jacquet!

I appreciate you sending the screenshot, thank you! Did you manage to complete any of the steps I provided in my last reply?

Also, could you kindly check how many files you have in your Dropbox folder?

Alex_Jacquet

Yes. I see content withing my dropbox folder with the blue syncing icon.

When I right click the folder on my desktop, it shows 90,096 files. Im not sure if that includes local files or whats on cloud as well. Regardless, its the far majority of files that I choose to have locally on computer.

Jay

Hi @Alex_Jacquet, thanks for the details.

I think it would be best to contact the support team since they have more tools and steps available to troubleshoot this matter for you.

You can submit a ticket to the team via this link while logged into your Dropbox account.