Cannot delete files because they aren't downloaded, but cannot download the files either

Question

I apologize in advance for the formatting.

Briefly: I am attempting to delete files from Dropbox from my Mac and I have ended up in a terminal loop with an unsolvable problem.

* This is on Mac, of course. Sonoma 14.8.1. This OS is supported by Dropbox.
* There is plenty of HD space. I am also selectively syncing to cut down on space.
* I have my Android phone set to automatically sync all camera files
* Like many, many, many other Mac users, I noted my camera files are not syncing with my Mac Dropbox. About 50% of them are missing from several years
* Notably, my PC dropbox syncs perfectly from the same phone - no missing files
* I noticed this problem before I performed the upgrade so that dropbox was stored in ~/Library/CloudStorage/Dropbox
* The procedure to upgrade was completed successfully
* Still missing files.
* The Camera Upload folder is set to be available offline.
* It does not download all files.
* The other folders with pictures are set to be available offline.
* They do not contain all the files.
* Attempting to redo a sync does not work - Dropbox finds no files
* I made these folders online only. The space taken by Dropbox decreased appropriately
* I then made the folders available offline. I hit the cloud button and it became the status indicator
* The sync process stalls on certain files. * In fact, it seems to stall on any movie, no matter the size.
* These are working movies.

* No errors are shown in the troubleshooting menu.
* Attempting to delete the stalled file gives the error:
* "The operation can't continue because "file name" needs to be downloaded."
* Therefore, I cannot delete a file that isn't synchronizing because it needs to be downloaded. 
* Uninstalling dropbox and trying to remove the files that were already there runs into the same issue

It looks like I'm going to need to use ****** system tools to delete all these files like they are a virus. And if I reinstall dropbox, I suspect the files will either stall again or the folders will not be filled completely

Downloading my synced files from the website literally defeats the ****** point.

It is literally bad enough that I am going to cancel my 15+ year subscription lol.

Please don't ask me to do something I've already tried.

Megan · Answer

Hey @WTLQ, thanks for the info!

To help get to the bottom of this sync loop, could you share a few more details?

* On your Android phone, have you checked the Dropbox mobile app settings to verify if Camera Uploads is fully completed, paused, or waiting for specific conditions (like Wi-Fi or charging)? Also, are you currently only able to see your complete camera upload library directly on your Dropbox mobile app? If yes, can you check if everything is also visible when visiting your account online?
* You mentioned a "Camera upload 2024" folder—did you create that manually? Camera uploads typically go into a single folder rather than being organized by year.
* To narrow things down, what is the exact Dropbox app version that you're using on your devices, along with their syncing status? You can check your current syncing status (for both the PC and the Mac) by hovering over the Dropbox icon in your menu or taskbar. Please let me know what they report.
* If possible, a screenshot of the error—"The operation can't continue because [file name] needs to be downloaded"—would also be very helpful!

Thanks a bunch!

WTLQ · Answer

Update: My Camera Upload 2024 folder was 2964 files on my PC, 1600 on Dropbox online, and ~1800 on the mac before I uploaded the folder from the PC and forced it to download on the Mac. Where did those 1300 files go, friendo?

WTLQ · Answer

* A few thousand from online to the Mac.
* Hysterically: there are more files on the Mac than on the website by the order of 600+. Apparently rearranging them in the phone deleted them from dropbox and everything, perhaps. I need to look it up. I liked/need those files
* Menu bar insists it is syncing files.
* I rebooted, reinstalled 2x, but never logged out. I did try this command:

find ~/Library/Cloudstorage -type f -flags +dataless -exec stat -f '%z' {} + |

awk '{s+=$1} END {printf "%d files, %.1f GB to download
", NR, s/1073741824}'

It might have helped, but we'll see. Now to find hundreds of missing pictures.