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Syncing large video folders stops in the middle when trying to sync them.
I’m running into a frustrating issue with Dropbox on my iMac (Ventura 13.7.5). When I try to sync large video folders (~200GB) via the desktop app, the sync process starts but then stops partway through. I often return to find it paused or inactive. I have to manually click the cloud/arrow icon to resume syncing—and sometimes repeat this multiple times before the folder fully syncs. This makes the process unreliable for large transfers.
Additionally, when I try to download large folders from Dropbox via the browser, the process usually fails when it attempts to create the ZIP file.
Is this a known limitation with Dropbox and large video files, or is there a workaround or setting adjustment I should be aware of? Any help or insight would be greatly appreciated.
4 Replies
- Megan
Dropbox Community Moderator
Hey wecine, let's jump right into this!
To start, let me address each point separately:
You mentioned that you try to sync folders using the desktop app. With that in mind, as a first step, can you check which version is running on your Mac device? I want to ensure that it's the latest stable.
It'd also to get more context: For example, does your device goes idle? How often does it seem that you need to resume the syncing process?
Regarding downloads via the web, as a first step, I would like to point you to this article which mentions some limitations.
With that in mind, does the size of the overall content you attempt to download exceed the 250GB?
Let me know, and we'll take it from there! Running v224.4.4811. I’m aware of the 250GB limitation when downloading from the web, but I primarily use the desktop app. That said, I’ve had to resume the download four or five times just to get through about 200GB of media.
It seems like when my computer goes idle, Dropbox stops syncing—and I have to manually resume it when I return. I’d really appreciate any guidance on how to ensure a reliable, uninterrupted sync so I can start the download, step away, and have it complete without intervention.
- Nancy
Hi from me too, wecine! A new stable build has been released in the meantime, so can you confirm your desktop app has been updated, as well?
Also, when saying that this happens when your computer is idle, do you mean that it goes into screen saving mode? If yes, have you made sure that your device is connected to the internet during that time?
I’ve updated to the new stable build. I’m not completely sure, but I think my iMac might be going into sleep mode, which could be causing the sync to pause.
