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39 files stuck syncing for weeks
Using the Mac version 88.4.172 of the Dropbox app on my 2015 MacBook Pro (with the latest Catalina macOS 10.15.2). Dropbox has been stuck for several weeks on 39 files syncing. I use Smart Sync for a number of folders.
These are the steps I’ve taken to try to fix this issue:
- Quit Dropbox and restarted.
- Restarted the MacBook Pro.
- Killed all Dropbox processes using Activity Monitor (force quit them). Then restarted the MacBook Pro, and restarted the Dropbox app.
- Deleted and reinstalled the Dropbox app in the normal manner.
- Deleted and reinstalled the Dropbox app using the Advance Reinstall directions at: https://help.dropbox.com/installs-integrations/desktop/advanced-reinstall
- Checked for “bad files” — per Dropbox instructions — and got stuck using this link: https://www.dropbox.com/bad_files_check, which froze up on the Safari, Firefox and Opera browsers. This link is discussed in numerous discussions and seems to be something Dropbox has been “working on” fixing for more than a year.
- Removed all aliases in the Dropbox folder and subfolders.
- Checked for and removed all symlinks in the Dropbox folder and subfolders.
- Checked for circular arrow “syncing” symbol in the Dropbox folder and subfolders; found none. All files and folders have the green checkmark symbol.
- Looked for hidden files that might be causing issues, found none other than normal Mac “.DS_Store” files — in most folders — plus three Dropbox hidden files: “.dropbox”, “.dropbox. cache”, and “Icon?”, in the Dropbox main folder.
What else can I do?
Let's reset the configuration settings of the Dropbox desktop app.
Unlink and relink. The system will take some time to re-index your files and sync them all.
If the number of files remains stuck after this, I will create a ticket to check a few more things with you and provide the next steps.
Thank you for your patience yotimbo
37 Replies
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- Fiona
Dropbox Staff
Hi elizabethd3333!
I got your back. You have an email from me in the address associated with your Community profile.
Since you've tried everything offered in this dicsussion, I will look into device details and we'll take it from there.
Thank you!
I had the same problem. After troubleshooting it several different ways and not succeeding even after the "fix permissions" method did not work, I uninstalled AVG antivirus. Quit and restarted Dropbox. All my files got synced and problem solved.
Hope this helps.
After 3 monthos of this BS, I finally found a solution. I FIXED IT! With no help from anyone at this company. Seriously this was such an easy fix and it has dragged on for months making my job much harder and more time consuming. Customer support is a joke and if my clients did not use this company I would close my account ASAP.
Not even a phone number for support? WTF?
- What did you do? I haven't been able to fix mine yet and I have tried all the suggestions.
To tell you the truth, I didn't try all the suggestions because I couldn't. I didn't even understand most of them.
But all the files I was having trouble with were 1 file type--PowerPoint. So Dropbox tech support suggested I troubleshoot that. I went to Microsoft tech support. They reinstalled a new version and the problem resolved.
I still get odd, random messages about files syncing for no reason I can tell. But I haven't had that endless loop again.
- ok thanks! Mine are Excel and Word, but maybe I should try calling Microsoft as well...
- My stuck files were all word files. About 103 of them. I deleted the ones I didn’t care about, then for the remainder I opened them, made an edit like add ing a space then closed them.
Another small handful wouldn’t save as they were being used by another service (Dropbox) so I quit all dropbox services that were running in the background and then re-saved the files and then I was eventually done. No more stuck files. Sadly same issue only I have 12 that have been stuck for days now.
I have tried all the fixes mentioned and searched for any errors but can't see anything obvious.
Runing Mac Catalina with the internal HD as the Dropbox folder (though not the boot drive)
Anythoing else I could try, many thanks.
- Yes.
Delete the files.
Optionally Open save and close the files.
That’s what I finally did. Cant see wich ones to do that
