I recently 'upgraded' to Windows 11 and the new File Explorer is now painfully slow when navigating the Dropbox folder. Simply navigating the hierarchy takes seconds and the Windows busy ring appears twice for each click. I have tried: - reinstalling Dropbox (currently 139.3.4798) - enabling Smart Sync (this will likely save me disk space but seems not to affect performance) - uninstalling any other software that interacts with the Windows context menu (WinZip etc) - restoring the Windows 10 File Explorer (which changed the GUI) but not the speed - running Windows File explorer full screen (F11) a common recommendation that does not improve performance I am running Win 11 Pro on a decent enough 8th gen Core i7 with 16GB RAM that coped just fine under Windows 10, I have 346443 files on my DB. the issue is limited to the Dropbox folder which is why I'm here and not on the MS forum. Any help gratefully received!

I'm not in the camp that this is a windows 11 problem. I had the EXACT same problem while I was running Windows 10. Loading files in explorer is painfully slow (and often they don't load at all). Indeed, my updated to 11 was partially to see if it would fix the dropbox problem. It didn't. I can also report that all my other cloud services work perfectly. Box, OneDrive, for example. It's only dropbox that isn't working. So I think it's a dropbox issue. My issue is on the Microsoft Surface Laptop 3, and I've tried virtually every workaround I found in this community and elsewhere.

I reported this issue to Microsoft via the 'Feedback Hub' app about 24 hrs ago (https://aka.ms/AAfbwsp) but, perhaps unsurprisingly, not heard anything yet. I've also been scouring the web for other solutions and the general consensus appears to be that it is a bug identified in an early beta of Windows 11 that was only partially fixed prior to release. This doesn't explain why there isn't a huge uproar about performance more generally (perhaps only a select few are affected). Microsoft themselves do not list this as a recognised bug on the Feedback Hub yet. I suspect the more people that report this to MS, the more chance there is of action so feel free of booting up that app and logging a bug too. One thing I have noted is that, while performance is laggy across the board, the performance of my Dropbox folder is noticeably worse. Will keep reporting back if there's any news!

For anyone having a similar issue (slowdowns in Windows Explorer) and storing large numbers of files in Dropbox (1M+), I found that disabling Windows Search Indexing (or removing the Dropbox folder from it) sped up my computer significantly, aside from every few days when Dropbox does some sort of automatic "re-indexing" which takes awhile (v154.3.5344). To do so:Click on the Start buttonType "indexing options"Enter the Indexing Options panel, and see how many items are indexed. If it's in the millions, it might be DropboxRemove your Dropbox folder from the Included Locations list via the Modify buttonApply the changes and wait for the "x items indexed" to updateRestart your computer/DropboxAs someone who stores over 2.6 million files on their Dropbox account, I am undoubtedly an edge case scenario... but I have a hunch that Windows search index wasn't designed to work with Dropbox with so many files at once. Hope this helps.

Hello all, For information after removing iCloud from my computer dropbox seem to work properly again.

Hi. Yes and yes. I have only one third of my files on my desktop, the remaining is not synchronized.Furthermore, these slow-downs are clearly an issue between dropbox and Windows file explorer. If Dropbox is shutdown, there is no more slow-down. More I rename and add/move files, more the slow-downs are long, sometimes crashing File Explorer. I'm also pretty sure that it's far slower if I have more than one file explorer opened. But as soon as I used another tool than File Explorer to rename or add files, there is no slow-down anymore.

Dropbox folder in File Explorer in Windows 11 is painfully slow

57 Replies

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Ricky55
New member | Level 2
4 years ago
Dropbox have been aware of this issue since Windows 11 launched in October 2021. I've dealt with them regarding this issue via our company support and they still haven't found a solution. I have tried on 3 separate desktop computers, all very high spec and on all three machines Dropbox is completely unusable. My Surface laptop is the only machine that seems to work correctly with Dropbox. Its not just the Dropbox folder, it's the entire Windows Explorer. It literally takes nearly a minute to display the files. I am now forced to sync Dropbox once a week. Dropbox please get this sorted it's a joke.

Running latest version of Dropbox and my system is fully updated with the latest Windows updates.

I'm actually moving back to MacOS as I can't put up with this any longer.
.
Tom01
Explorer | Level 4
4 years ago
Hey all.

I have reverted back to windows 10 with a clean install. So much quicker and no issues.
Ricky55
New member | Level 2
4 years ago
Downgrading is not really the answer though is it Tom.
Nancy
Dropbox Community Moderator
4 years ago
Hi Ricky55, I’m sorry to hear that you’re still facing the same issue on your Windows device.

If you’d like any help with this, I’d be glad to further assist.

Can you (or anyone else who still has the same issue) verify whether this behavior persists, after quitting the Dropbox app? Also, is this something that occurs only when the app is syncing or when it’s up to date, as well?

Is there any chance that there could be another program running on your device at the same time, which is interfering with Dropbox perhaps?

Let me know when you’ve got more updates.
liffeyd
Explorer | Level 4
4 years ago
Hi Nancy,

My machine is on 24/7 so should be well synched as I have not updated anything in a DropBox folder in a while. I have moved to using other cloud services because DropBox is so panful.

My Windows 10 laptop, MacBook Pro or other Windows 10 machine have no issues.

I am willing to work with DropBox to find a solution.

I have uninstalled and re-installed a couple of times with no improvement.

How would I know what might conflict with DropBox?
Megan
Dropbox Community Moderator
4 years ago
Hi liffeyd, how are you today?

I would like you to locate your Dropbox icon next to your WiFi and hover your mouse over it. Can you check the app's version along with its syncing status and let me know?

Keep me posted, and we'll take it from there.
liffeyd
Explorer | Level 4
4 years ago
Hi Megan

Status: "Up to date"
Version: v144.4.4491

Regards,
Declan
Megan
Dropbox Community Moderator
4 years ago
Thanks for replying back to me liffeyd!

And just to clarify, and confirm here: is the app being slow, or is it the File Explorer when you access your Dropbox folder?

Have you adjusted the app's bandwidth by any chance?
liffeyd
Explorer | Level 4
4 years ago
The problems is that when I open the DropBox folder (using File Explorer) and then double click any folder within, it takes approx 25 to 30 seconds to open the selected folder using Windows (11) File Explorer.

The settings I am useing are:

Sync:
Save hard drive space - OFF
Many selected folders
Folder location: D:\Dropbox

Proxies:
I have tried each Auto and No Proxy
Currently set to No Proxy

Bandwidth:
Don't Limit for both Up and Down
Enable LAN Sysn checked

Backups:
This PC - Not setup
External Drive Backup - unchecked
Devoices (one listed) - Don't Import
Screenshots - unchecked

Account:
12.5% of 2.0TB used

General:
Start Dropbox on system startup - checked
Microsoft Office add-in - unchecked
Dropbox badge - always show
Language - System Language

Dropbox Version - v144.4.4491
Megan
Dropbox Community Moderator
4 years ago
Now that's some pro troubleshooting you tried there! No worries, liffeyd!

I just sent you an email so we can have a closer look into this together.

See you there!

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Dropbox folder in File Explorer in Windows 11 is painfully slow

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