My macOS desktop app has been stuck syncing 10MB for 3 days.

Hey sniffly!

Can you confirm that the app shows as up-to-date now, and that the file has successfully synced? 

Please keep in mind that since we're not able to see any logs, we can't be certain as to what happened there. In any case, if you notice a similar behavior again don't hesitate to let us know.

I've done this. I also scrapped the file that was in the folder and replaced it with the updated file based on the backup. So far Dropbox has managed to sync it.

No clue why this is happening in the first place? For almost ten years I've been syncing files from this one program through Dropbox, and there's never been a problem till recently.

Hi again, sniffly. If you haven’t already and you’re not on a free Basic plan with more than 3 devices currently linked, I’d like you to relink your Dropbox app next (basically sign out and back in again). 

If that doesn’t help either, please perform an advanced reinstall after that.

The latest development: finding it impossible to open the file I need, I decided to try to work from my backup. The backup file, opened from within the backup folder, was fine. Needing to relocate it out of the backup folder, I decided to save it to the Dropbox folder, thinking it could replace the file I could no longer get to work. However, once copied to the Dropbox folder, the backup file could no longer be opened, and my Finder crashed. 

So I tried moving the file from the Dropbox folder to a non-Dropbox folder. That didn't work either. It's as if, having touched the Dropbox folder, the file was destroyed.

Then I went back to the backup folder, recopied the backup, moved it directly into a non-Dropbox folder, and everything is fine.

From all this my takeaway is that something is profoundly broken in the Dropbox folder. 

Now that it finally restarted, here's a screenshot of the status as shown in the menu bar.

It took four or five times, but Dropbox has now restarted. Unfortunately upon restarting it resumed the same behavior as before, the endless syncing going nowhere. It's using up so much CPU I can barely attach a file here.

I don't see Dropbox.app in the application support Dropbox file, but I took a screenshot in case I'm missing it.

Thanks for the error log, sniffly​, I hope it's okay if I jump in here as well.

Now, the error you’re getting is temporary and should be fixed by restarting the desktop app.

If the issue persists, check whether you have a copy of the Dropbox.app file on your computer in these locations:

1. /Applications
2. ~/Library/Application Support/Dropbox
    

• If you see this file in both locations, delete the file in the second location(~/Library/Application Support/Dropbox).
• If you see the file in the second location but not in the first, move the file to the first location(/Applications).

Let me know how it goes!

bn.BUILD_KEY: Dropbox

bn.VERSION: 241.4.4795

bn.constants.WINDOWS_SHELL_EXT_VERSION: 89

bn.is_frozen: True

machine_id: db23d940-45b0-57f5-86d9-b08a6b0fef65

pid: 1217

ppid: 1

uid: 501

user_info: pwd.struct_passwd(pw_name='xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx', pw_passwd='********', pw_uid=501, pw_gid=20, pw_gecos='xxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx', pw_dir='/Users/xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx', pw_shell='/bin/zsh')

effective_user_info: pwd.struct_passwd(pw_name='xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx', pw_passwd='********', pw_uid=501, pw_gid=20, pw_gecos='xxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxx', pw_dir='/Users/xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx', pw_shell='/bin/zsh')

euid: 501

gid: 20

egid: 20

group_info: grp.struct_group(gr_name='staff', gr_passwd='*', gr_gid=20, gr_mem=['root'])

effective_group_info: grp.struct_group(gr_name='staff', gr_passwd='*', gr_gid=20, gr_mem=['root'])

DYLD_LIBRARY_PATH: None

cwd: '/'

real_path='/'

mode=0o40755 uid=0 gid=0

parent mode=0o40755 uid=0 gid=0

HOME: '/Users/xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx'

appdata: '/Users/xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx/.dropbox/instance1'

real_path='/Users/xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx/.dropbox/instance1'

mode=0o40700 uid=501 gid=20

parent mode=0o40755 uid=501 gid=20

dropbox_path: '/Users/xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx/Library/CloudStorage/Dropbox'

real_path='/Users/xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx/Library/CloudStorage/Dropbox'

mode=0o40700 uid=501 gid=20

parent mode=0o40755 uid=501 gid=20

sys_executable: '/Applications/Dropbox.app/Contents/MacOS/Dropbox'

real_path='/Applications/Dropbox.app/Contents/MacOS/Dropbox'

mode=0o100775 uid=501 gid=20

parent mode=0o40775 uid=501 gid=20

trace.__file__: '/Applications/Dropbox.app/Contents/Resources/python-packages.zip/dropbox/client/ui/common/boot_error.pyc'

real_path='/Applications/Dropbox.app/Contents/Resources/python-packages.zip/dropbox/client/ui/common/boot_error.pyc'

not found

parent not found

tempdir: '/var/folders/s9/mrydg93j4971_lgxny5vq1gw0000gn/T'

real_path='/private/var/folders/s9/mrydg93j4971_lgxny5vq1gw0000gn/T'

mode=0o40700 uid=501 gid=20

parent mode=0o40755 uid=501 gid=20

Traceback (most recent call last):

File "desktop/dropbox/client/main.py", line 7214, in _setup_root_for_account

File "desktop/dropbox/client/main.py", line 7548, in _get_root_for_account

File "desktop/dropbox/sync_root/helpers.py", line 594, in get_root_for_account

File "desktop/dropbox/foundation/futures/basic.py", line 934, in result

File "../mac_x86_64_dropbox_virtual_env/lib/python3.8/threading.py", line 890, in _bootstrap

File "../mac_x86_64_dropbox_virtual_env/lib/python3.8/threading.py", line 932, in _bootstrap_inner

File "desktop/dropbox/db_thread.py", line 100, in run

File "<string>", line 1, in _x__db_thread__sleep_thread

File "desktop/dropbox/db_thread.py", line 39, in set_name_and_run

File "../mac_x86_64_dropbox_virtual_env/lib/python3.8/threading.py", line 870, in run

File "desktop/dropbox/foundation/runtime/__init__.py", line 731, in decorated

File "desktop/dropbox/foundation/futures/sleep/__init__.py", line 169, in _run

File "desktop/dropbox/foundation/futures/basic.py", line 751, in set_result

File "desktop/dropbox/foundation/futures/basic.py", line 714, in _on_post

File "desktop/dropbox/foundation/futures/basic.py", line 1114, in _stage1

File "desktop/dropbox/foundation/futures/basic.py", line 451, in _then_callback

File "desktop/dropbox/foundation/futures/helpers.py", line 527, in <lambda>

File "desktop/dropbox/sync_root/handlers/macos/file_provider.py", line 607, in _get_mount_path

dropbox.mac.internal.MacError: [Errno -2001] Error Domain=NSFileProviderErrorDomain Code=-2001 "No valid file provider found with identifier ‘com.getdropbox.dropbox.fileprovider/89d34a8c-ea13-4711-8cea-a576164c7c98’." UserInfo={NSLocalizedDescription=No valid file provider found with identifier ‘com.getdropbox.dropbox.fileprovider/89d34a8c-ea13-4711-8cea-a576164c7c98’., NSUnderlyingError=0x600003b385d0 {Error Domain=NSFileProviderErrorDomain Code=-2012 "(null)"}}

 

Can you also forward us the whole error log as shown in your screen after you click on the hyperlink shown in your screenshot's error message sniffly? 

Quit and rebooted. Tried twice, both times I got messages that it can't restart. Nevertheless fileproviderd is still going crazy.