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jgutwein's avatar
jgutwein
New member | Level 2
7 years ago
Solved

Really Slow Upload...only Dropbox

Hey All, I'm moving over to Dropbox from GoogleDrive. I have Gigabit Fios (recent upload speed test 686.4mbps), but Dropbox is maxing out around 2,000kbps. I have 'don't limit upload' enabled. Any s...
desktop
sync
upload
  • Lusil's avatar
    Lusil
    7 years ago
    Hey there jgutwein,
     
    Syncing your files can take time if you have many/large files. Although your files may have been placed into the Dropbox folder, it doesn't mean the syncing has completed.
     
    When Dropbox syncs the files it starts with all of the folders, then uploads files from smallest to largest. For this reason, it may look like the folders are empty or incomplete if you look during the syncing process, but please be patient and don’t delete them if they haven't finished syncing.
     
    You can see the sync status by holding your mouse over the Dropbox icon that’s next to your desktop’s clock.
     
    Furthermore, please keep in mind that Dropbox can only upload and download as fast as your Internet service provider (ISP) allows. During an upload, the transfer speeds are also dependent upon how quickly your computer can process and compress the components of the files to make them available for upload.
     
    Although you can change the bandwidth limit manually to improve syncing, please bear in mind that setting it to Don't Limit or a higher number than your connection is capable of will likely cause all other Internet activity on your network to slow significantly.
     
    I know that this may not be the ideal response you were looking for, but I do hope it helped to some extent. In any case, let me know if you’re still having trouble with this or if you have any other questions. 
spapai's avatar
spapai
Explorer | Level 4
7 years ago

Hi Lusil,

I am having a similar issue. Currently I am trying to upload 1 video file (~4GB). There is no other syncing currently happening with my Dropbox. I have a 100Mbps up/down connection through Verizon FiOS, and a SpeedTest result (using "Single", not "Multi") shows that I am getting the full bandwidth. Google Drive is also able to utilize the maximum bandwidth. As you can see from the attached image I put together, this is clearly a Dropbox, and not a network issue. This also happened yesterday, and nothing has changed in my network environment since the last time Dropbox was using my full upload bandwidth. Thanks for your help. (additionally, I was not able to add the image using your "link to picture" or "attach image" links. "An Unexpected Error has occurred" popped up above this textbox twice)

Lusil's avatar
Lusil
Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
7 years ago
Hi spapai, thanks for the screenshot you included, definitely provides a better understanding of the behavior you’re experiencing. 
 
As a first step, could you please clarify the following:
  • Are you uploading files and folders to both Dropbox and Google Drive at the same time?
  • Have you also changed the bandwidth limit to improve syncing for the Dropbox desktop app?
Let me know what you find!
  • spapai's avatar
    spapai
    Explorer | Level 4
    7 years ago

    Hi Lusil,

    No, nothing was done at the same time. I paused Dropbox during both of the other uploads (which were each done one at a time), and waited until those were finished before I unpaused Dropbox. The Dropbox screenshot I included was actually taken between the other two tests. And my bandwidth for both up/down in the app is "don't limit".

     

    • Lusil's avatar
      Lusil
      Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
      7 years ago
      Thanks for writing back, spapai. 
       
      The Dropbox servers don’t set caps on the upload or download speeds from the desktop app, but file sync is a complicated process that includes more than just the transfer of the data. 
       
      Each file is divided and compressed into hashed components, transferred via secure data transfer, and then encrypted and stored. During an upload, the transfer speeds are also dependent upon how quickly your computer can process and compress the components of the files to make them available for upload.
       
      Furthermore, please bear in mind that the actual sync speed you see may not match these speeds directly as we are including the hash, compression, and encryption process in our aggregate kB/s speed.
       
      Having said that, I’d recommend contacting your ISP provider for more info and, as I’d like to further assist you on this, I’ve also sent you a ticket to the email address associated with your Community profile. 
       
      As such, if you’re still having trouble with this or you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to get back to me through the ticket that I’ve sent you. 
       
      Thanks in advance!
      • Pixbytodd's avatar
        Pixbytodd
        New member | Level 2
        7 years ago

        We're having the same issue here and it's nearly impossible for us to upload video files at this point as a single 4gb file is taking many hours to upload.  We're uploading directly through the website and not trying to sync through folders... not sure if that could have any bearing on the issue, but this seems to be a newer problem as we haven't had such slow uploads in the past.  This is trying from multiple computers through Verizon FIOS and speedtest shows 100mbs download and 70mbs upload.

        Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

        Todd

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