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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. 
D_Milstein's avatar
D_Milstein
Explorer | Level 4
7 years ago

Searching outside of the forums here, I found one user who turned on his VPN service, and his upload speeds went back to normal. I figured it was worth a test. After enabling ExpressVPN, my upload speeds jumped from today's dismal 400-500 kpbs up to 12,000 kbps or faster. That wins a WTF award. Time to figure out why that's happening.

Hahnium's avatar
Hahnium
New member | Level 2
7 years ago

Sanity check here - really slow uploads for us as well. DropBox only.

  • D_Milstein's avatar
    D_Milstein
    Explorer | Level 4
    7 years ago
    Hahnium, try using simple VPN software for a test to see if you have the same positive results. If it works, please tell us which ISP you use. It's really bizarre. I have no idea why enabling ExpressVPN returned the uploads to normal speeds.
  • Lusil's avatar
    Lusil
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
    7 years ago
    Hey peeps, thanks for the constant updates! 
     
    spapai and D_Milstein, I’m sorry to hear that you’re still having trouble with this. In order to ensure efficient troubleshooting though, I’d recommend continuing this with our specialized engineers with whom you have an ongoing communication with and are reviewing this matter for you. 
     
    The more info they have, the more efficient of an investigation they can carry out for you. As such, I’ve made sure to forward your additional comments to them.  
     
    Hahnium, I was able to locate your ticket and have made sure to get back to you with the next relevant steps. Please check your inbox and we’ll take it from there. 
     
    Thanks everyone!
  • markn62's avatar
    markn62
    New member | Level 2
    7 years ago

    Add me to the list of slow uploads.  Uploading a single file (not sync) using the latest Pale Moon browser.  Under Personal Account there is no preference setting that caps speed. I'm getting between 1mbps & 6mbps upload on a 250mbps syncronous fiber connection with less than 25mbps in use by other applications. Pathetically slow.  Just started using DB Plus a couple weeks ago.  If this is not fixed soon I'll simply use another service and let the subscription run out in a week.

  • Lusil's avatar
    Lusil
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
    7 years ago
    Hey markn62, sorry to hear that you’re also having this issue. 
     
    I followed up with a ticket so as to further investigate this, so please make sure to check the email associated with your Community account and we’ll take it from there. 
     
    Cheers!
  • rynr's avatar
    rynr
    Helpful | Level 5
    7 years ago

    Hi, has anyone found a solution to this yet? 800kb upload speed here

  • Rich's avatar
    Rich
    Icon for Super User II rankSuper User II
    7 years ago

    Remember to do the math before you compare the reported speeds in Dropbox to your speed tests.

    While most ISPs and speed test sites display their results in bits (kilo or mega), the speeds reported by Dropbox are in bytes. Be sure to do the conversion before comparing. Your 800KB/s transfer speed is approximately 6.4Mb/s.

    Also, each file that you upload is hashed and compressed, then transferred, encrypted, and stored on the Dropbox servers. That entire process is included in the aggregate KB/s speed that's displayed in the Dropbox sync status. In other words, it's not just a transfer speed and can't be directly compared to the upload and download speeds provided by your ISP.

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