Forum Discussion

kshafi's avatar
kshafi
Explorer | Level 3
8 years ago
Solved

why is dropbox so slow when number of files increases?

Dropbox is unusable (and I mean it) as the number of file increases (I have more than 2 million files). What is the use of 1T tier when you cann't really use it (syncing takes forever for a simple additional file, the selective sync seems broken, etc.). It seems this issue has been around for a long time reading the issues. When are you going to fix this? I assume this is a fundemantal issue that Dropbox is unable to solve given their software architecture. I wish I knew this limitation. I am writing this for others to know as well. 

 

desktop
sync
  • Jay's avatar
    Jay
    8 years ago
    Hi there, the following article does explain that this is generally related to the specifications of the machine that is syncing the files.
     
    While I don’t work in the department that maintains the app, I imagine the performance hit comes from simply having to monitor so many files at the same time. 
     
    Currently, there isn’t anything that can be done to improve this, as the Dropbox servers are working fine; it’s the computer(s) itself causing the bottleneck and needing more time to process the changes as well as keeping tabs on all the files at the same time.
     
    I hope this helps to clarify matters.

10 Replies

  • Jay's avatar
    Jay
    Icon for Dropbox Community Moderator rankDropbox Community Moderator
    8 years ago
    Hi there, the following article does explain that this is generally related to the specifications of the machine that is syncing the files.
     
    While I don’t work in the department that maintains the app, I imagine the performance hit comes from simply having to monitor so many files at the same time. 
     
    Currently, there isn’t anything that can be done to improve this, as the Dropbox servers are working fine; it’s the computer(s) itself causing the bottleneck and needing more time to process the changes as well as keeping tabs on all the files at the same time.
     
    I hope this helps to clarify matters.
  • clairearthur's avatar
    clairearthur
    New member | Level 2
    7 years ago

    I have a brand new 2019 MacBook pro. 2.8 GHz Intel Core i7 with 16GB memory.  In other words, almost as good as a laptop can get. So if this problem exists for me, it should theoretically exist for everyone, and is not likely related to hardware issues or machine specs.

  • designs07's avatar
    designs07
    Helpful | Level 5
    6 years ago

    I have a 2019 iMac Retina 5k 27" and I have been experiencing terrible sync waits for at least a couple months now. No changes on my system to have caused this. It's not right. Think it's time to look elsewhere for my storage service needs. 

  • Lusil's avatar
    Lusil
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
    6 years ago

    Hey designs07, thanks for nudging us on this thread and sorry to hear that you're having trouble syncing. 

    I'd be more than happy to help, I'll just need a bit more info on this, such as:

    • What does the Dropbox icon next to your computer's clock show when you hover over it?
    • Are you getting any error messages?
    • Do you see the syncing icons on your files when you navigate through the Dropbox folder on your Finder and the desktop app?

    Keep us posted!

  • designs07's avatar
    designs07
    Helpful | Level 5
    6 years ago

    Lusil Dropbox icon shows "Indexing 6,950 files" when I hover over it. When I click once on the tray icon, it says "Syncing 6,950 files 2+ days". I see some syncing icons. I see some files with no icon that should have synced a long time ago. 

  • Lusil's avatar
    Lusil
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
    6 years ago

    Thanks for checking that out for me, designs07. 

    Could you try the steps shown in this post and let me know if you see a change in behavior at all? 

    Cheers!

  • designs07's avatar
    designs07
    Helpful | Level 5
    6 years ago

    Did the steps. Today it's been stuck all day at 242 files synching (2+ days). 

  • Lusil's avatar
    Lusil
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
    6 years ago

    I'm glad to hear that the count has atleast gone down, designs07.

    Since you mention that it's stuck though, I've sent you a ticket so that we can have a better look into it. 

    Cheers!

  • Kurdicak 's avatar
    Kurdicak
    New member | Level 2
    6 years ago
    This issue is still not solved even now. I’m still experiencing this issue now and I have a super high end Windows workstation computer and I use an Ethernet cable with my router that does more than 2mbs upload speeds. It’s been trying to synch my files on my local machine for more than 2 weeks. But it has still only done only 10 percent of the files.

    This does not seem to be a user issue but rather a Dropbox issue.

    Also, the selective synch option and the Savin to local pc options on the Dropbox service, whether using the app or on the browser, does not work.

    Dropbox is becoming a nuisance and many people are now starting to complain about it all over the world. I’ve been advised not stop my subscription and to look for alternatives.
  • Lusil's avatar
    Lusil
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
    6 years ago

    Hi Kurdicak , thanks for nudging us here, and sorry to hear that you're still having trouble with this. 

     

    Just to make sure that we cover as much initial troubleshooting as possible, could you let me know if you've tried these steps?

     

    Let me know how it goes - thanks!

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