Taking a long time to open my Dropbox folders in File Explorer, after updating Win11

Yes, as a test i'd suggest temporarily disabling any 3rd party apps that might be interfering as well benreed 

Let me know how it goes!

GoodSync not running.  Dropbox app uninstalled. New app release installed. Behavior is the same. If I click on a folder in Dropbox, it takes a long time to open. If I click on the same folder to open in new tab or new window all is as it should be. If I navigate from that folder back  up to Dropbox top level, it goes there as it should. If I just click on that same folder where I just came from - it take long to open...

Ok, so I ran Malware and found nothing. I ran SCANNOW and found corrupted files that were fixed. Behavior similar. I then saw this:

When I click on the left hand side folder in Dropbox - it opens immediately. When I click on the right hand side, the same folder, it is slow. In either case,m if I click on a file in that folder - it again opens slowly. Unless I open the app, MS WORD or ACROBAT READER and open a file from Dropbox within that app - then it is fine. This in all honesty may be a WIn 11 issue.

Thanks for keeping us updated on this, benreed.

It might indeed be a Windows issue.

Can you let us know if you get the same behavior with other folders/files outside the Dropbox folder as well?

Hi,

No, other folders are fine.I thought it may be an issue with libraries shown in File Explorer, but no, everything else works fine, except Dropbox. It may be some conflict between Dropbox and Win 11. As I mentioned, this started some time in the fall of 2023 after a Win 11 update. There were no issues earlier. There was an earlier release of Win 11 , maybe from spring or summer of 2023 where there were issues in general to open any Office file, MS Word or Excel  or start  Outlook for email, maybe even .pdf files were affected - it would say it could not find that app the file is associated with or the system was not enabled to run the appropriate app . Microsoft fixed it in a subsequent release few months after. This current thing with Dropbox reminds me of that - but I can't really tell if it is related. I don't remember if there were specific Dropbox related issues when MS Word or Excel were not working - as that was a rather bad problem across the board. There is a new WIn 11 update that I am hesitant to install, not knowing what may go wrong this time.

Thanks, benreed!

As a test, would you mind creating a new Windows user profile and installing Dropbox there, to see if you have the same issue?

I have another user created on the same desktop machine. Are you asking that I install Dropbox with my current credentials  while logged in as that other user?  If so, as I have a basic plan, and use Dropbox on my desktop, iPhone and Ipad, would adding 4th device be a problem?

Indeed, benreed, but for the sake of the test, you can sign out of one of your mobile apps temporarily, to disconnect it from your Dropbox.

After you're done testing this, you can remove the second profile from your Dropbox account and re-connect your mobile app.

i have the same issue or similar to the one described by @benreed.  my plan is Dropbox Essentials.  i have uninstalled and reinstalled Dropbox desktop Stable Build 196.4.6900 several times.  i am following along with the advice given here, but i have limited knowledge of win 11.  can someone help me please?  i am a senior!!!!

Hi susan f.19! Sorry to hear you’re having the same issue as the OP. 

I’m guessing that, besides reinstalling the Dropbox app, you’ve also restarted your computer and it made no difference, correct?

Is this only happening with the Dropbox files in your File Explorer, or with all files in general? What happens if you temporarily quit the Dropbox app?

Also, if you open a file via a third-party app instead, does it open normally or does it still take too much time?