The desktop app on my Mac has been stuck indexing files. I can only access some of them.

Latest update-

I all but gave up on Support this morning and wiped it all out. Here is what I did and it appears to be fully synced on Sonoma (Note: I haven't updated to File Provider again yet, but may try this over the next couple days if it stabilizes).

1. On my computer, I signed out of DB from the app

2. Quit Dropbox app.

3. Using an old app called App Zapper, I deleted the Dropbox app (this deleted almost everything in the system folders, which I think is crutial).

4. I copied the DB folder in CloudStorage to an external drive (for safety in case I couldn't reconnect my DB server folder).

5. Next, I deleted the DB folder in CloudStorage

6. I downloaded the DB app.

7. I went online and confirmed my online/offline choices and cleaned up anything that looked strange (I had a bunch of conflict sync files over the years)

8. I installed DB and launched.

9. I connected to my account and started re-syncing everything. It took a few hours, but now everything is sync'd and DB actually says everything is up to date.

10. I have not yet reset my Dropbox backups yet. That will be next and likely overnight as I backup my external drive to DB backup.

Next task will be moving to File Provider as I'm guessing it will have to be moved there at some point.

About an hour after I started the process in my previous message, DB support got back to me (after 2 days) with basically the same info, but using Terminal commands to remove the cloudstorage data and reinstall....Then they sent another email (literally 2 minutes after sending the instructions) closing my ticket. Apparently, they are very confident in their step by step. 

I'll continue to update as I go through the next steps, but it appears you have to blow DB away completely to get it to work properly...your mileage may vary...

Dear fellow sufferers, I haven't written in a while. I tried different things over the last few weeks and finally decided to stop paying for Dropbox services and move to a combination of iCloud and external storage instead. I have been a user of DB for about 12 years, and a paid customer for at least 7. But we're really not getting what we pay for. At all.

I am not keen on doing a clean install: it is the atomic bomb solution to solve bugs. Yes, it works, but it comes with the burden to setup your computer all over again. I don't like it.

So last month, I tried DB's solution (offered by their tech support). I logged off from DB and did things like that, and it decided to download all my DB files from the ground up, which took quite a long time and created new folders, with all the duplicates. Of course my local storage space couldn't take it and I had to find space in the middle of it. Then I spent the last month worrying that I lost files in the process, which is the opposite of the purpose of paying more than 200 $CAD per year. I am manually checking the older folders and looking at whether there are files missing in the latest folders before deleting the old versions. This is not fun and I had other plans for my free time.

As I bought a new computer anyway, I decided it was time for a change. I will be using another cloud storage, and keep DB only for sharing folders with other DB users. I hope their free-tier offers enough space for that. But even on the new Mac, with the latest DB version using FileProvider, DB just doesn't seem to be working as intended. It hasn't downloaded all the files I asked it to download (I often have to ask it many times), its activity does not display what it is doing beside the abstract "syncing" (but what? for how long and what size? I don't even see the history of synced files, as it used to appear), and I also have duplicate icons for things like "offline-only". What an epic mess. And as others have pointed out, it is not the first time DB screws things up after an OS update.

I know iCloud does not have all the same features (I will miss versioning and the Vault) but it's for the best. And I am sure iCloud will get better by the years.

Thank you all for being on this journey with me for the past couple of weeks. I wish you will find peace some day among these times of trouble. Cheers!

So I've been running overnight and everything appears to be working.

My Question now is, What if I don't bother "upgrading" to File Provider. Is that a problem? Is there any real benefit to it other than having my dropbox files in the cloudstorage folder?

I'd love to hear some feedback from users or DB staff as to why I need to update (since it works now).

effinsyv my advice is to upgrade to File Provider, its the new system required by Apple, if you stay on the old non-File Provider, it won't be supported and things will probably start breaking with new software upgrades on MacOS and Dropbox.

Konigi I can understand your decision, we have all learnt a lot about how unvalued we are as customers here 😉

Please, add a functionality to show the stuck files. When you know what they are, it is simple to move them out and back which resolves the problem. And it occures quite offten.

Thanks

So before I was going to do the steps that Teddy73 outlined which I am grateful for, I tried one thing, I connected my ethernet to my Macbook and the files that were stuck syncing, synced immediately.    This is very awkward, I have two wifis one at office and one at home I use and when I use dropbox with my office and home wifi it is stuck syncing, but when I connect it directly with ethernet it syncs right away.   I have been using dropbox for over 10 years and never had issue with slow stuck syncing over wifi.  Ever since upgrade to Sonoma this has been happening.  I guess if I want to continue using dropbox I will have to connect it to ethernet to update my files every time I use another computer which is silly.    I hope dropbox finds an answer for this.

Hi all,

I just wanted to close this up my experience with the dropbox debacle. As mentioned in previous replies, I was able to get DB working. I successfully did the file provider update. That was pretty much a non-issue once I blew the whole thing away and started over. The last step in the saga was to redo the DB Backups that I had, which was an external drive and my Mac Doc/Desktop Folders. The Mac HD folder was quick and easy and the External was successful as well, although it took all weekend to get it uploaded.

My suggestion is to baby step through everything and make sure you have enough time to sync up before unplugging or disconnecting from the internet,  just to eliminate a variable. Good luck out there!