Ventura, Dropbox and "double" syncing issues

[CABDreaming]

I've been a Dropbox user since it started as a company. I have installed Dropbox on a new Mac laptop (Apple M2 Max. 96Gb RAM ) running Ventura (13.3.1 (a)), and I am increasingly frustrated that, even after making a file "Available Offline," I also have to download the file through iCloud services. I've recently resorted to downloading files through the Dropbox site because I can't make the file available locally. I'm told "This version of macOS requires Dropbox folders to be stored here: /Users/[my username]/Library/CloudStorage/Dropbox" which, I'm guessing is why this is happening.

It is, quite frankly, untenable working this way--the entire reason I've used Dropbox as long as I have is so I can work on files locally and seamlessly sync to the cloud. What can I do to fix this? Did I do something wrong on installation?

[Hannah]

Hey @CABDreaming, thanks for bringing this to our attention.

Does the error you mentioned appear when you right-click on files and try to make them "available offline"?

Where does iCloud fit into this situation, are you getting any other messages regarding iCloud?

Also, what's the sync status and version of the Dropbox app on your computer?

You can hover over your Dropbox icon, to see this info.

Let me know and we'll go from there.

[meilanamusic]

This is happening to me as well! It takes twice as long to open any file because you have to wait for Dropbox then wait for iCloud.   When working with large audio sessions, it's just really problematic.   There has to be a way around this or I'm going to have to cancel my 3 TB subscription at the end of its term after using Dropbox for at least 10 years.  

[CABDreaming]

Thanks for responding, Hannah. I've been working away from home, so I'm just getting back to this as I'm trying to work on the holiday!

My version of Dropbox is v177.4.5399. Regarding iCloud, I can't remember if I mentioned this before, but when I go to Dropbox/Preferences/Sync, it says this under "Dropbox folder location":

This version of macOS requires Dropbox folders to be stored here:

/Users/[username witheld]/Library/CloudStorage/Dropbox

Any file on my Dropbox has the Mac OS "empty cloud with an arrow pointed down" icon, which is to say, it requires me to download from iCloud to see it. What this means in practice is that, whenever I right-click and select the Dropbox "Make Available Offline" option, I see the Dropbox "green checkbox" appear, but also the Mac OS "circle completing" icon next to the file. [Let me know if I can do a screencap of this to prevent confusion from my text description].

If the file is small enough, it arrives relatively promptly, but always with a delay after the Dropbox "green check." If a file is anything about a couple of MBs, I could spend all day waiting for it. It's not my Internet connection as I can go to the Dropbox site and download that same content promptly and without issue.

Regarding my sync status, today it is saying "Updating files," although I've also had this happen when it says my Dropbox is "up to date."

I'm getting no other messages from iCloud.

[CABDreaming]

I've not found a solution to this, although I will say I don't have this experience on Mac machines that I use in other studios. The only difference that I can see is that those machines had Dropbox installed in a previous Mac OS (which is to say, their original OS's were NOT Ventura).

[Walter]

Hey @CABDreaming, sorry to jump in, but could you send us a screenshot of how those files and their icons look on your end so that we can have a visual too?

Any additional information you think might help is more than welcome!

[CABDreaming]

How the file looks in Dropbox before:

and after selecting "Make available offline":

In this case, although this file is 96bytes, it has yet to become available.

Andrew

[CABDreaming]

TBH, I'm really not sure what else to provide in terms of information for you. It seems relatively clear that having my Dropbox inside of an iCloud directory folder (which, to be clear, was chosen for me automatically during Dropbox installation) is the heart of this. I've never had to put my Dropbox folder there before, so I assume this is an Apple mandate for Ventura.

Andrew

Andrew

[Walter]

Thanks for the additional information and the screenshots too @CABDreaming - most appreciated!

It seems that you updated to the new desktop app for Mac OS so this is expected as those are not iCloud icons but the new syncing icons. For more information, you can have a look here.

I hope this clears things up!

[CABDreaming]

Walter, thanks for your reply. I gave up on this problem because I went back to working in the studio for awhile. The icons aren't really the issue, but I appreciate the background. The actual issue is that synching anything takes tremendously long. For example, I have a folder that couldn't be more than 1MB that simply won't sync. Internet connectivity isn't an issue, and there are no other resources on the computer commanding attention.