Desktop app is stuck 'Starting' when it loads up and doesn't sync

[Bert M.]

I am a paying customer and very frustrated with Dropbox. I am ready to drop DropBox and look for other alternatives.

Since Friday of last week it has been trying to sync 100Gb in files and it is taking an eternity. Now is stuck in "Starting."
I have rebooted the Mac (10.6.8). I am using Dropbox 3.0.3. I have tried going to Preferences, holding the option key and "Fixing Permission." I also read in the Internet about deleting the hidden cache folder but I have not done it yet since I don't know what to expect.

Any assistance is appreciated.

[Jay · Accepted solution]

Reading through this thread, everyone seems to be experiencing similar and yet slightly different issues, so I’ll go through the general troubleshooting steps to fix all of them. 

Feel free to stop whenever your app begins to sync normally, not all steps are needed.

Install the stable version:

The first thing we need is to be sure you’re running the stable version of the Dropbox desktop application, and not the beta.
 
To do so uncheck the box next to "Early releases" here. Then, do an advanced reinstall to ensure that all beta functions are removed fully. 

Instead of the download link on that page, I recommend using the offline installers for this purpose:

• Windows
• Mac 

Confirm there are no symlinks

Secondly, if your app is fine, but it’s still starting, then it could be stuck in a loop trying to parse your symlinks. 
 

What are these? Long story short for those not in the know, these are files or folder that refer to another file or folder in your Dropbox account, or even outside the Dropbox folder.

This can include, but is not limited to, iPhoto/Photos library on Mac, system folders such as Documents/Pictures/Music/Downloads, databases, programming code, and many more.

Removing these symlinks is vital since they can cause these issues, high CPU usage, and permissions problems.

Follow step 7 on this article in order to detect the symlinks in your computer and remove any from your Dropbox folder. Generally, moving the specific files or folders to another location should remove the links.

Check your internet connection

Hilariously, this is more common than you think. You have a stable WiFi/ethernet connection to the web, other sites work, and yet the app isn’t connecting.

If multiple users are having this problem on the same network, there is a possibility that a proxy, VPN, firewall, security software, or even ISP/router issues that could be restricting traffic to the Dropbox domains. 

We can’t really narrow things down for you, since you need to check this out yourself as there are so many programs out there.

We’ve had cases more often than not about built in security software on routers for home internet users, meant to protect users and children, but in doing so preventing the Dropbox desktop application from loading.

Using a remote login

Getting a black or white screen on the Dropbox app when you’re trying to sign in is a different issue.
 

This usually occurs when using a remote login or even a virtual machine to another device. The graphics for remote logins are usually reduced in quality, and since the Dropbox desktop application connects to the Dropbox site to sign you in, it won’t render the login page in the app while on a remote login.

Best thing to do would be to access the machine directly to login from there.

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Overall, there are many reasons for this cause, however hopefully this post should help in resolving most of the issues!

[This thread is now closed. If you have a similar or new question, you can ask here.]

[glassfull]

I don't know why the thread is closed:

https://www.dropboxforum.com/t5/Syncing-and-uploads/Desktop-app-is-stuck-Starting-when-it-loads-up-a...

I also have this issue in the following situation:

1. - Dropbox app is hanging on "Starting"
2. - Windows 10 user account (not admin)
3. - Have uninstalled and reinstalled 6 times 
4. - Have restarted the machine multiple times
5. - Have tried advanced reinstall
6. - Also renamed Dropbox to DropboxOLD  and allowed Dropbox to recreate new "Dropbox" folder.

Step 6 worked for about 3 days - and then the app got stuck on starting ??

I then tried unlinked the app from preferences > my account and then relinked it again - and hey presto it works again....

But I can't be wasting my valuable time always having to "troubleshoot" Dropbox - I need a solution that just works.

I am going to try to move to Google Backup and Sync.  I'm fed up with Dropbox support answers that are clearly "canned" responses.  Furthermore, Google Backup and Sync offer live chat support - and I was able to answer all my issues within 15 minutes.

With Dropbox, I seem to have to endure weeks of pain and no resolution.  I am fed up.

Anyway, the above tips hopefully might help someone <<< try unlinking and relinking >>>>

[Jay]

Hi there, the thread was closed since it was old and most users had the issue resolved.

I've moved your thread in here to keep the topics together and reopened the thread for a short time.

[davidboxer]

Yes, i have had the the same problems, and still got it, very disappointing, especially if one is setting up a working environment thinking the things work as u pay them. 😞 

[Jane]

Hey davidboxer, apologies for the slight delay in replying! 

I was able to run a search on my end & I could see that you’ve already been in touch with my colleague via email & they’re awaiting your reply. You may include all relevant details on this correspondence & they’ll do their best to help you, as they have direct access to all your account-specific info via this channel. 

Of course, please do let me know if I could be of assistance in any way here & I’ll do my best to check back with you! 

[spike1968]

This seems to be an issue that has existed for years and the only solution is reinstalling or listing your symlinks and having to go through a massive list and spend your time moving data around to fix the issue.

As a paid subscriber to pro this is unnacceptable. Looks like I have 3 choices.

1. Use dropbox online only

2. Spend hours/maybe days fixing symlinks

3. Look at other solutions

Well I have spent ages on 1; 2 is a non starter; 3 seems to be my solution now.

This issue goes back over 3 years in this post and I just cannot believe the Dropbox team have no reasonable solution for such a long term problem. 

[Walter]

Hey there @spike1968 - Happy Monday and apologies for any inconvenience this might have caused so far. 

From what I understand you're running our desktop app and you got stuck at "Starting" - correct?

The solution to this problem usually comes from the user's end as we don't have a way to tamper with your connection in this way whatsoever. Simply put, there's nothing to fix on our end as these problems are almost always caused by security settings or setup on the user's computer(s), symlinks within the Dropbox Folder or a corrupt installation of our software. 

For more clarity now, note that when you're having connection problems like this, they're usually caused by an antivirus or security program (or even Firewalls, proxy settings and VPNs) on your computer(s). Have you made sure that this is not what's causing this? 

In addition, symlinks were never supported and we always recommend removing them since they can be the cause of various syncing issues and discrepancies. 

Finally, another thing that comes to mind in this case, is the number of the files in your account. It could take a while to move from the "Starting" stage to the syncing one as the performance of the Dropbox application starts to decline after reaching about 300,000 files as mentioned in this Help Center article. You should be able to tackle this by utilizing our Selective sync feature. 

I hope this helps clear this up to some extent and let me know what you find.

PS: This also might be caused due to your particular setup and configuration so if you're still having this issue after going through this thread, I'd suggest that you logged a ticket with our support team and let them know about this.

[spike1968]

With the speed of my internet, the high spec of my machine, the fact that all the other syncs operating are working fine clearly demonstrates that Dropbox are lacking in sync tech where they used to lead.

I have been chatting to support and they say it's not symlinks but the number of files I have in dropbox. Obviously dropbox app sync function is limited... Working on another solution for my cloud files now.

[omrani]

I had the same problem and could finally figure out who was the culprit of this symptom.

I am using Windows 10 and my dropbox folder was in a different Drive than Windows. I noticed that dropbox does not have enough permission to access my dropbox folder.

I just closed dropbox down from system tray and manually run it under administrator.

It solved the problem and dropbox started synching again.

Hope this helps others.

[Jane]

Hey @omrani, thanks for taking the time to post us the troubleshooting steps that did the trick for you! While @Jay has included some great troubleshooting tips & tricks on his comment above, it would be worth noting that the Dropbox desktop app requires admin privileges to run with full functionality on your computer. 

That said, I'm happy to hear that you got this sorted now. We’re always here should you ever need additional assistance in the future, so feel free to get back in touch on our Community for any questions you may have. Happy Dropboxing & take care until then!