link and/or shared folder showing up empty to viewer

[ljh34481]

Suddenly, shared folders and/or links are showing up empty to the viewer but content is there when I click on the folder.

What am I doing wrong?

Thanks

[Lusil]

Hi there, @ljh34481!

Initially, could you please clarify if this is a shared link or a shared folder? 

Also, could you please ensure that your files are synced on your account? Are you able to view them via the website? 

If you uploaded the files via the desktop app, could you please hover over the Dropbox icon and let me know what it reads?

Thanks in advance! 

[ljh34481]

Lusil,

Thanks for the response

It first occurred on a shared folder that had been working well previously.  But then the same thing occurred with a link.

Hovering over the icon =uploading 51,098 files, 24 days left.  I have no idea what this might be

It does not appear these files are synced – I guess I am just seeing them on the desktop?

Sorta weird in one case – the folder contains about 11 images but only 1 showed up using a link to that folder.

This all came as a surprise to me since it has been working fine for years.

I am guessing the big upload is causing the problem?  How can I stop that and how do I sync to the website?

Thanks

Larry

[Lusil · Accepted solution]

Hey, Larry, thanks for getting back to me on this and for the detailed description.

Syncing your files can take time if you have many files/large files. Even though the files have been placed into the Dropbox folder, it doesn't mean the syncing has completed to the website and to other connected devices. 

This would also explain why the other user isn’t able to see any files in the shared folder, since they haven’t synced. 

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@ljh34481 wrote:

 Hovering over the icon =uploading 51,098 files, 24 days left. 

This is an "instant" estimate based on the current upload speed. Normally, Dropbox doesn't use all of your bandwidth. However, you can change that by manually setting the upload/download speed. 

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@ljh34481 wrote:

How can I stop that and how do I sync to the website? 

Please remember to stay logged into your computer, keep your computer turned on and connected to the Internet. The app syncs your files in the background. 

You can pause the upload, but if the files you want to share are included in the upload, then you need to let it complete. 

You can see the status of any file/folder in your Dropbox, by the syncing icons that appear on them. You can find more info about this here. 

I hope this helped, let me know if there’s anything else I can help with. Cheers!

[ljh34481]

Thank you.

You helped me discover my naiveity - in the past, I moved files to Dropbox and they immediately synced so DUH, when I moved them to the desktop app I thought I was moving them to the "cloud" since they were small and synced quickly. 

I was trying to move some large photo files to DB and DUH, thought it was all done and synced when I saw them in the desktop folder.  So, the problem is the queue and my stupidity.  You helped on both counts.  :<)

[Lusil]

Glad to have helped, @ljh34481!

If there’s anything else I can assist with in the future or you have any questions, just give me a shout. 

In the mean time, have a wonderful day ahead! 

[AnointSkincare]

Hi, when trying to attach files to an email some folders are empty (but files are there if I go to dropbox.com) and some folders are full. Folders that are full are shared with a different group of people to the folders that are blank. Can you help to resolve this urgently for us? Same problem if I try to attach something here on this post. Thanks, Erica

'

[Lusil]

Hi @AnointSkincare, thanks for nudging us here! 

It sounds like you may have trouble restoring some content, is that right?

You should be able to do this by following the steps outlined here. 

If you have any trouble doing this along the way or you have any other questions, don't hesitate to give us a nudge. 

Let us know how it goes!