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selkie19's avatar
selkie19
Explorer | Level 4
2 years ago

Desktop app is stuck at indexing for days

Hello, I have Dropbox on my iMac running 12.6.3 Monterey. Dropbox has been stuck on indexing for over a week. I have tried the troubleshooting advice but haven't had success. Any ideas?

Thank you!

  • Hannah's avatar
    Hannah
    2 years ago

    Thanks for the screenshot, selkie19.

     

    Can you also check the article that Walter linked in his previous reply, on how to fix syncing issues, to see if any of the suggestions there are helpful?

  • ar_reeft's avatar
    ar_reeft
    Explorer | Level 4

    Hi

     

    My dropbox is stuck at indexing.

     

    I have tryed to fix both hardlinks and permissions as descriped here

    https://www.dropboxforum.com/t5/Create-upload-and-share/My-desktop-app-is-stuck-at-syncing-and-I-need-help-with-the/td-p/405492 

    This only resulted in the indexing went from 93 to 1665 files. It's now over an hour ago and the numbers still haven't dropped, so I don't think it's doing anything.

     

    I the joblist it's using power but not much else

     

    I really need to get those 6 files uploaded.

     

    Please explain what to do...

     

    regards Anja

    • Megan's avatar
      Megan
      Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff

      Hi ar_reeft, thanks for posting here today! 

       

      How long is the app stuck "indexing" content? It might sound trivial, but have you tried signing out of the app, then back in? 

       

      Keep me posted! 

      • ar_reeft's avatar
        ar_reeft
        Explorer | Level 4

        Hi Megan

         

        I'm not sure how long it's have been stuck - I made I change yesterday (the 6 files to be uploaded) which I noticed didn't apply to my other PC.

        But if it had started yesterday or earliere I don't know.

        Is there a way to see it? 

         

        Yes, I have signed out and in ( in fact I have tried to close dropbox in the tasksmanager )

         

        Anja

  • Walter's avatar
    Walter
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff

    Hey selkie19, sorry to hear about this.

     

    Can you please try fixing your hardlinks and permissions as outlined here?

     

    If syncing gets stuck at the exact same number of files again, please send us a screenshot of the app's status as shown in your menu bar so that we can have a visual too.

     

    Thanks!

    • selkie19's avatar
      selkie19
      Explorer | Level 4

       Thank you Walter. I did both the hardlinks and permissions. Still indexing at the same number.

      • Hannah's avatar
        Hannah
        Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff

        Thanks for the screenshot, selkie19.

         

        Can you also check the article that Walter linked in his previous reply, on how to fix syncing issues, to see if any of the suggestions there are helpful?

  • EagleG's avatar
    EagleG
    Explorer | Level 3

    I'm having a similar problem: I updated Dropbox desktop app after upgrading to OS 13.2 on my MacBook.  I got a notice that my synched files were moving to "Locations"--then dropbox started "indexing".  It has not stopped indexing, weeks later.  I uninstalled and reinstalled the desktop app, but still says indexing.  Could someone help?  This makes Dropbox a lot less useful to me, since I need up to date files synched to my laptop for offline use.

    • Megan's avatar
      Megan
      Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff

      Hi EagleG, let's see what we can find on this together! 

       

      Following a migration to the new Dropbox for macOS, your files need to be re-synced. Depending on the amount of files you have in your Dropbox, this may take some time to complete.

       

      There are some things you can check to ensure that the migration and the re-sync is still progressing and not stuck. First, click the Dropbox icon in the menu bar at the top of your screen, and then take note of the time and the number of files that are currently syncing.


      Wait a while then repeat step 2. If the number of files that are syncing has reduced, then it may be worth waiting a little longer to see if the syncing completes.


      If the number of files has not reduced it might be worth checking out the troubleshooting steps outlined in this article , as Hannah mentioned above.

       

      Provided that you've checked these steps, and nothing works, let me know and we can have an even closer look into it. 

      • EagleG's avatar
        EagleG
        Explorer | Level 3

        Thanks for writing.

        The files are not synching at all.  Dropbox is stuck on "indexing".  I've pasted a screenshot below.  So far, none of those trouble-shooting tips have worked.

         

    • Hannah's avatar
      Hannah
      Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff

      Hey OceanElf, thanks for reaching out.

       

      I moved your post to the thread you linked, so we can keep everything together and still look into it.

       

      Are you still having this issue today?

       

      And how many files do you have in your Dropbox folder?

       

      Do they have syncing icons on them?

      • OceanElf's avatar
        OceanElf
        Explorer | Level 4

        Yes, it is still frozen on 90,445 files. 

        I'm not sure what you mean by "syncing icons". Do you mean the icons in Finder that are a cloud, etc.? Most are cloud outlines and some are cloud outlines with a down arrow through them. Here's a screenshot:

         

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