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TimB2's avatar
TimB2
Explorer | Level 4
6 months ago
Solved

When are files actually synced in the desktop app on Windows?

As the attached screenshot shows, when I look in the Dropbox manager in the Windows taskbar it simultaneously tells me that “Your files are up to date” while also listing all the files still “Waiting to sync.” This is not a one-off, it happens every time I transfer photos from my camera into my Dropbox folder. I would like to know when the syncing has actually finished. Which of these messages is accurate?

 

I did ask customer support about this in chat before posting here and all three people I talked to couldn’t answer this question. The first one said that the problem was the file names and told me to remove the “dots” from the file names. (Even if this issue was related to file names, the only periods in the file were before the suffix; ie .cr3) The second person’s English was not good enough to actually understand my question and also told me that they could not help unless I sent a screenshot showing my entire computer screen, rather than the cropped picture you see here. The third just didn’t know the answer. So, if anyone from Dropbox is reading this, you have a serious customer support problem and ought to overhaul your hiring procedures.

 

  • Hi Jay,

    I think the problem was a specific folder. I'm not sure, if it is somehow related to this folder having files in it which are commonly "open" within an application I use. The problem resolved itself after I rebooted my PC.

    Cheers

    Steven

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

    Hi @TimB2, thanks for bringing this to our attention.

     

    Could you try reinstalling the Dropbox desktop application, without uninstalling it first, by clicking this link?

     

    As you're already in contact with the support team directly, they may be better placed to assist with device-specific issues.

     

    Keep me posted!

    • TimB2's avatar
      TimB2
      Explorer | Level 4

      I reinstalled it and am still getting this same contradiction. It was about 20 minutes after getting the “Your files are up to date” notification on the bottom that all of the “Waiting to sync”s changed to “Upload complete”s. Really, this seems like a bug in your program rather than anything to do with my computer. But regardless, all I really want to know is when all the files are actually uploaded (is it the “Your files are up to date” or “Upload complete”?) so I know when I can turn off my computer knowing that I am fully backed up. Thanks.

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

        Hi from me as well, Tim. You mentioned in your first post that this is happening for files that are being uploaded from your camera, correct? So, is it safe to assume you’re using camera uploads on your desktop app to automatically upload these files? 

         

        If yes, I’d like you to open the “Camera Uploads” folder on your computer and see if all of your files have a green checkmark next to them or a blue syncing icon instead (you can also check this Help Center article for the full list of syncing icons). If you see a green checkmark next to everything, you should be good.

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