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Forum Discussion

kshafi's avatar
kshafi
Explorer | Level 3
7 years ago

why is dropbox so slow when number of files increases?

Dropbox is unusable (and I mean it) as the number of file increases (I have more than 2 million files). What is the use of 1T tier when you cann't really use it (syncing takes forever for a simple ad...
Desktop
Sync
  • Jay's avatar
    Jay
    7 years ago
    Hi there, the following article does explain that this is generally related to the specifications of the machine that is syncing the files.
     
    While I don’t work in the department that maintains the app, I imagine the performance hit comes from simply having to monitor so many files at the same time. 
     
    Currently, there isn’t anything that can be done to improve this, as the Dropbox servers are working fine; it’s the computer(s) itself causing the bottleneck and needing more time to process the changes as well as keeping tabs on all the files at the same time.
     
    I hope this helps to clarify matters.
Jay's avatar
Jay
Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
Hi there, the following article does explain that this is generally related to the specifications of the machine that is syncing the files.
 
While I don’t work in the department that maintains the app, I imagine the performance hit comes from simply having to monitor so many files at the same time. 
 
Currently, there isn’t anything that can be done to improve this, as the Dropbox servers are working fine; it’s the computer(s) itself causing the bottleneck and needing more time to process the changes as well as keeping tabs on all the files at the same time.
 
I hope this helps to clarify matters.
clairearthur's avatar
clairearthur
New member | Level 2
6 years ago

I have a brand new 2019 MacBook pro. 2.8 GHz Intel Core i7 with 16GB memory.  In other words, almost as good as a laptop can get. So if this problem exists for me, it should theoretically exist for everyone, and is not likely related to hardware issues or machine specs.

  • designs07's avatar
    designs07
    Helpful | Level 5
    5 years ago

    I have a 2019 iMac Retina 5k 27" and I have been experiencing terrible sync waits for at least a couple months now. No changes on my system to have caused this. It's not right. Think it's time to look elsewhere for my storage service needs. 

    • Lusil's avatar
      Lusil
      Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
      5 years ago

      Hey designs07, thanks for nudging us on this thread and sorry to hear that you're having trouble syncing. 

      I'd be more than happy to help, I'll just need a bit more info on this, such as:

      • What does the Dropbox icon next to your computer's clock show when you hover over it?
      • Are you getting any error messages?
      • Do you see the syncing icons on your files when you navigate through the Dropbox folder on your Finder and the desktop app?

      Keep us posted!

      • designs07's avatar
        designs07
        Helpful | Level 5
        5 years ago

        Lusil Dropbox icon shows "Indexing 6,950 files" when I hover over it. When I click once on the tray icon, it says "Syncing 6,950 files 2+ days". I see some syncing icons. I see some files with no icon that should have synced a long time ago. 

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