How to fix Dropbox not syncing and other issues

Note: If your device has an unreliable internet connection or a file is very large, it may take longer for Dropbox to sync. You can wait a few minutes for Dropbox to catch up. If that doesn’t work, try the steps below.

Dropbox is stuck syncing forever, waiting to sync, or not starting

If your Dropbox desktop app is stuck syncing, waiting to sync, or not starting to sync, it may be due to your network settings or firewall:

• Check your firewall, security, and antivirus settings
• Check your network restrictions

Errors about low disk space on your computer or hard drive

Dropbox has a few different tools for helping to manage your disk space on your device.

If you want to remove files from your hard drive without deleting them from your Dropbox account, you can make those files online-only or use selective sync to choose which Dropbox folders sync to your hard drive.

• Learn how to make files online-only
• Learn how to use selective sync

If you want to remove files from the Dropbox desktop app and the rest of your Dropbox account, you can either:

• Delete the file from your Dropbox folder or dropbox.com.
• Move the file out of your Dropbox folder and into a local folder on your hard drive.

Can ’t move, open, or delete a file or folder from the Dropbox folder

If you can’t make changes to a file or folder in your Dropbox folder, the first thing to confirm is whether the file is visible and can be edited on dropbox.com.

Some applications will put restrictions in place that can prevent other applications (like Dropbox) from accessing your files while that other application has them open. This is to prevent conflicts between the two.

If, after you’ve saved your file or quit the application you’re using, you’re seeing errors about that particular file, or it never seems to finish syncing, you may want to restart your computer in case a crashed or background application is accessing your files in a way that prevents Dropbox from syncing your changes.

If you can’t see and edit your file on dropbox.com, the file may not be properly synced. Try these other troubleshooting steps below to resolve issues with the Dropbox desktop app syncing, starting with checking connectivity:

• Check your firewall, security, and antivirus settings
• Check your network restrictions

Files are marked as “up to date” but are not

If either dropbox.com or the desktop app is showing your files as being up to date but changes you’ve made aren’t appearing, it typically means one of two things:

1. Your desktop app hasn’t yet uploaded the changes to your account on dropbox.com.
2. Your desktop app hasn’t yet downloaded changes made in your account on dropbox.com.

Usually, this will update automatically and you’ll simply need to wait for the files to finish syncing. If the desktop app doesn’t appear to be syncing, try the following troubleshooting steps:

• Check your firewall, security, and antivirus settings
• Check your network restrictions

File couldn’t sync due to a hardware issue or file corruption

If Dropbox encounters errors while trying to read or write a file, there may be an issue with your desktop OS or hardware. You can use disk diagnostic and repair utilities to identify and repair errors:

• Windows: Use Check Disk (chkdsk).
• macOS: Use Disk Utility.