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Forum Discussion

Minion1212's avatar
Minion1212
Explorer | Level 3
3 years ago

Dropbox using too much RAM memory - macOS Monterey

I use Dropbox in OS Monterey. I am not a heavy user in terms of number of files and usage complexity. I just use to sync files. My DB account has 3.8 Gb in files. Despite this simple usage, DB app i...
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Alph4d0g's avatar
Alph4d0g
New member | Level 2
3 years ago

In comparison to comparable applications with feature parity (you know what they are), DropBox has at least twice the memory footprint in my own comparisons.  In fact, more than an app like Safari with multiple open and active tabs.  I've resorted to uninstalling on my M1 MB Pro with Monterey and will use the web interface instead.

  • Miklos P.1's avatar
    Miklos P.1
    Helpful | Level 6
    2 years ago

    I have the same issue. Running the latest Dropbox v164.4.7914 on macOS Ventura 13.1. It's chewing up 3 times as much memory as Google Drive and even  Chrome (which is heavily used and it's a known browser to use a lot of RAM). I mean it's a small silly file-syncing application! Why is it using so much ram!?

     

    • Jay's avatar
      Jay
      Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
      2 years ago

      Hi Miklos P.1, do you have any files or backups currently syncing on your device in the Dropbox app?

       

      How many files do you have on your account approximately?

      • cjbruce3's avatar
        cjbruce3
        Explorer | Level 4
        2 years ago

        I am seeing similar problems on MacOS Big Sur.  Dropbox ram usage will grow and grow, consuming all available ram until the computer crashes.

         

        I have an older MacBook air with 8 GB of ram.  My computer had slown to a standstill over the past few days.  Activity monitor reported that Dropbox was taking 5.61 GB out of 8 GB.  Restarting the computer reduced ram usage down to 2.4 GB, which gradually started creeping up again at a few MB per minute.

         

        I then adjusted selective sync settings to minimize the number of folders being synced to just those folders I use regularly.  After waiting a few hours for activity to cease, Dropbox ram usage dropped to 700 MB on a clean restart.  The ram usage is again creeping up as I leave the computer running.  It is now at 720 MB after about 3 hours.

         

        A competitor app on the same computer is running steadily at 35 MB and does not grow over time.  It has significantly more files and and folders being synced.

         

        Sounds like a memory leak somewhere in the Dropbox app.

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