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Dropbox cache maybe not emptying and I can't find the Dropbox cache folder on Mac
UPDATE: I rewrote the post as I gathered more information. I'm a MacBook Pro 2019 user, OS Sonoma 14.2.1. I don't know where to retrive my Dropbox version, but it should be up to date as I alway...
Here I report the solution I have come up with.
I found out this similar post, then I installed CleanMyMac and tried a Space Lens scan. I found the most of the weight was located at this path:
Library -> Group Containers folder -> G7HH3F8CAK.com.getdropbox.dropbox.sync
and further down till the file_clones folder. I searched for what is this on the net and I found this other post. I still don't fully understand what this folder contains, but I deleted its content. The used space immediately plummeted from 222 GB to 123 GB, and all run smoothly since.
Now, while this seems to work, there are many things that puzzle me:
1. What this folder is? What does it contains?
2. CleanMyMac quantified its content as 379 GB. Indeed, in manually deleting its content I counted dozens and dozens and dozens of GB. But how can this folder contain such a huge amount of files if my hard disk has a total size of 250 GB?
3. Why doesn't this folder empty automatically? This sounds like a bug to me.
Thanks,
Vanni
I think I have found a solution. I will post the details as soon as possible.
Walter
Dropbox Staff
Dropbox StaffHey there vrovera - thanks for your detailed report and thanks for keeping us in the loop about the possible solution.
Please take your time to share it with us in detail and let us know if you have any questions in the meantime.
Here I report the solution I have come up with.
I found out this similar post, then I installed CleanMyMac and tried a Space Lens scan. I found the most of the weight was located at this path:
Library -> Group Containers folder -> G7HH3F8CAK.com.getdropbox.dropbox.sync
and further down till the file_clones folder. I searched for what is this on the net and I found this other post. I still don't fully understand what this folder contains, but I deleted its content. The used space immediately plummeted from 222 GB to 123 GB, and all run smoothly since.
Now, while this seems to work, there are many things that puzzle me:
1. What this folder is? What does it contains?
2. CleanMyMac quantified its content as 379 GB. Indeed, in manually deleting its content I counted dozens and dozens and dozens of GB. But how can this folder contain such a huge amount of files if my hard disk has a total size of 250 GB?
3. Why doesn't this folder empty automatically? This sounds like a bug to me.
Thanks,
Vanni
Also, I would like to know how to manage the Dropbox cache.
Had the same problem today.
My `G7HH3F8CAK.com.getdropbox.dropbox.sync` folder is taking up to 1TB of space and I cannot find anything about it. I'm not sure about deleting it, what if it corrupts my Dropbox files?
Reaching out Dropbox support was also not helpful, they said "You can delete it because it is out of your Dropbox folder".
Well, it is a system folder with "Dropbox" name in it, it doesn't seem that simple.
- Megan
Hey mstrcnvs, happy Monday!
Usually yes, it is safe to delete the cache.
Keep in mind that it usually clears itself but can build up to a large size if a user is syncing a lot of new data, changes etc.
It's basically a staging area for the sync engine before the changes are made within the Dropbox folder.
I recommend clearing the cache when the App reports as Up to Date. If you clear it when syncing a large amount of data, it won't remove files, but it could slow the sync down.
You can see more about this here.
I hope this helps!
