Dropbox folder in File Explorer in Windows 11 is painfully slow

[jaymeetee]

I recently 'upgraded' to Windows 11 and the new File Explorer is now painfully slow when navigating the Dropbox folder. Simply navigating the hierarchy takes seconds and the Windows busy ring appears twice for each click.

I have tried:

- reinstalling Dropbox (currently 139.3.4798)

- enabling Smart Sync (this will likely save me disk space but seems not to affect performance)

- uninstalling any other software that interacts with the Windows context menu (WinZip etc)

- restoring the Windows 10 File Explorer (which changed the GUI) but not the speed

- running Windows File explorer full screen (F11) a common recommendation that does not improve performance

I am running Win 11 Pro on a decent enough 8th gen Core i7 with 16GB RAM that coped just fine under Windows 10, I have 346443 files on my DB. the issue is limited to the Dropbox folder which is why I'm here and not on the MS forum.

Any help gratefully received!

[liffeyd]

Same here. DropBox takes 25 to 28 seconds to open a folder. GoogleDrive and OneDrive are both instant.

I have tried the "revert to explorer from Windows 10" suggestion with no success. My machine is fully up to date.

A laptop running windows 10 has no issue.

[Ricky55]

Dropbox have been aware of this issue since Windows 11 launched in October 2021. I've dealt with them regarding this issue via our company support and they still haven't found a solution. I have tried on 3 separate desktop computers, all very high spec and on all three machines Dropbox is completely unusable. My Surface laptop is the only machine that seems to work correctly with Dropbox. Its not just the Dropbox folder, it's the entire Windows Explorer. It literally takes nearly a minute to display the files. I am now forced to sync Dropbox once a week. Dropbox please get this sorted it's a joke.

Running latest version of Dropbox and my system is fully updated with the latest Windows updates.

I'm actually moving back to MacOS as I can't put up with this any longer.
.

[Tom01]

Hey all.

I have reverted back to windows 10 with a clean install. So much quicker and no issues.

[Ricky55]

Downgrading is not really the answer though is it Tom.

[Nancy]

Hi @Ricky55, I’m sorry to hear that you’re still facing the same issue on your Windows device. 

If you’d like any help with this, I’d be glad to further assist. 

Can you (or anyone else who still has the same issue) verify whether this behavior persists, after quitting the Dropbox app? Also, is this something that occurs only when the app is syncing or when it’s up to date, as well? 

Is there any chance that there could be another program running on your device at the same time, which is interfering with Dropbox perhaps? 

Let me know when you’ve got more updates.

[liffeyd]

Hi Nancy,

My machine is on 24/7 so should be well synched as I have not updated anything in a DropBox folder in a while. I have moved to using other cloud services because DropBox is so panful.

My Windows 10 laptop, MacBook Pro or other Windows 10 machine have no issues.

I am willing to work with DropBox to find a solution.

I have uninstalled and re-installed a couple of times with no improvement.

How would I know what might conflict with DropBox?

[Megan]

Hi @liffeyd, how are you today? 

I would like you to locate your Dropbox icon next to your WiFi and hover your mouse over it. Can you check the app's version along with its syncing status and let me know? 

Keep me posted, and we'll take it from there.

[liffeyd]

Hi Megan

Status: "Up to date"

Version: v144.4.4491

Regards,

Declan

[Megan]

Thanks for replying back to me @liffeyd!  

And just to clarify, and confirm here: is the app being slow, or is it the File Explorer when you access your Dropbox folder?

Have you adjusted the app's bandwidth by any chance? 

[liffeyd]

The problems is that when I open the DropBox folder (using File Explorer) and then double click any folder within, it takes approx 25 to 30 seconds to open the selected folder using Windows (11) File Explorer.

The settings I am useing are:

Sync:

Save hard drive space - OFF

Many selected folders

Folder location: D:\Dropbox

Proxies:

I have tried each Auto and No Proxy

Currently set to No Proxy

Bandwidth:

Don't Limit for both Up and Down

Enable LAN Sysn checked

Backups:

This PC - Not setup

External Drive Backup - unchecked

Devoices (one listed) - Don't Import

Screenshots - unchecked

Account:

12.5% of 2.0TB used

General:

Start Dropbox on system startup - checked

Microsoft Office add-in - unchecked

Dropbox badge - always show

Language - System Language

Dropbox Version - v144.4.4491