Broken links in InDesign files on macOS Monterey 12.3.1

[RobWilkins]

Hi there,

I've been happily working with Indesign files in Dropbox for a year now where my files are all stored Online Only. It used to be the case that Dropbox would automatically relink all the supporting files that are stored on Dropbox.com and I would be able to edit the InDesign file. Recently, upon opening an InDesign file all the links to picture files etc are broken. 

Added to that, when I try to relink the files through InDesign I get a message that reads: Import Failed! (see attachment). My Dropbox App says that the files I am trying to relink are all Zero Bytes. When I access my account at Dropbox.com the files are all good.

The only way I seems that I can relink my files is if I download them to my iMac.

I'm currently using Mac OS Monterey 12.3.1.

Any ideas?

[tobiasknecht]

Synchronisation also took a very long time for me. I proceeded as follows and this procedure has worked on three clients so far without any problems:

1. In the "Admin console" under "Sync", activate the "Toggle button" "Dropbox for macOS on File Provider".
2. Close all open documents and apps on the Mac.
3. If the desktop app "Dropbox" reports that all files are up to date, log out all accounts under "Preferences" > "Account", this may take a moment.
4. I then uninstalled the Dropbox app. I don't know if this is necessary.
5. Delete the Dropbox folders that were stored in my user folder. The deletion process takes a long time depending on the number of files, just be patient.
6. Reinstall the Dropbox app.
7. Log in with an account.
8. As a first step, I only selected a folder with a few files using the selective selection function so that I didn't have to wait too long for the first synchronisation. My entire account has more than 300,000 files.
9. When I was asked whether I wanted to use the beta version of "Dropbox for macOS on File Provider", I confirmed this. It then took a moment for Dropbox to move the data to the new location.
10. As soon as I received confirmation that everything was successful, I also selected the remaining folders with the selective selection. It took hours for everything to be indexed. But it was no problem overnight. Everything was ready the next morning.
    

I hope this helps.

[Nancy]

Hi @RobWilkins, hope it’s OK to jump in here.

If you try @tobiasknecht’s suggestion, and you still have trouble with this, I’d suggest reaching out to your Sales representative directly, so that they can check your Dropbox account, and help you update your Dropbox app.

[RobWilkins]

Thank you Nancy.

[Beauriz]

Hello,

I implemented Tobias Knecht's approach and adjusted the settings in the admin console. However, I did not uninstall Dropbox at first.

1. Dropbox got stuck while moving the data.

2. I uninstalled it manually and then reinstalled it.

3. My Dropbox client then suggested on its own to install the beta version, which I did. The moving and indexing process took about 12 hours, likely due to the amount of data.

4. It's now working, sort of. I don't have any issues with smaller documents. But as soon as there are multiple images in a document, the spinning beachball becomes my new best friend. It takes forever, and images with layers are sometimes displayed incorrectly.

Dropbox crashes at least once a day without any warning.

[Genie123]

same issue here - absolute nightmare trying to relink files even after they've been made available offline. Dropbox is also causing issues with Lightroom Classic that I have been trying unsuccessfully to resolve for over a month now. seriously rethinking whether i want to carry on using Dropbox, as i'm wasting far too much time troubleshooting what feels like a constant stream of problems.

[Genie123]

this workaround isn't working for me. I've made the relevant folders 'available offline', restarted the computer, still showing 50 broken links, and InDesign seems to want me to relink each one individually, which is obviously catastrophic for workflow.

in any case, we shouldn't have to be using a 'workaround' for this - Dropbox staff, any suggestions? 

[Jay]

HI @Genie123, if you're still experiencing this issue, please try contacting the support team directly for them to assist further.

[Beauriz]

"For me, 'Dropbox for macOS on File Provider' worked for about 2 months. Unfortunately, it hasn't worked since the last update. 

Support told me that you need to keep the number of files under 300,000 for 'Dropbox for macOS on File Provider' to kick in. After that, you can assign more folders to sync. I tried it. It doesn't work.

I uninstalled Dropbox and reinstalled it. During the installation, a window displayed that Dropbox can manage a maximum of 500,000 files on this computer. It's a new M3 MacBook. We pay for Dropbox for Business…

How is it going for you?