Dropbox is laughably slow. Arguably the worst file-sharing client. (2024)

FAQs

Why is Dropbox online so slow? ›

Here are some common reasons: The bandwidth of Dropbox is limited. To avoid affecting the network connection, Dropbox limits its speed by default when uploading files: compared to the original speed, the upload speed here is at around 75%. Problems in the network connection.

Dropbox Transfer is a great way to share large files that you don't need to collaborate on – or don't want recipients to edit. Send any file stored in your Dropbox account.

Dropbox deserves credit for being a pioneer in the cloud storage and file-sharing space, and it's still a decent service. It's fast, offers thousands of app integrations, and has many bonus features.

System Resources: Dropbox may not work properly if your device doesn't have enough RAM or CPU, especially when dealing with large file transfers. Storage Limits: If your account is close to the storage limit, Dropbox may have trouble managing your files within the allotted space. This may affect Dropbox's performance.

If your computer has a file system that doesn't support extended attributes, Dropbox can't sync your files. However, the app will try to sync continuously, and this causes high CPU use. To fix the issue: Move your Dropbox folder to a hard drive that's formatted with a supported file system.

Dropbox does not sync files in the same way as Google Drive does. It uploads files on a block basis. This way makes uploading much faster than Google Drive. And Dropbox doesn't need to take much time to access files on another device.

With a market capitalization in excess of $8.5 billion and 15.4 million users worldwide, Dropbox can justifiably claim to be the world's most popular cloud storage platform.

Most cloud storage platforms, including Dropbox, have a degree of useful backup protection for files. However, files in cloud storage aren't automatically protected to the degree that they would be with a full backup.

Offers limited search functionality

Most Dropbox users complain about the underwhelming search functionality offered by the platform as suggested by many online reviews. They are not wrong. Dropbox lacks most of the fundamental search tools necessary for quickly finding specific files.

Who is better than Dropbox? ›

Google Drive is a free cloud storage service from Google and is the best alternative to Dropbox. It provides 1 TB of storage space for free and comes with 15 GB of additional free storage space. It also comes with automatic photo backup and a powerful search feature that lets you find your files easily.

Use of Dropbox can open the door to company data being synced (without approval) across personal devices. These personal devices, which accompany employees on public transit, at coffee shops, and with friends, exponentially increase the chance of data being stolen or shared with the wrong parties.

Your internet has a limited amount of bandwidth, and several desktop apps may use your internet bandwidth at the same time. Note: The amount of bandwidth the Dropbox desktop app uses isn't the only thing that affects how fast Dropbox or your other applications are running.

Dropbox reported fourth-quarter annual recurring revenue of $2.52 billion, a $2.2 million decline from the third quarter. Paying users for the quarter were 18.12 million, a drop of 50,000 from the previous quarter. For the fourth quarter, Dropbox reported earnings of 50 cents a share on revenue of $635 million.

The app needs to restart—if an error has caused the app to stop syncing, closing the app and reopening it may resolve the issue. The app should be reinstalled—there may be an issue with your installation of the Dropbox desktop app, uninstall and reinstall the app to see if it resolves the error.

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.