Fix “Dropbox Not Syncing” Issue with 6 Methods

Q: I have a Windows computer and some of my files are not syncing. I can see them on the website but not on my desktop. The icon is showing a green tick and says it’s up to date but these files still don’t show up? Why is my Dropbox not syncing? How can I fix Dropbox sync issues quickly?

—A user from dropboxforum

Besides the situation mentioned by the user above, you may likely meet other Dropbox sync issues on your computer, phone, tablet or online Dropbox.

Dropbox relies on an unrestricted Internet connection to sync your files to the cloud and its desktop and mobile clients. For the issue of “Dropbox not syncing” may cause by various different reasons, like client errors, firewall blocking, incompatible bad files etc. Whatever the cause, the most important thing is to solve Dropbox sync issues by soon. The following text sums up some common but useful methods to help you out, let’s check.

How to Fix: Dropbox Not Syncing

Method 1: Check Out the Internet Connection

The Dropbox desktop can only sync files when your computer is online. So, the first thing you need to do is checking your computer’s Internet connection to see if it works normally. Reconnect it if needed.

Method 2: Restart Dropbox and Restart Computer

If Dropbox stuck on your computer, it is possible that your files have synced correctly but Dropbox fails to read them correctly. In this case, restarting Dropbox by quitting the program completely and starting it again can fix this error easily. After closing Dropbox, it’s better to restart your computer, then reopen Dropbox.

Method 3: Check the Dropbox Account

Dropbox syncing works when you’re signed into the same Dropbox account across the website, your computer, phone or tablet. If you logged into a different account, then it makes sense that your Dropbox won’t sync. So, check it.

Method 4: Check Selective Sync

Selective sync is a feature that allows you to select which files sync from dropbox.com to the Dropbox folder on your computer. If your files are synced on all but one computer, Selective Sync may be ignoring certain folders. So, to see if the files missing from your computer were selectively synced, you can check it by going to Dropbox’s preferences > Account > Change Settings > Selective Sync.

Method 5: Check for Incompatible Files

File’s name has an incompatible character will cause Dropbox not sync issue without exception. Such as with“/” (forward slash), “\” (backslash), “<” (less than), “>” (greater than), and “:” (colon) etc. You can also use the Dropbox bad file name tool to check it.

The Bottom Line

After reading this guide about how to fix Dropbox not syncing issue, 6 methods have been shown to you. Hope one of them can help you out.