Products · Product
Dropbox
Raised as a usability problem by 393 people on Hacker News over 19 years (2008–2026), in 230 threads.
- 1Upgrade popups appear at every loginUnreviewed
- 1Upgrade popups appear at every loginUnreviewed
- 1Upgrade popups appear at every loginUnreviewed
- 2
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- 4
- 5Page takes 15 seconds to loadUnreviewed
- 6
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- 14
- 15Download button is hidden, hard to findUnreviewed
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- 22
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- 25
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- 27
Every issue, all time, most people first
Cancelling the subscription is deliberately hardUnreviewed
20082026- Unsubscribing is deliberately hostile, a dark pattern that makes cancelling hard2025-09-10
- Cancelling the subscription involves a confusing, user-hostile flow designed to scare or confuse2024-07-19
- Cancel button is hidden in a corner while bigger buttons push users to stay2022-02-08
Upgrade popups appear at every loginUnreviewed
20082026- Full-page upgrade ad reappears every visit with no way to stop it2026-09-21
- Paying users are repeatedly shown upsell ads and popups when using the web interface2026-09-20
- Constant upgrade pop-ups and reminder notifications interrupt and wear down the user2026-08-28
Selective sync is hard to use with many files and foldersUnreviewed
20082026- Syncing takes forever and constantly causes the internal disk to thrash2019-08-06
- Took a long time to find selective sync; shows unwanted features instead2019-07-19
- Selective sync has bad UX with large numbers of files and folders2017-06-08
Files must be saved or moved into the folder, causing frictionUnreviewed
20082026- Dropbox folder moved under Library with a long name, breaking tools and making problems hard to diagnose2023-02-04
- Commenter suspects Dropbox's design pushes users to treat it as their whole filesystem2020-01-30
- Files must be saved into or moved into the Dropbox folder, which causes friction2015-03-31
Page takes 15 seconds to loadUnreviewed
20082026- Clicking a file in Explorer triggers slow requests, making Explorer sluggish2020-06-12
- Page takes 15 seconds to load, slow to interact with2019-06-12
- Listing files in a directory is slow, with a huge page load and many requests2019-06-12
Paper's folder structure differs from the main file systemUnreviewed
20082026- User cannot find any of their old docs after Paper was merged into Dropbox2025-09-09
- Old paper.dropbox.com shows an empty list, so migrated docs seem missing with no pointer to where they went2025-09-09
- Paper files don't show up in Dropbox for older accounts; features are half-baked or abruptly killed2023-10-21
Syncing creates file conflicts, forcing users to stop syncing foldersUnreviewed
20082026- Constantly resolving sync conflicts incorrectly, and files get deleted unexpectedly2017-07-03
- Uploads the same files again and creates duplicate versions with no bulk cleanup2016-10-02
- Syncing creates file conflicts, forcing user to stop syncing some folders2015-11-30
Scroll bar is useless and scrolling is slowUnreviewed
20082026- Scrolling leaves blank space for seconds; elements shift under the cursor2024-02-23
- Scroll animation feels like hijacking, making the page seem laggy when it isn't2021-01-13
- Scroll bar is useless and scrolling is slow with hijacked wheel2018-01-11
Can't edit stored files from the iPhone appUnreviewed
20082026- Can view files offline in the mobile app but cannot edit them without internet2024-05-03
- Finding files in the iOS app is a struggle; Apple's Files app is easier to browse2019-06-15
- No search in the mobile app and editing files feels clunky2019-05-25
Can't link directly to files, must use the web UIUnreviewed
20082026- Making it very hard to download a file in a browser2026-02-24
- Downloading the actual file is hard; links open previews instead of direct downloads2021-01-13
- User repeatedly gets stumped trying to download a file from the web interface2021-01-13
Business and personal accounts are forced to merge, confusing setupUnreviewed
20082026- Terrible handling of multiple accounts and business use2017-06-08
- Personal and business accounts get tangled; unmerging them is a mess and it breaks with more accounts2017-03-30
- Poor handling of multiple accounts, worse than Google's implementation2016-01-20
Users struggle to find where their files actually areUnreviewed
20082026- Users can't tell which files are actually present or available offline2026-04-14
- Users struggle to find where their files actually are2019-06-12
- Can't find files in large shared storage; must ask colleagues where they are2014-04-09
Keeps asking to upload photos despite choosing neverUnreviewed
20082026- Auto photo upload tab stuck saying to connect a personal account after switching plans2017-10-11
- Photos can't be zoomed, and files are hidden behind forced account-creation prompts2017-03-15
- Recipients get pushed to create accounts and install apps to download a few photos2016-12-06
Large uploads are slow with no progress feedbackUnreviewed
20082026- Uploads are very slow compared to other apps on Mac2021-05-18
- Large uploads are slow and give no progress feedback to the user2013-03-15
- Multiple clients cause repeated uploads and downloads when adding a large file on the LAN2012-10-29
Must stay closed half the time, making multi-device sync unreliableUnreviewed
20082026- Frequent sync problems with notes, forcing users to double-check appointments on a second device2022-02-09
- Sync failures and silent logouts go unnoticed until data is stale or meetings are missed2016-02-04
- Has to be kept closed half the time, making multi-device sync unreliable2015-11-30
File structure is hard to browse without iconsUnreviewed
20082026- Icons make no sense for infrequently used features, making simple tasks like reverting a file hard2018-05-14
- New icons take up too much space, so fewer files fit on screen2012-03-09
- File structure is hard to browse because it lacks icons2011-02-09
Deleting from an empty folder spreads, recovering files is tediousUnreviewed
20082026- Must undelete folders one by one manually2019-01-25
- Finding which deleted files to restore is hard; no simple undo for the deletion2013-05-25
- Empty folder syncs deleted files everywhere; recovering 3500 files requires tedious manual undeletion2012-01-15
Web interface can't move folders with over 10k filesUnreviewed
20082026- Web interface can't move folders with 10k+ files, though syncing them works2020-02-17
- Web interface refuses to move a folder that is too big2015-10-15
- Web interface refuses to delete folders containing many files, sends user to desktop app2013-10-28
New features clutter the simple sync-a-folder experienceUnreviewed
20082026- Extra features pushed in front of users, making basic file sync harder to get to2025-08-21
- New features and product sprawl clutter the simple sync-a-folder experience2022-06-22
- Users find the implicit shared folder syncing concept alien and confusing2011-03-22
Tray popup is oversized and blocks the screen when clickedUnreviewed
20082026- Official app's tray popup is oversized and gets in the way when clicked2021-08-12
- Tray icon opens a slow, bloated HTML view instead of a simple menu2021-01-13
- Notification opens a huge window that is cluttered and heavy, instead of a simple context menu2020-11-11
App is slow, drains laptop battery, and is not simpleUnreviewed
20082026- Mobile apps are slow, clunky, and have a poor UI for simple functionality2024-05-31
- App is slow, drains laptop battery, and has not become simpler to use2019-10-02
- App is slow and buggy to use after update2019-06-13
Unreviewed issues were grouped by machine: Claude Haiku labelled each comment as a usability complaint, named what it's about and summed up the problem in a line, and a small model grouped similar problems. Nobody has checked them by hand. Expect mistakes.
The newest 50 complaints
- Full-page upgrade ad reappears every visit with no way to stop it2026-09-21
- Paying users are repeatedly shown upsell ads and popups when using the web interface2026-09-20
- Constant upgrade pop-ups and reminder notifications interrupt and wear down the user2026-08-28
- Upload from a folder asks again for the destination folder, adding a redundant step2026-08-12
- Download appears to require registering, which looks like a dark pattern2026-07-12
- Hard to find how to turn off a feature; needed web searches and documentation was misleading2026-05-27
- App has become insanely bloated with hostile UX and breaking features2026-05-27
- Elderly user was pushed into creating an account and a yearly subscription to open a shared file2026-05-27
- Must manually edit URLs so shared links work for recipients2026-05-27
- Recipients thought they needed an account and gave up on accessing shared PDFs2026-05-26
- Constant upsell ads and upgrade nagging shown to paying users when logging in2026-05-26
- Constant nagging prompts in the web interface and an atrocious desktop client2026-05-26
- Nags unregistered users to sign up when opening shared files2026-05-26
- Users can't tell which files are actually present or available offline2026-04-14
- Sync silently reverts files or corrupts timestamps, so the user's data ends up wrong2026-04-10
- Desktop client cluttered with ads, nags, and unwanted new features2026-04-09
- Nags and friction like ads, feature tours and logins slow down getting work done2026-03-22
- Making it very hard to download a file in a browser2026-02-24
- Giant text files lag on iPhone and iPad, and Dropbox integration works poorly2025-12-11
- Clicking a link opens Dropbox app with full-screen upgrade prompts instead of the linked content2025-11-14
- Confusing site made updating card nearly lead to cancelling; unclear whether billing changed2025-10-27
- Unsubscribing is deliberately hostile, a dark pattern that makes cancelling hard2025-09-10
- Docs not reachable in the app or mobile site, only via direct link2025-09-09
- User cannot find any of their old docs after Paper was merged into Dropbox2025-09-09
- Removing the green checkmark overlay icons is hard, as the software restores them2025-09-09
- Old paper.dropbox.com shows an empty list, so migrated docs seem missing with no pointer to where they went2025-09-09
- Notified comments often fail to load, and the comment's linked text is hard to find2025-09-09
- Password manager was so broken and unusable the commenter stopped using it2025-09-09
- Took hours to disable; documentation was wrong and it had to be turned off in several places2025-08-22
- Extra features pushed in front of users, making basic file sync harder to get to2025-08-21
- Took hours to disable a feature; documentation was wrong and it had to be turned off in several places2025-08-21
- Website repeatedly pushes paying users into different plans with popups and banners2025-07-30
- Repeated upgrade popups appear every time the user logs in2025-05-01
- Sharing rules are hard to set correctly, and a misplaced checkbox nearly caused a breach2024-10-30
- Passive aggressive dark patterns pushing users toward paid plans2024-09-21
- Cancelling the subscription involves a confusing, user-hostile flow designed to scare or confuse2024-07-19
- Sharing a folder via link has been made next-to-impossible by dark patterns2024-07-19
- Added services make the product complex and user-unfriendly2024-06-02
- Uses dark patterns that push people into choices they did not intend2024-05-31
- Mobile apps are slow, clunky, and have a poor UI for simple functionality2024-05-31
- Can view files offline in the mobile app but cannot edit them without internet2024-05-03
- Photos don't sync until the app is manually opened2024-02-25
- Scrolling leaves blank space for seconds; elements shift under the cursor2024-02-23
- Couldn't find the AI opt-out checkbox; the settings page is missing, so opt-in status is unclear2023-12-19
- Commenter couldn't find the opt-out setting for third-party AI access in their EU account2023-12-13
- Users must take extra steps to opt out of third-party AI data access, a dark pattern2023-12-13
- Alerts can't be acted on, sync gets stuck, and it gives no useful info2023-12-04
- Spotlight no longer indexes Dropbox files, forcing users to search on the website2023-11-27
- Shared files count against both users' quotas, forcing the recipient to pay to upgrade2023-11-19
- Website pushes upselling so aggressively it feels user hostile2023-11-18