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In a "mdworker quit unexpectedly" loop after turning on Smart Sync
Ever since turning on Dropbox Smart Sync, Spotlight has been going nuts and using tons of CPU. The helper app "mdworker" is constantly crashing. Will report back after Dropbox finishes indexing all t...
Hi everyone,
I wanted to give you an update on the issue of mdworker crashing when reading a mismatch in the expected logical vs physical size of PDFs on Mac.
Firstly we've not forgotten about this, a lot of work has been going on in the background to resolve the issue. It has required extensive code re-writing. For those not familiar with the issue, users may see within the logs mdworker crashing. This crash is fairly silent, though will appear in logs. There's no risk to data, but for those who like to inspect clean logs this can cause a lot of noise and may be viewed as sub-optimal.
Based on the feedback raised by yourselves on this forum we've spent considerable time working toward a fix. We've changed the way we write Smart Sync placeholders (ie the files that look like files, but take up 0kb until recalled) for those on 10.13.5 and later. The new sparse format will not trigger an mdworker crash.
We've tested within the beta to validate the code and at this point have now rolled the fix / changed behavior out to 100%.
This is a forward fix, so from now on all and any placeholders created will not suffer this issue. For those who have the placeholders (the empty files with the grey cloud symbol on them) already on their machines there are a few options:
- Unlink and relink your Dropbox. Note: this will trigger a reindex of content that may take minutes to a few hours depending on your filecount.
- Remove the content, via Selective Sync, then return it. Similarly, but perhaps preferably, this will remove the placeholders then re-add them quickly and non-destructively.
There are a few other options, but those keen to avoid this error being highlighted in logs can take these steps.
Many thanks for your feedback on this issue here, it's driven a clear change in product. We pay close attention to the feedback surfaced via this channel so if you have other wishes please either add to existing threads, up-vote ideas, or create your own thread to spark discussion or development.
Ross_S
Dropbox Staff
Dropbox StaffHi everyone,
I wanted to give you an update on the issue of mdworker crashing when reading a mismatch in the expected logical vs physical size of PDFs on Mac.
Firstly we've not forgotten about this, a lot of work has been going on in the background to resolve the issue. It has required extensive code re-writing. For those not familiar with the issue, users may see within the logs mdworker crashing. This crash is fairly silent, though will appear in logs. There's no risk to data, but for those who like to inspect clean logs this can cause a lot of noise and may be viewed as sub-optimal.
Based on the feedback raised by yourselves on this forum we've spent considerable time working toward a fix. We've changed the way we write Smart Sync placeholders (ie the files that look like files, but take up 0kb until recalled) for those on 10.13.5 and later. The new sparse format will not trigger an mdworker crash.
We've tested within the beta to validate the code and at this point have now rolled the fix / changed behavior out to 100%.
This is a forward fix, so from now on all and any placeholders created will not suffer this issue. For those who have the placeholders (the empty files with the grey cloud symbol on them) already on their machines there are a few options:
- Unlink and relink your Dropbox. Note: this will trigger a reindex of content that may take minutes to a few hours depending on your filecount.
- Remove the content, via Selective Sync, then return it. Similarly, but perhaps preferably, this will remove the placeholders then re-add them quickly and non-destructively.
There are a few other options, but those keen to avoid this error being highlighted in logs can take these steps.
Many thanks for your feedback on this issue here, it's driven a clear change in product. We pay close attention to the feedback surfaced via this channel so if you have other wishes please either add to existing threads, up-vote ideas, or create your own thread to spark discussion or development.
- Thanks a lot guys! Is this available from the stable 55.4.171 or from the new beta?
- Ross_SBoth.... and you already have it!
We added the code a while ago, then have been slowly ramping it up with server-side gating. It has now reached 100%, so code already in the build is now live to everyone.I had the same problem and fixed it by going into System Preferences/Spotlight/Privacy. You can add an area that you do not want Spotlight to search. I added Dropbox and I have not had anymore mdworker system crashes and my system is much faster.
If you need to search in your Dropbox, there is third-party software for that.
Worked for me.
I'm having this issue with smartsync and High Sierra (10.13.6). I did what you said (unlink and link it back), but I also tried other solutions: rebuild spotlight; fixing system permissions; reinstalling MacOS. Nothing works: mdworker is constantly crashing, which makes "ReportCrash" process taking enormous CPU usage.
Maybe the problem got back woth your latest Dropbox release. Please find a sollution: I cannot work without spotlight making its job.
- Walter
Sorry to hear you're still seeing this afonsopatrao.
As you've already done some troubleshooting, could you perform a clean, advanced re-install and let me know if the issue persists?
If it does, could I reach out to your Dropbox email address to work on this together?
Yes, please. The problem keeps happening with smart sync. When I restart the computer, mdworker doesn't crash for some minutes. But as soon as I start to work on files, it crashes. And spotlight only works correctly with local downloaded files.
doesnt work for me help !!!
- Walter
Sorry to hear this RafaelG. Have you tried any troubleshooting steps so far like re-installing the software on the affected device?
If the issue persists, could you post a screenshot of the exact error you see on your screen so we can investigate further?
Thanks so much and welcome to our Community too Rafael!
Hi I too am having this problem.
I have been communicating with Dropbox Tech support for some time and now my problem has been escalated. Since then I have had no updates or contact for six days.
I really need to get this fixed. "mdworker quit unexpectedly" and "quicklookd quit unexpectedly while using the DropBoxQL plug in"
It's driving me bonkers and stopping me from working effectively.
Can someone help?
I unlinked and relinked my dropbox and for a while it reduced the problem, but with the latest High Sierra update it's back with a vengeance. I thought smart sync was a blessing but it's turned into a curse. I'll have to seriously consider dropping dropbox (I've been a paying customer for years) as this is literally stopping me from working and has taken hours to fail to solve. Plus it's seriously irritating.
I know you are at the mercy of OS updates, like we all are to Google algorythms but please keep up and on top of these things.
Thanks
