In DEVONthink To Go 4 all databases are actually one CoreData database, therefore this would explain that it didn’t make a difference. But smart groups, both in the sidebar and your database(s), might matter.
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About nine files per group?
Ah really? This could be a next try. Can I deactivate them in DTTG? I don’t need them there. Similarly the new AI features: Can I also deactivate them in DTTG? I don’t use them at all.
You can long-press global smart groups and remove them.
Similarly the new AI features: Can I also deactivate them in DTTG? I don’t use them at all.
There’s nothing to deactivate or remove. They’re only on if you set up access to external AI.
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Thanks. I‘ve removed all AI access setups. I also removed some of my smart groups. I didn’t know that DT smart groups are now synched and enabled in DTTG. However, several smart groups I had to keep as I need them in the desktop app.
Both measures had no effect on DTTG‘s performance. It keeps freezing during simple tasks like scrolling through a note or opening a group or context menus.
Since
In DEVONthink To Go 4 all databases are actually one CoreData database, therefore this would explain that it didn’t make a difference. But smart groups, both in the sidebar and your database(s), might matter.
I think it doesn’t make sense to further shift files to separate databases.
What would happen if I downgrade to DTTG 3? Would it be able to import my DTTG 4 database? If so, I would just continue using that.
You shouldn’t have both installed. I don’t know if that will help any lagginess – and we’d appreciate anyone complaining of lagginess to report it they also have version 3.x installed – but I would remove 3 to eliminate the variable.
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I‘ve done a complete reinstalling of DTTG 4 now. DTTG 3 is not installed. The empty app worked flawlessly. However, as soon as I start to synch my databases, the lagging issue immediately comes back.
I proceeded in steps. I first downloaded a DB of 9 GB with 2000 files (mostly PDF), no tags, no smart groups. The app became a little laggy, but was still useable. But as soon as I download my main DB of 28 GB with 81k files and several smart groups and ~3300 groups (with only a few tags I noticed now), the app becomes unusable.
I have now actually noticed that the heavy lag issues have only been occurring since the last update to DTTG 4.0.3 three weeks ago. I haven’t used the app since than due to the holiday season, so I didn’t notice the effect right away. Before, everything worked almost fine (the app freezed/lagged only for short times during viewing or editing nites, but I still could work with it). I didn’t change anything in my main DB since than (I didn’t add new files, new tags or new smart groups in the last couple of weeks).
So I suspect it’s the 4.0.3 update? Or it’s something that was there already since 4.0.0 but 4.0.3 has now amplified this to such an extent that the app has become unusable? As I said, the same DB in the old DTTG 3 showed no such lagging and freezing and I haven’t changed much since the upgrade to 4.0.
Thank you for the observations. We’re investigating.
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My DTTG 4.0.3 is very laggy as well, and I suspect for related reasons - one of the databases has in excess of 3k smart groups.
Everything is slow - launching and revealing the databases (about 8), searching (takes about 10-20 sec to start displaying results), and often the group counts start updating well after a database has been opened.
I assume it is the enormous added complexity of having to deal with the newly added elements (e.g., smart groups), and I often see some indexing happening and taking a long while - in fact, syncs take a very long time.
I do love Kepler, and having the smart groups is AWESOME (plus so many other good things, including favorites working flawlessly), so I don’t mind the delay that much - I know further iterations will ameliorate the issue.
The one thing that is a bit less than ideal for me, is that I save a fair amount of documents, critical information, and when (sometimes) I need to see that fast, say I’m on a call, it is taking an extra 10 sec to reach them. But I can live with that for now.
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Forgot to say, for me DTTG 3 was very fast as well - but I do LOVE having my smart groups and a way better UI 
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And you and @PixelTracker are using a shallow sync?
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Jim, what is a shallow sync? (revealing my ignorance)
EDIT: got it, know I know what it is, let me check - but I think I am doing a deep sync
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Do you have a large number of groups - not smart groups?
I use shallow synch only in the initial first synch of my main DB after a reinstallation. Once the DB and its files’ metadata are synched and indexed, I turn the switch to “Always” in the “Download files” settings.
Now I have 740 groups, 266 tags, 49000 items in 10 synced databases (22 GB total).
Before I deleted my largest database it was
1174 groups, 369 tags, 62044 items in 11 databases (53 GB total)
That’s a lot, but surely not excessive, is it?
Me - I’m doing a deep sync (download)
We don’t have any specific metrics as this is a new issue for us. I’m just trying to gather information to more accurately test what may be happening.
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I also have this lagging issue.
DTTG 3 was so zippy and fast for me, it was great. I could navigate around quickly using links to specific groups. Since upgrading to DTTG4 the speed has gone backwards for me. I wish I hadn’t upgraded to iOS 26 / DTTG 4 now, although I like the templates function.
So, in addition the recent links not working issue, I have massive lag.
I often wait for up to 30 seconds for a response to changing to different groups.
I thought it might be the background sync, so I disabled that and made it manual, but it still lagged even when it wasn’t syncing.
I have also disabled spotlight indexing, because I don’t use it, but no change.
Maybe my iPhone is not powerful enough anymore? iPhone 14 Pro, 1 TB storage. Running iOS 26.2.1.
My iPad Mini A17 Pro running iOS 26.2.1 is much faster and zippier than my phone, obviously it’s newer, but it still lags a bit. It, too, was faster under DTTG 3.
I index local folders on my hard drive, however DTTG 4 is so slow now, I am going to have to move my files into iCloud Drive so I can access them directly.
Happy to provide any information that will help you to diagnose this further @BLUEFROG.
Edit:
DTTG 3 is NOT installed.
I use full/deep sync.
Do you have many smart groups in your databases and on your database screen? Are there any tasks running in DEVONthink To Go? Sending us the Console.log from Files > On My Device > DEVONthink to our support might help determine what is going on.
Ok will do.
Not many smart groups but lots of tags.