Here you can select which folders to automatically sync to your computer. All unchecked folders will be deleted from your computer, and kept only online. On some versions of the Dropbox app, this button may be named Choose folders to sync or Change Settings under the Selective Sync heading. OneDrive - not showing files and folders shared with me on my app DropBox will show all files that you have permission to view (shared ones with you and the ones you have created). Others have shared files with me (and i've shared files with them), but they only show up on web by clicking shared link. Anyone with shared folder access can see all the files in that folder, but nothing else outside of that folder. Dropbox Business plan users can also set up team folders, a type of shared folder that acts as a hub of collaboration for all users associated with the team folder’s assigned group. One major cause of problems in Dropbox is if the UI isn’t working. You should check the task manager to ensure it isn’t frozen, then clear out the cache on your computer by going to the.
This guide discusses a feature that is available to all Dropbox Professional customers.
If you’re a Dropbox Professional customer, the feature is available by default. If you’re a Dropbox Business team admin, you can enable Smart Sync and get started.
Smart Sync is a Dropbox feature that helps you save space on your hard drive. Access every file and folder in your Dropbox account from your computer, using virtually no hard drive space. Smart Sync is available for Dropbox Professional customers, and members of Dropbox Business teams. With Smart Sync, you can:
- Choose if individual files or folders are available online-only or locally on your computer
- Select a default sync setting for new files and folders that are shared with you
With Smart Sync, content on your computer is available as either online-only, local, or in mixed state folders.
Online-only content
Online-only content appears in the Dropbox folder on your computer, but doesn’t use the full amount of space that the file otherwise would. You can see the file, but the content isn’t fully downloaded until you need it. Only information about the file, such as the file name, location, and date the file was updated, is downloaded.
Local content
Local content is downloaded and saved on the hard drive of your computer. You can directly edit these files from applications on your computer. This content is still backed up to Dropbox as well.
Mixed state folders
Mixed state folders contain both local and online-only content.
Start with Smart Sync
When you start using Smart Sync:
- There’s no change to files already in the Dropbox folder on your computer
- New content is automatically online-only unless you or your team admin chooses otherwise
Note: To use Smart Sync, you need to install the Dropbox desktop application on your computer.
Why Smart Sync?
Smart Sync is a reliable way of using cloud-based storage to maximize efficiency by minimizing the amount of storage used by project data on individual users’ PCs and Laptops. As projects get larger, networks get faster, and hard drive space becomes more of a valuable commodity, Smart Sync allows users to choose which files are stored locally and which files are stored in the cloud.
How do I make content online-only?
- Open the Dropbox folder on your computer.
- Click the Dropbox icon from the menu bar.
- Click the folder icon.
- Choose Open folder.
- Locate the content that you want to make online-only.
- Control-click or right-click the file or folder.
- Choose Smart sync.
Choose Online-only
How do I sync online-only content to my computer?
You can open a file as usual through your application or Finder. Dropbox downloads the entire file to your computer.
To sync a file or folder without opening it immediately, you can make it local:
- Open the Dropbox folder on your computer.
- Click the Dropbox icon from the menu bar.
- Click the folder icon.
- Choose Open folder.
- Locate the content that you want to make online-only.
- Control-click or right-click the file or folder.
- Choose Smart sync.
- Choose Local.
How can I choose a default setting for new content?
- Click the Dropbox icon from the menu bar.
- Click the gear icon and select . from the menu.
- Click Sync.
- Choose your work Dropbox account.
- Change the selection for Smart Sync Default:
- Admin default: the default setting chosen by your team admin.
- Local: all new content downloads to your computer.
- Online-only: manually download files to your computer.
How do I make content online-only?
- Open the Dropbox folder on your computer.
- Click the Dropbox icon from the system tray.
- Click the folder icon.
- Choose Open folder.
- Locate the content that you want to make online-only.
- Right-click the file or folder.
- Choose Smart sync.
Choose Online-only.
How do I sync online-only content to my computer?
You can open a file as usual through your application or Windows Explorer. Dropbox downloads the entire file to your computer.
To sync a file or folder without opening it immediately, you can make it local:
- Open the Dropbox folder on your computer.
- Click the Dropbox icon from the system tray.
- Click the folder icon.
- Choose Open folder.
- Locate the content that you want to make online-only.
- Right-click the file or folder.
- Choose Smart sync.
- Choose Local.
How can I choose a default setting for new content?
- Click the Dropbox icon from the system tray.
- Click the gear icon and select . from the menu.
- Click Sync.
- Choose your work Dropbox account.
- Change the selection for Smart Sync Default:
- Admin default: the default setting chosen by your team admin.
- Local: all new content downloads to your computer.
- Online–only: Manually download files to your computer when you need them.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the system requirements for Smart Sync?
Smart Sync works on Microsoft Windows Vista and above, and on Mac OSX 10.9 and above.
I have folders selectively synced, how do I make my selective sync content online-only?
Follow the steps to change the selective sync settings for your folders. Once your folders are no longer selectively synced, they automatically become online- only folders.
Does changing a file to online-only delete the file from my Dropbox?
No, making a file online-only doesn’t delete it from your Dropbox. When you make a file online-only, the file content will be deleted from your computer, but the full file will still be available in your account online and on your other devices.
Do online-only files use space on my local hard drive?
Online-only files use a small amount of space on your hard drive to store information about the file, such as its name and size. This uses less space than the full file.
Can I access online-only content when I’m not connected to the internet?
No, online-only content isn’t stored locally on your computer. Connect to the internet to access online-only content.
Can I move online-only files within my Dropbox folder?
Yes, you can move online-only content inside the Dropbox folder on your device, and changes sync to your other devices. If you move online-only content outside of the local Dropbox folder, the content downloads to that location.
What happens if I delete an online-only file or move it to my trash?
Any actions taken on an online-only file sync to your Dropbox account and to anyone else who shares that file. Since the file isn’t stored on your computer, the file content will not be available in your trash. You can restore deleted files from your Dropbox account online.
Can I use my desktop search to find online-only files or their contents?
You can use your desktop search to locate online-only files and folders by name. However, online-only files don’t contain the full contents of your file, so your desktop search can’t search file contents.
Can I have different Smart Sync settings on different devices?
Yes, Smart Sync settings are unique to each device you link to your Dropbox account.
Can I have local files in an online-only folder?
Yes, if a folder is online-only, you can download individual files inside the folder.
Can I remove content from my device completely without removing it from my Dropbox?
Yes, if you don’t want files to appear on your device, you can use selective sync. Selective sync helps you choose which files appear in your desktop application, and which are only available online.
Can I use Smart Sync on my personal account?
Smart Sync is available for all Dropbox Professional customers. It’s also available as an early access feature for Dropbox Business users. If you connected a personal account (Basic or Plus) to a Business account, Smart Sync won’t be available for that personal account
Note: All information in this guide from: https://www.dropbox.com/help/desktop-web/smart-sync.
Please go here for any additional information.
‘My Dropbox is full because of the size of these files, and I cannot receive anything else.’
This is a common complaint when a group of people use Dropbox to share information, especially when the oldest shared info is never purged. Luckily, there are some easy ways to resolve this problem.
[Not familiar with Dropbox? See the description at the end of this post.]
In this case, the problem was a large photo file of an awards banquet shared with all members of the NAWBO-VC Board of Directors.
Here is the answer I sent to my fellow board members:
Here are three options when your Dropbox account is full:
1. Delete the [photo] folder from your dropbox. As long as you are not the original owner of the folder, this just deletes the photos from your account, not from anyone else’s account.
2. Download the file onto your computer and remove from Dropbox.
3. Have a friend, relative or colleague open a new Dropbox account (free for both of you) and that gives you additional storage. They don’t have to use the account (and it does not share any of your folders with them), but as long as they create a new account, you get more free storage. To do this, open Dropbox on the webpage, click your name at the top right, click ‘settings’, then click “account’. Scroll down and you will see the ‘invite a friend’ option. [hint: my sister ‘invited’ her 12 year-old son and got extra storage that way].
Here’s a link to Dropbox help with more information on what happens when you delete a shared folder.
What is Dropbox?
It’s a free way to store and share large photos, docs, and videos files (i.e. too large to email) with others. You can send any file instantly to anyone, whether they have Dropbox or not. Anything you add to Dropbox will automatically show up on all your computers, phones and even the Dropbox website — so you can access your stuff from anywhere.
Why use Dropbox?
I use Dropbox to share files with my virtual assistant, a business partner, my sister, and the aforementioned board. I also created a file of head shots, so it is easy to share them with a link when I am asked to speak.
If you’d like to open a free account, use this link and we’ll both get 500 MB of bonus space – so neither one of us will have to worry that our Dropbox is full.