How can I keep my files local and not online only?

Hi!

Do you have a Dropbox Plus/Professional/Business subscription? If yes, it sounds like the new installation might have been completed with Smart Sync "make folders online-only" selected.

I found this help article on Smart Sync. More specifically you could try the following steps:

How to save hard drive space automatically

If you haven’t opened files and folders in a few months, they’ll become online-only. To change this setting:

1. Click the Dropbox icon from the system tray or menu bar.
2. Click your profile picture or initials.
3. Click Preferences... from the menu.
4. Click Sync.
5. Choose your work Dropbox account.
6. Toggle the On/Off setting under Save hard drive space automatically.

(In your case, you would want this setting to be Off)

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:

1. Open the Dropbox folder on your computer.
   1. Click the Dropbox icon from the menu bar.
   2. Click the folder icon.
   3. Choose Open folder.
2. Locate the content that you want to sync to your computer.
3. Control-click or right-click the file or folder.
4. Choose Smart sync.
5. Choose Local.

(In your case, you would want all Dropbox content set to Local)

How can I choose a default setting for new content?

1. Click the Dropbox icon from the menu bar.
2. Click your profile picture or initials and select Preferences... from the menu.
3. Click Sync.
4. Choose your work Dropbox account.
5. 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.

(In your case, you would want all new Dropbox content to be set to Local)

Finally, you might want to consider disabling Smart Sync altogether, if you wish, by disabling system extensions on Dropbox website settings.

Hope this helps!

Joonas