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Forum Discussion
"Smart" sync keeps downloading Online Only Files
I am growing increasingly frustrated with this so called "smart sync" feature Dropbox has recently introduced (or rather forced upon me).
I have a number of files I've brought over to Dropbox using...
Fiona
Dropbox Staff
Dropbox StaffHi adamschoales. Thanks for posting about this issue.
I'd be glad to fix this for you if there is a technical issue there. :tools:
Note :pushpin: Smart Sync downloads files locally, when you open them to preview or edit. If you have third party apps syncing/using your Dropbox files. Smart Sync would recall the files locally for the third party app to use them.
Having said that, are you accessing the files locally when Smart Sync reports downloading? Is there a third party system accessing these files?
What version of the application do you have installed on your desktop?
Are all your files downloading or is this something you see with specific folders?
Looking forward to the additional information to help you!
Thanks.
Hi,
My Dropbox is doing the same thing - i.e. filling itself even after I designate files as "online-only".
You said that Dropbox will automatically start re-downloading when you, or a third-party app, accesses the files, correct? If my collaborators that have shared access to these files attempt to access them, would that explain why they download locally to my computer again?
I'm just trying to make sense of this because my hard drive fills itself every day and my computer starts burning up and it is driving me crazy. Even after I re-designate the files as "online-only", they don't disappear from my storage for a few tense minutes in which I can see my hard drive's capacity trickling from GB to MB...
Thanks.
- Rich
Super User II
mchamoun12 wrote:
If my collaborators that have shared access to these files attempt to access them, would that explain why they download locally to my computer again?
If you mean shared through Dropbox using shared folders or links, then no, not at all. The comments above are referring to any process or application local to your computer that attempts to access the files within your local Dropbox folder. Think file previews, antivirus or malware scans, backup processes, etc. If it touches the files on your local computer, it can cause Dropbox to download them.
Now, if you're sharing access to your computer with other people and they access those same files, then yes, they will be downloaded, because it would be no different from you accessing the files.
Lets say I have a folder with 4 video files in it. I have versions 1-3 set to "Online only" via the smart sync dropdown menu in Mac OS. When I open v4 (which does reside on my hard drive) in quicktime to view it, one (or more) of the other versions in that folder begins to download.
These are only a few hundred MB, but I do have folders containing gigabytes of information and if several of those files download it could cause a problem on my computer.
I do not have any antivirus software running and no I have one app connected (vimeo) that I don't think has any bearing on this issue. It seems directly related to opening a file in Quicktime.
I have had the same issues with my laptop heating up and storage running out and constant "whack-a-mole" games with putting things in "online-only" status, only to find them downloaded a while later. Thank you for pointing me in the right direction to find the culprit. I use a company laptop for both business and personal use and they have a piece of software called Dolly Drive that is constantly "cloning" the hard drive to the cloud in the background. Sure enough, when I pause Dolly Drive the constant downloading on Dropbox stops, and when I turn Dolly Drive back on, it starts up again. The fact that Dolly backs up the entire hard drive made the relationship between the two hard to detect because Dolly backs up everything, and only occasionally would that include a file in my Dropbox folder. Just leaving this hint out there for anyone suffering the same tribulation. Excluding the Dropbox folder from Dolly's backup profile seems to be the easiest solution and totally reasonable to me since those files will all be backed up on Dropbox. Now we will see if my company agrees. :)
I am also having this issue. I have a folder called Artwork and just has some jpgs/pngs/psds in it. Whenever I go to open 1 file, the entire folder downloads, even if I only open a JPG which can't be linked in anyway to any other files. It also randomly starts syncing itself when I haven't touched it at all. Photoshop is not open. I have no backup programs running. I have moved these files to an external hard drive so I can delete them off of Dropbox since this is constantly causing my Macbook Pro to fill up, but I hope the issue gets figured out.
