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Forum Discussion

Benjo1216's avatar
Benjo1216
Explorer | Level 3
5 years ago

Time Period for Smart Sync

Hi,

 

Is there a way to adjust the time period for smart sync to 'unload' files back to online only?

 

we have some large projects and files that may not be touched for a few months and we keep having to download them again.    As we work out on remote sites using mobile data, this can chew up our data limit quickly.

 

It would be good as an admin to be able to set some Team folders or sub folders as 1 week while other are set to something like 6 months. 

 

Thanks 

Desktop
  • DV87's avatar
    DV87
    3 years ago

    there’s not a specific period of time over which the Dropbox app converts your files automatically to online-only.

    Thanks Nancy ... I'm honestly just not sure I believe this. The Dropbox app must have some method to determine that downloaded files and/or folders haven't been accessed for while... Maybe it's not a super-specific interval or "countdown" timer, but I was just hoping for a bit more detail on how this feature works. Thanks anyway!

  • Lusil's avatar
    Lusil
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
    5 years ago

    Hey Benjo1216, thanks for dropping by!

     

    Although there isn't currently an option to set when a file or folder becomes local again, you can suggest it, here. 

     

    There, like-minded users can comment and upvote your idea. 

     

    I hope this helps, but let me know if you have any other questions in the meantime. 

    • DV87's avatar
      DV87
      Helpful | Level 6
      3 years ago

      Out of curiosity, how long is the default time period before Dropbox makes inactive files / folders online-only again?

       

      Personally, I'd prefer if my Dropbox would never automatically offload files that I've specifically chosen to download. If I want to offload files / folders later, I'm more than happy to do it manually. Actually... Based on my Smart Sync preferences (screenshot below), it seems like files I've downloaded shouldn't be getting automatically offloaded... But they are. Can you shed any light on why this might be?

       

       

      • Rich's avatar
        Rich
        Icon for Super User II rankSuper User II
        3 years ago
        DV87 wrote:

        Personally, I'd prefer if my Dropbox would never automatically offload files that I've specifically chosen to download.

        Mark them as Available Offline and they'll never switch back to Online-only.

         

        Based on my Smart Sync preferences (screenshot below), it seems like files I've downloaded shouldn't be getting automatically offloaded... But they are. Can you shed any light on why this might be?

        Make sure you've marked those files at Available Offline. If they started out as Online-only files, then they'll remain as such (or in the temporary state if you open them) until you mark them as Available Offline.

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