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Forum Discussion
How to disable Smart Sync, really and truly?
Hi all, I know I'm not the first to ask this—Dropbox users have apparently been having problems with it for years now—and maybe there's an answer somewhere in the forum that I simply haven't found...
- Hi raffishtenant, let's see what we can find on this together.
If you don't want to use Smart Sync, all you'd need to do is change your default sync options for new content to "local" and recall any files that are now "online only."
For details on syncing online-only material and selecting the default setting for new content, you can check this Help Center.
Would you like to give this a go, and let me know how it goes?
Thanks!
There is one more very important issue when using SmartSync - and it has to do with running VMWare Fusion.
I am running a MacBook Pro with VMWare Fusion running Windows 10. I mirror the standard folders and I also check-box Dropbox so that I can see it in Windows Explorer, and open / save files etc.
If the file I want is not locally-stored in Dropbox on my Mac, it will appear as corrupted by the Windows application that is trying to open it.
For this reason - as well as others - Dropbox needs to make it easier - and more transparent - to choose between all-local storage and some form of Smart Sync. I spent 20 minutes or so going through all my Dropbox folders and files, right-clicking to make them Local. It should be easier than that!
In regard to transparency, I discovered that Dropbox was backing up one of my computers without my knowledge. Result - using more cloud storage without intending to. I understand it is in Dropbox's best interests to have people increase their cloud storage, but it is not honorable to do so without making it clear to your users what exactly is going on.
My requests:
1. Stop automatically storing photos and backing up computers. Don't do it by default.
2. Simplify choosing Local-only storage to one checkbox for ALL files and folders.
3. Make it easier for users to understand their options. I'm sure many people will appreciate SmartSync because it saves disc space on their computer, and probably many people would love to store their photos and back up their computer. But make those choices clear and easy, without trying to trick your users into increasing their cloud storage.
Be a model of transparency and ethical behavior, as an example to the many software companies who take advantage of their customers.
My use case is this:
I use local-only storage for all Dropbox - except on my iPhone and iPad, obviously. (It is easy to choose to store important files locally on iOS, so kudos there.) Because I use Dropbox to sync all of my data files between five different computers, I never have to worry about backing up anything - I have five local copies of all my important files! Whenever I change computers (which is often), I just reinstall applications and all of my data is available.
