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nino2's avatar
nino2
New member | Level 2
7 years ago

Storage Usage reported for online-only folders on Finder doesn't match the "User Info".

So after more than a year of discussion on pretty much the same topic, this  still has not been resolved. Sugesting that issue will be resolved in the next version of software is somewhat unacceptabl...
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  • HGohar's avatar
    HGohar
    7 years ago

    According to Dropbox team Jane, if the info about the dropbox folder is close or equal to zero bytes, it means it doesn't take any physical space on the hard disc. The problem I guess that the operating system still sees it as if it is taking that physical space and acts accordingly, i.e., full disc or neat full. I don't know what is the way around that.

     
Jane's avatar
Jane
Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
I understand akaraetteh & thanks for clarifying the specifics of your initial inquiry for me here, now I’m right on the same page with you. I’ve made sure to gather all the info you’ve included here & I’ll send that to the relevant team in form of a question. 
 
Once I have more details on the matter, I’ll update the thread here. I hope you have a great weekend ahead & thanks again for posting your question on the Dropbox Community! 
akaraetteh's avatar
akaraetteh
Helpful | Level 5
7 years ago

Thanks for the replies and splitting of threads.

 

Now that you've investigated that Finder reports sizes incorrectly, what are next steps? Do we live with this forever?

 

Surely the point of Smart Sync is to allow us to save space. And in order to save space, we need to conveniently know how much space is being taken up. Having to individually "Get Info" on files/folders defeats this process. 

 

Can we (as in dropbox) get in touch with Apple and get something about this behaviour updated?

  • MikeWinters's avatar
    MikeWinters
    New member | Level 2
    7 years ago

    Jane,

     

    You are asking for a lot of information from users, and your "solutions" are not solutions, just more questions. This behavior is disappointing and should be fixed. Only a true solution should be marked as such. Nothing here so far has been "Solved."

     

    Doesn't Dropbox have a development team that can run MacOSX 10.13.4 and replicate this issue themselves (The answer is yes). Please ask them to figure it out. And please stop this madness of "Solved" replies when no solutions yet exists.

     

    Many thanks,

    Mike

     

     

  • alevroub's avatar
    alevroub
    Explorer | Level 4
    7 years ago

    Hi Jane,

     

    I have to say I also find myself frustrated reading these comments, and other threads about this issue. I think it's very clear for everyone the difference between physical vs logical size. The point I and many others are trying to get at is that Dropbox is breaking the default, and expected behaviour of the operative system. The du command may be useful for single folders. However, Disk Utility and System Information report the nominal size of Dropbox files (online and offline) under Documents in High Sierra (10.13.4), which gives a very skewed overview of actual disk usage. The size column in Finder is more or less useless too. Clearing the Dropbox cache doesn't fix this issue, and so far there has not been a single real solution to this problem.

  • CharleyW's avatar
    CharleyW
    Explorer | Level 4
    6 years ago

    I agree with HGohar.  When I check individual files on the Dropbox folder it confirms zero bytes on disk.  However, when I go to About This Mac/Storage it shows a huge amount of documents on my Mac HD.  When I click Manage and go to Review Files it lists the largest files for me to check. When I trace one of the large files back to its folder (in Dropbox) I discover that it is online and shows zero bytes when I check info.

    So the issue is that the Mac is reading the size as stated for that file in the finder (it still shows the original size) even while synced online. 

    Dropbox may be successfully moving the file to online only but the Mac still believes that it is present on the hard drive.  That creates an issue for storage management within the Mac system.

    This exact problem has been reported repeatedly to Dropbox but apparently has been ignored.

    I believe that the Dropbox team needs to address this issue and stop telling everyone to just check the info for individual files.  The fact that the Mac system believes the files are still there continues to cause confusion and storage conficts.

    Dropbox team can you correct this issue so that the Mac storage management system agrees with Dropbox?

  • Jane's avatar
    Jane
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
    7 years ago
    Hey akaraetteh, thanks for getting back in touch, let me clarify in a bit more detail for you & we’ll take it from there! 
     
    As it’s my understanding that you’re referring to my last reply here, where I’ve explained the thread separation, I’d happily elaborate more on my fourth comment: 
     
    - The Properties (Win) and Get Info (Mac OS) panel will indicate the actual file size instead of the size on disk, as you may expect. “Size on disk” is the space being taken up by a placeholder file and should be around 0kb.
     
    (i.e.  based on our discussion above this is the closest match to what you’ve previously described) 
     
    You may keep in mind that there are various places to see the size of a file in Finder. Some of these locations will display the logical size, others the physical size. Let me re-iterate that when you set your files as online-only, there is a file that takes up approximately 0kb & this is the physical size. The logical size of the file is the actual size of the file, if it were downloaded to the device.
     
    That being said, I’ve asked you to include a screenshot of the view you’re getting on the “User Info” screen previously, as this is the most reliable source of info, whereas in other views of Finder, the operating system will report the logical size. 
     
    My advice to address the disc space usage inquiry you’re having would be to utilize the du command (& you may find all the relevant details online with a google-search), though I could also discuss the particulars in regards to your feature request via email, so as to make our team specialists aware of your requests & benefits of the feature in your workflow. Once you confirm that you’d like to continue this discussion via email, I’ll message you directly on my end. 
     
    Thanks again & I’ll be awaiting your next reply on this discussion! 
  • MikeWinters's avatar
    MikeWinters
    New member | Level 2
    7 years ago

    Jane,

     

    I've read through all of these posts, and still have not found a solution. Will you please refrain from marking your post as a "Solution" when you only ask more questions? It is very confusing to newcomers, and is also just misleading.  As far as I can tell nothing here has been "solved." 

     

    Let me ask you this, doesn't Dropbox have a development team that can run MacOSX 10.13.4 and replicate this issue themselves? The answer is yes, and I think it would be a better use of time for them to replicate it rather than continually asking users to post more information and marking your further questions as "Solutions."

     

    Many thanks,

    Mike

     

     

  • Jane's avatar
    Jane
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
    7 years ago
    Sorry to hear that the post marked as a Solution doesn’t address your inquiries MikeWinters & thanks for your honest feedback here!
     
    You may keep in mind that I surely haven’t accepted my post as a Solution, as I’m of the same opinion as you that this would be misleading to other users visiting the thread with the same question & I aim to create an inviting environment to anyone visiting our Community. Based on your comments though, it’s my understanding that you are concerned in regards to the storage usage reported for online-only folders on your Finder window. Am I right in my assumption? 
     
    If so, please note that I’ve included some details in regards to the physical vs logical size above & I’ve also made sure to pass all the points made on this discussion to our higher level technicians, when it comes to the feature request. Of course I remain at your entire disposal should you need to discuss it in more detail, so please don’t hesitate to share any thoughts you may have in your next post & I’ll do my best to check back with you. 
     
    Thanks & welcome to the Dropbox Forum Mike! 
  • Jane's avatar
    Jane
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
    7 years ago
    Hey Juunas, you may keep in mind that each individual case should be best addressed on a private discussion (i.e. via our Official Support channel), as we'd need to access sensitive account-specific info in order to get a clearer picture of the space usage (& that’s mostly the main reason why we have a few active discussions on the Forum, though each one is- usually- separate from the others).  
     
    If I had to briefly wrap up this thread, I’d have to say that the request concerns the space reported on the Finder Window, which doesn’t match the “Get Info” & how that affects the sorting options on the OS. As I haven’t got an update on the progress to share with you at the moment, I can make sure to ask our higher-level technicians & circle back here once I have more info. 
     
    Following, because I’d like to address your concerns in the best possible way & I appreciate all the time you took to write in to us, I’ve made sure to forward your request to a specialized colleague, who’ll clarify matters in more detail for you on your email communication. 
     
    I hope my reply is - even slightly- helpful to you & I hope that you sort this out soon. Thanks for posting us on our Forum & enjoy the rest of your day! 
  • Jane's avatar
    Jane
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
    7 years ago

    Hey HGohar & mikkokan, can you please share the relevant info with me in regards to your concern, in order to follow-up with you in a bit more detail? Thanks in advance!

  • HGohar's avatar
    HGohar
    Helpful | Level 6
    7 years ago

    Thank you Jane for coming back to me. My dropbox shows that my files are synced to the cloud, however, the hard disc on my mac shows that these files still exist and occupying the same space. Therefore smart sync isn't freeing any space on the hard disc. The sync is complete and I can access it from other devices.

  • Jane's avatar
    Jane
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
    7 years ago
    Hey HGohar, thanks for reaching back out to me on this discussion elaborating a bit on your initial post! 
     
    Your best course of action to determine how much space your your Dropbox folder is currently taking up on your device would be to refer to the Get Info on your Mac (or Properties on a pc). 
     
    As there are various places to see the size of a file in Finder, some of these locations will display the logical size, while others will show you the physical size. (Note: Smart Sync placeholders takes up approximately 0kb, which is the physical size. The logical size of the file is the actual size of the file, if it were downloaded to the device.)
     
    To see both the logical and physical file size:
    - Right click on a file/folder
    - Select 'Get info'
    - In the properties window you will see the original file size, followed by the actual on-disk size
     
    For example:428,510 bytes (0 KB on disk)
     
    It is important to be able to view both sizes, not just to reassure you that the file is not taking up space, but also to understand the space and speed implications of returning the file(s).
     
    In other views of Finder, the operating system will report the logical size. For this reason you shouldn't be concerned if it initially appears that the placeholder is taking up space. To confirm the file or folder is not taking up space, please check via the above steps. Files that are not taking up space on disk will have an icon overlay that changes from the usual green tick to the grey cloud icon, denoting that the file isn't locally present.
     
    Please do let me know how these pointers apply in your current setup & I’ll do my best to check back what’s happening. In order to follow-up more closely with you, I’d appreciate a screenshot of what you're seeing in your next post as well; I’ll be awaiting your next reply!

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