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sergedb's avatar
sergedb
New member | Level 2
6 years ago

Smart sync on multiple computers

Hi,

I upgraded my account to start using Smart sync. I have two deskop computers at home and my laptop to travel around.

I started with moving all my finished project 'online only' to free up space on my laptop. I thought those same folders (projects) would be 'online only' on my other computers too, but that's apparently not the case? Does this mean that I have to manually move my finished projects on my other computers? Or is there a workaround so that my 'online only' folders are also in sync on all my computers?

Thanks.
Serge

desktop app
Sync and upload
  • Jane's avatar
    Jane
    6 years ago
    Hey Serge (sergedb), I’d happily clarify matters for you below; thanks for checking with us on the Dropbox Community! 
     
    It would be worth noting that Smart Sync is a Dropbox feature that helps you save space locally on your hard drive & that’s mainly the reason why Smart Sync settings are unique to each device you link to your Dropbox account. That said, as long as your files are updated on your account online as expected (:desktop: ➡️🕸️), you can easily revert them to Online-Only ☁️ on your second device by right-clicking on them ➡️ choose Smart sync & then choose Online-only. Once you do, this will free up space on your hard drive almost instantly. (Note: It might take a bit of time for cached items to be removed from your hard disk initially, where we recommend a system restart.)
     
    From there, it’s advisable to adjust the default setting on your desktop for newly added content to Online-only as well (which denotes that all content will automatically be synced from our website to your desktop/laptop as Online-Only however you can manually download files to your computer when you need them by reverting them to Local :white_check_mark:). 
     
    I hope that this is the answer you were seeking Serge however please do let me know if I you have any follow-up queries. Thanks again! 
  • Jane's avatar
    Jane
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
    6 years ago
    Hey Serge (sergedb), I’d happily clarify matters for you below; thanks for checking with us on the Dropbox Community! 
     
    It would be worth noting that Smart Sync is a Dropbox feature that helps you save space locally on your hard drive & that’s mainly the reason why Smart Sync settings are unique to each device you link to your Dropbox account. That said, as long as your files are updated on your account online as expected (:desktop: ➡️🕸️), you can easily revert them to Online-Only ☁️ on your second device by right-clicking on them ➡️ choose Smart sync & then choose Online-only. Once you do, this will free up space on your hard drive almost instantly. (Note: It might take a bit of time for cached items to be removed from your hard disk initially, where we recommend a system restart.)
     
    From there, it’s advisable to adjust the default setting on your desktop for newly added content to Online-only as well (which denotes that all content will automatically be synced from our website to your desktop/laptop as Online-Only however you can manually download files to your computer when you need them by reverting them to Local :white_check_mark:). 
     
    I hope that this is the answer you were seeking Serge however please do let me know if I you have any follow-up queries. Thanks again! 
    • domp825's avatar
      domp825
      Explorer | Level 3
      6 years ago

      Can you do the opposite of this? 
      As in, have users online update to the online, but not to others computers

      • Jane's avatar
        Jane
        Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
        6 years ago
        Hey domp825, if your inquiry pertains to updating files across accounts online that will not sync across users’ devices, then you may be able to achieve that if you’re working on a Dropbox Business account, where you should be able to utilize the Team Selective Sync functionality. 
         
        On the other hand, if you’re working on a personal account, then each user should adjust their Selective Sync settings accordingly, however this is device-specific, so it should be set on a per-user basis. 
         
        Hopefully my post points you towards the right direction & please do let me know my advice works for you in your next post here. Thanks!
    • Davisdropper's avatar
      Davisdropper
      New member | Level 2
      6 years ago

      I have just started with smart sync, and now I have one computer with a large folder online only, but on my second (Mac), the folder does not appear at all in my local Dropbox. What now?

       

      Thanks.

      • Jane's avatar
        Jane
        Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
        6 years ago

        Hey Davisdropper, would you mind cross-checking whether the folder in question has synced properly on your account online? Please let me know how you get on with this whenever you get a chance & we’ll take it from there! 

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