"Smart" sync keeps downloading Online Only Files

[adamschoales]

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 the finder on my Mac, that I have then marked as online only, in hopes that it would upload the files and then remove them from my local storage, which is limited. However Dropbox keeps randomly re-downloading the files to my system even after telling it that I want the files to be online only. 

This feature is supposed to "save hard disk space", which it does seem to do temporarily before it just starts downoading things again. It seems as though the only safe way to keep files from my drive is the old fashioned selective sync from preferences, but this is a backward way of working, especially when I want to have the folder show up on my local drive so I can bring files into it, but I may want those files to only live online.

Has anyone found a solution to this abnormal behaviour (that, once again I might add, was forced on us as justification to increase the price of the paid service)?

[busboys45]

Hello Lusil,

This was exactly it, I finally was able to decipher the pattern. In my case it was "recently used file lists" in QuickTime/Word/Excel/PowerPoint. Each time I would use those apps/programs the files in the recent tab would "localize" and download from Dropbox, which was especially problematic when it came to QuickTime and larger video files. I cleared up all my recent files lists within those apps/programs and I am good to go!

[Lusil]

Glad to hear that you were able to resolve this in the end, @busboys45. 

If anything else comes up or you have any other questions, just give us a shout. Cheers!

[Hvd2Pilot]

Wait a minute Lucil, this is not a "fix", clearing out recent items is a bandaid solution.  In fact, Quicktime recents don't get cleared.  To clear the files, go into Quicktime | File | Open Recent,  wait for the files to download!!!, then select Clear Menu. Does, or will, Dropbox have a permanent solution for this?  Any plans in the works?

Respectfully,

[bigc200]

Same happening to me. I'm going to run out of disk space at this rate. I feel like I'm fighting the machine downloading against my will.

Please help.

Chris

[WDPandP]

I am having the same issue.

I want to be able to open files (online only files) visible in File Explorer, alter them, then save them and they just stay online. Rather than downloading locally every time.

*Edit* - Thank you Jay (Dropbox Staff below comment).  All you have to do is edit the file in File Explorer (this downloads it to your computer automatically). Once you are done editing, you can simply right click the file or folder in File Explorer and chose 'Make online-only'.

[Jay]

Hi @WDPandP, what you're describing is different to what other users are experiencing. 

When you attempt to edit an online-only file, the Dropbox desktop application needs to make the file local first, to then open it in the appropriate app to edit it. Otherwise, it wouldn't be possible to edit a file that wasn't on your computer.

When the file is saved, it doesn't automatically return to being online-only, so you'll need to change it manually in Explorer each time.

Hope this helps to clarify matters!

[bigc200]

Apologies Jay, but what is your answer to the question at the top of this thread? I am also experiencing files wanting to download when they haven't been asked to. Not even if the files are in recent items, or links within a document. I'm experiencing Dropbox wanting to

download every Keynote presentation I have in Dropbox. Why would this be the case?

I do suggest you take this seriously because it's real and I'm technically profficient to know how Dropbox works with linked files. This isn't that.

Chris

[Jay]

Hi @bigc200, are you opening the Keynote file directly from the Dropbox folder, or are you opening it via Keynote itself and navigating to the file in the folder within the app?

[bigc200]

I figured out the source of my problem. I’m using MacPaw’s CleanMyMac which the developer has admitted has a bug with Dropbox.
I found their admittance on Dropbox’s own knowledge base from 2017 and asked MacPaw if it had been solved or was still a problem. They told me it had been fixed but has since resurfaced.
Since this exists on your own knowledge base, and is a known bug, you should probably suspect something like this for the future when people are telling you Dropbox is automatically downloading files without being asked.
I believe it’s something to do with the software re-indexing the drive and pulling down Apple’s productivity files (Keynote, Pages, etc).
Hope that helps someone else.

[Jay]

Could you link the URL for the help center article this is referring to, or is it a post on the community? This way we can keep it in this thread to help other users who might be experiencing this behavior.