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Dropbox keeps trying to download and sync files set to online only
I had this same issue with a particular folder when I first set up my new Windows 10 laptop, but closing and restarting Dropbox seemed to fix it. (Derp.) Today it randomly started trying to downl...
Well, I thought deselecting the folders in question for indexing had solved the problem since it hasn't recurred since then, plus the endless indexing stopped (indicating a potential conflict between Windows indexing and Dropbox online-only files)...but today, the three zipped files have randomly started trying to download again. :/ I marked them as online only yet again, closed and restarted Dropbox, and after a few minutes it AGAIN tried downloading one and I again had to change it to online only. Something keeps changing the setting, but I don't know what.
Rich "File backups, antivirus/malware scans, browsing a folder in applications with file previews enabled, etc. ANY process that touches a file can cause it."
I checked to see if Windows was again indexing at the time this happened; it didn't seem to be. (For the record, there's no option for me to deselect these particular items for indexing, since they aren't in a folder, but I experienced the same issue previously with items that ARE in a folder, and I excluded that folder from indexing. That folder hasn't tried downloading anything today--yet. I'm wondering if I should try putting these zipped files in an excluded folder, though I don't want it to try downloading them again.)
I wasn't backing up any files, just doing some unrelated things on a website. There was no antivirus scan going on (plus I've never experienced this issue while doing a virus scan), and I wasn't viewing or browsing the files, not even previews or file properties. I didn't even have File Explorer open; Dropbox was running, but I didn't have its folder or app open, either. There's absolutely nothing I'm aware of that could have been trying to access the files, unless Windows was randomly trying to index them, which didn't seem to be the case.
(For the record, the notification I keep getting when this happens is some variant of "Dropbox downloaded this file" or "Dropbox failed to download this file," something like that, with the file name. I think it sometimes also says it's trying to sync those files. I don't know if the "failed" notification is because it's actually failing to download or because I keep switching it back to online only while it's attempting to download.)
I have no idea what could be causing this. :/
Dropbox is randomly trying to download the problem zip files yet again. :/ Twice so far I've had to reset them to online only. Frustrating!
Just as before, I was not trying to view the files or interacting with them in any way, not indexing as far as I'm aware, didn't even have File Explorer or the Dropbox folder open, no virus scan running, nothing.
I shouldn't have to create a new online-only folder (set to not index, since there's definitely a conflict between Dropbox Smart Sync and Windows indexing) just to try to stop this from happening but I can't think of anything else.
I just noticed, based on my own thread here, that the last two times this happened were on Fridays. Just like today! Is there some weird Dropbox setting that switches online-only files to try to download on Fridays??
Oh crud, now it's trying to download ANOTHER online-only folder that didn't give me trouble before! :(
EDIT: I first set up this Dropbox on this new computer on October 30, which was the first time I experienced this issue, as I mentioned at the start of this thread. I just checked. October 30 was a Friday.
So this issue has recurred four times so far, each time on a Friday. (It skipped November 6.)
UGH it's trying to download TWO online-only folders now! I'm going to have to pause it just to get it to stop. :(
But there's definitely some sort of schedule going on, that tries to make my online-only files local. Oct. 30, Nov. 13, Nov. 20, Nov. 27. Fridays!
Fascinating. I stumbled on this because I am also running into this issue.
This issue is hyper-annoying and this issue melts away a lot of the value that I get from using dropbox.
It persistently downloads things that I keep setting back to online-only.
I can't say I've paid enough attention to detect whether or not Fridays are a contributing pattern on my end, but it is particularly obnoxious today.
It does seem to want to gravitate toward audio files as the files it tries to download even though I want them set to online only.
I've been experiencing this trouble on both my Mac OSX machine and my Windows 10 machine.
It's possible there are different reasons I experience it on one OS versus the other, that is not ruled out.
I will keep monitoring for clues, and I'll update you if I make any headwind on solving this issue.
Anybody who works at Dropbox have any ideas for us?
I'm suspicious that something on my system is periodically "indexing" in a way that tries to open up files that in turn causes smart sync to begin downloading. Any ideas on how to troubleshoot finding a process that is doing that behavior?
Good luck!
- Sanchez
Dropbox Community Moderator
Hey guys, I’m sorry to hear that you’re experiencing this.
Rachel L., like Rich said, this is most likely caused by another app/process that’s accessing files in your Dropbox folder in some way. The fact that this happens consistently on the same day of the week, Friday, leads me to think that maybe there is some scheduled task running then. Is there a backup or other utility doing something on Fridays?
thebobalos, thanks for posting. As you mentioned a tendency for this to occur with audio files, I would check for any app that may be accessing/indexing them in the background. Do keep monitoring for clues, and let me know how it goes.
Cheers!
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