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Forum Discussion
Move online only files and folders within my Dropbox folder without downloading them
I would like to understand why, when moving or copying "online only" files and folders between folders in my Dropbox account, that it must download them to my computer first. Using the Dropbox desktop interface, why can't we do an "online only" transfer from one folder to another, without any downloading, especially when it is between folders in the same Dropbox account?
15 Replies
- Jay
Dropbox Community Moderator
Hi pablopaul, thanks for messaging the Community!
In general, if files are online-only, dragging them from one folder to another wouldn't force them to download to your computer first.
Are you copying and pasting files, or dragging them within Explorer/Finder?
This will help me to assist further! - I am using a Finder window when dragging files from one Dropbox folder to the other, but why does this force a download of those files to my device first?
- MeganHey there, pablopaul, how are you today?
That sounds interesting indeed. Does that happen with all of your online-only files?
Can you check the version of the app that you have installed on your device? You can do this by hovering your mouse over the little Dropbox icon next to your WiFi.
Thanks! I am using Dropbox version 142.4.4197
I have had this issue with Smart Sync since I signed up for it a couple years ago, so I don't think it is related to the Dropbox version or Mac OS. I think this is an issue with the Finder requiring that a file must be present locally in order for it to be moved from one folder to another, even if our intent is to move the file from one location to another remotely (i.e. online only on the Dropbox servers). It should simply be a matter of updating the pointers in the Mac file management system, but apparently that is not how the Finder works.
Is this an issue Dropbox developers are aware of and can possibly fix?
Yes, that would be fine. Thank you!
Hi,
I have the same issue, but I cannot see whether the issue in the thread was solved, and, if that was the case, how. Could you please enlighten me on how to fix this?
I think this issue actually has been resolved. I'm not sure when they made the update, but now you can move online-only folders and files around, and they don't download first.
- Hannah
Hey enivrezvous, thanks for reaching out.
Are you seeing a different behavior than the one pablopaul is reporting?
Do your online-only files get downloaded to your computer, when you try to move them within your Dropbox folder?
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