"Smart" sync keeps downloading Online Only Files

Here is the original thread where MacPaw admits there is a bug with CleanMyMac and Dropbox Smart Sync:

https://www.dropboxforum.com/t5/Dropbox-files-folders/Clean-My-Mac-update-caused-TOTAL-FILE-RESYNC/m-p/233206

I have contacted their support to see if this has been fixed yet (since 2017) and they tell me it has resurfaced and they are working on it. In the meantime, turn off or quite the CleanMyMac menu (from the Mac toolbar) restart your Mac and it should stop Dropbox downloading all your Keynote files. Until MacPaw fix this, you can't really use the menu bar. Not sure about the main app though.

Hope tht helps.

Suffered this problem last year - it is definitely linked to CleanMyMac.

It suddenly started after no issues for about 4 months of happy use. I believe it was after a CMM update. 

At the time their Support said that they could not re-create the issue so they could not deal with it. So it's good to see that they are working on it now. 

You can quit the control panel to temporarily fix it, and yet still use the app fine. 

But as soon as you reboot, or... CMM triggers an auto-update, then you are in trouble again. 

Woke one day to see I had 1Mb of HDD remaining..! 

I uninstalled it in the end. 

Shame, as it's very good at what it is made for. But I couldn't trust it again not to ruin my life. 

I do not have clean my mac installed on my computer.

I’ll have to keep an eye on this, but I believe a download was triggered recently by opening a file in OneDrive also. I’ll have to see if I can recreate it. I wouldn’t expect another application to trigger a dropbox download.

Interesting - my investigations, before I gave up, were pointing towards the 'recent file' lists. 

Have you tried clearing the lists for the apps causing issue - eg. Quicktime? 

Apologies if I've joined behind the curve here..! 

I'm having the same problem and it's maddening. I reset files using SmartSync to be stored in the cloud only, then when I start work for the day I'm frequently bogged down with 60,000-some files attempting to be downloaded to my computer. I go back and mark them again as cloud only, and that only sticks for a day or so.

I'm on a PC running Windows, so no Clean My Mac or Quicktime even exist as is mentioned in some of the posts here. I have no backup software and no antivirus software running.

Sometimes SmartSync doesn't even appear as an option any longer—neither at dropbox.com when clicking on the ... to the right of the file name, nor does any green checkmark or cloud image show up on the files/folders. That's happening right now so I can't even reset the correct files to cloud only.

Same exact notes as the June note. Any updates on this?? It's driving me crazy.

I'm also having the very annoying, distressing and fraught problem with the so-called "Smart Sync" downloading files that I've designated as "on-line only" It is a repeat problem and takes many hours for the files to be returned to online only. Then it all happens all over again.... and again .... and again .....

This happens both on my laptop and desktop, both Windows 10 with Trend Micro antivirus.

I've been with Dropbox for quite a few years now, and previously found it to be excellent. However, with "Smart Sync" the ball has been dropped and there are other cheaper products that don't seem to have this serious error.

I've seen suggestions on the chat about individuals going to great lengths to find the reason for this Dropbox software malfunction, and then operate unwieldy work arounds. I've tried a few things, to no avail, and I'm just at the point where I'm not prepared to keep paying for a product that doesn't work as specified and causes me serious angst.

I can't, for the life of me, understand why Dropbox doesn't fix this malfunction in its software. Anybody know if Dropbox is even trying to address this problem?

Hi Walter,

It could be the antivirus program.

If so, I could change the settings so that the files I have in Dropbox aren't scanned -but I don't know the security implications.

I don't have the time or patience to keep trying to find the reason for the Dropbox malfunction. I've had Dropbox for quite a while and haven't had this problem until I started using Dropbox on my limited hard drive 256GB laptop.  It demonstrated that "smart sync" doesn't work in real world environments. Others on this blog have also had the problem.

I use One Drive for another thing that I do, and don't have this problem.

Dropbox has always been a bit clunky because it sometimes doesn't clearly tell you what it is doing, or to find the right place to click for a common action. It reminds me of when VHS recorders needed an expert professional to make it do what you wanted.

I'd like you to refer this to someone who can fix Dropbox so that if you select "off line" it means that the file or files stay off line. I know it can be done.

David

I'm running Windows 11 on a Dell laptop, and I have the same issue.

Every time I:

* run a virus scan via Trend Micro, OR

* open a microsoft office program, OR

* open a folder via Windows Explorer

Dropbox starts downloading ALL the files in the folder, and for virus scanning, all 3TB of data from my dropbox. DESPITE me selecting 'online only' MULTIPLE times before.

Surely this is a fundamental design flaw on dropbox's product, and should be fixed ASAP.

I await a solution please.

Thanks

Definitely seems like a fundamental design flaw.  After almost a decade of loving DropBox, I'm ready to move 2TB of data to Microsoft One Drive.  I can't take the instability of the Synch function.   I want all my data on-line and only a few folders local.  I'm technically proficient and searching for solutions to the constant issue of Dropbox trying to download all my files locally has become a waste of my time and is a drain to all my local storage.  Microsoft One Drive here I come ... !

Hi BCZE, I hope you're doing well! 

Have you checked your antivirus (on any other third-party app) to make sure it doesn't interfere with your Dropbox files? Because a third-party app scanning or indexing these files, could cause what you described. 

Keep me posted!

I find it unacceptable that an anti-virus is causing the issues with dropbox. 

My Google Drive, icloud and OneDrive does not have any issues working with my anti-virus.

Secondly, I can not and will not turn off an anti-virus because dropbox can't solve this issue.

Hey dries1, what about any other third-party apps?

You mentioned you're using other syncing apps too, therefore it'd be a nice test to close them temporarily, just to see if the issue will remain. Can you try it? 

Agreed, paying for this service and it defeating the purpose of cloud storage is crazy. The fact Dropbox has shown no signs of resolving this issue over the history of this thread tells me things aren't going to improve. I'm going to switch to someone else.

Agreed! I've tried all the suggestions. Google Drive for desktop doesn't do this. OneDrive for desktop doesn't do this... I really want to use Dropbox, but I also don't want to store all that data ON my computer, or have it re-download every few days and max out my internet service data cap.

Agreed. I've been having this problem as well.
"Turn off your antivirus" is no solution at all for the security minded.

Is there a way to disable this "Selective Sync" feature, or an attribute I can set via CLI to prevent Dropbox from messing with certain folders unless I explicitly make them available offline, or open the file?

Hey ukracer, sorry to hear about this.

Can you please send us a couple of screenshots so that we can have a  visual too?

Also, what's the desktop app's exact status and version as shown in your menu bar/system tray at the moment? 

Any additional information is more than welcome!