"Smart" sync keeps downloading Online Only Files

and no, i do not have antivirus installed

it is a freaking CLEAN INSTALL of windows 11

I do not have programs to close

Hey cannadi, thanks for the additional information.

Would it be OK if we reached out via email to have a further look internally at this point? 

Same thing here as well. I use Dropbox quite some time, and even after fresh install where you mention 'cloud only' (recommended), it starts to sync 60000 files ! I even paid extra 1Tb, so in total 3Tb storage, so it gets scary to install even Dropbox.  I installed the dropbox service on 3 computers. I though if you flag on one computer as local, that the other two will do it also, regardless of telling online-only, but I am not sure. The only viable reason I can think of is that Dropbox inc. is not very happy to have all files online only, because of network traffic overload on their servers. If everyone cloud only watch movies, or even use dropbox for SQL-servers or so, it will kill overall network traffic on their servers. Some mention that Onedrive is better, but I also experienced local download of files. I  want to see Dropbox for nothing more than a online harddisk with advantages (history restore and such).  Lately I discovered shadow drive. A service can be combined with Shadow PC online gaming. For now Dropbx seems not want to resolve the issue.

Found out that Google drive works for now without any issues. So another few days and testing and then Dropbox bye bye. I think that Dropbox just lacks the money to keep up with network traffic, and then try to force you , to have as much files local as possible. They will loose in the long run, where competition invest on glasfiber datastorage globally. It is time to move on to new datastorage. It is a once beautyfull flower that lacks water and dies.

Hi Eric Conijn, thanks for posting here! 

Keep in mind, that the way you choose files to sync on one device, won't reflect on others. You can have different files as online-only, or available offline on each one of your devices. 

Now, as for files downloading locally, even when you choose for them to be online-only, have you tried all the available troubleshooting steps mentioned into this thread? If you're still having an issue, can I send you an email, in order for us to have a closer look into this? 

Let me know! 

As is the case with a lot of companies, Facebook first, seems to me that Dropbox is just getting worse with every "update". I have the same issue that a lot of people here (constant Smart Sync redownloads), and in 2-3 days, I'll probably just leave and use another app. Too bad because Dropbox has always been reliable and user-friendly. But now it is not. 

I am having a similar issue. (might even be the same) I purchase files on esty and they are actually in one drive somewhere.  As I am on  a metered phone connection whilst I am away at weekends  I dont want 20GB of files downloading via HotSpot to my PC.  SO I select download to dropbox . I have newfiles saved as online only.  BUT firefox is showing all the 20 gig trying to download via Hot spot to me PC.. 

Whats going wrong?

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! 

Hi, i am also having this problem. Despite selecting multiple times for files to only be online only a couple of days later i have no space on my computer as they have downloaded again. how do i stop this? 

Hey Toffees1878 - sorry to hear you're having issues with this.

If you made sure that the desktop app is 'up to date' and not still syncing your changes, can you clear your cache folder and let me know how it goes?

Thanks!