"Smart" sync keeps downloading Online Only Files

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?

same issues on my side. clean install of a windows 11. no antivirus.

Hi cannadi, I hope you're doing well! 

Based on the fact that you posted here, I'm guessing that you have some issue with your Online Only files becoming local again, out of the blue, am I right? 

Could you clarify the version of the app that you're using on your end? You can find this by locating your Dropbox icon on your task bar, next to your WiFi and hovering your mouse there. 

Keep in mind that many processes on your machine look at files that you may have not manually opened and in order to fulfill these requests from these processes Dropbox syncs the files. Examples of this include:

- Backup services
- Antivirus
- Recently used file lists in individual apps
- Third party applications that monitor files in general

- Navigating to a folder while within an app (such as an 'Open' dialog)

Please note that if there are applications that constantly or persistently look at your files, your files may come back following the behavior described above if you didn't recall them manually.

If this is the case, I'd suggest you to test by temporarily quitting or disabling applications systematically until you see that the issue is resolved. The last application that you closed when the issue no longer occurred may be the one performing this action.

Keep me posted on the results!

I can't understand how this keeps happening. The main point...no, the ONLY point of cloud storage is to store files in the cloud. Yet time and time again Dropbox starts an automatic download OF. EVERY. FILE.

the version no. is 169.4.5684

it literally started downloading the files again the second i marked it online only