It takes a long time for my files to become available offline, or the syncing fails completely.

Thanks for the updates so far! One more thing I’d like to ask you on this; do the files you make available offline remain as such, after you’ve changed their status, or do they automatically become online-only again at some point? 

This will help us isolate the issue a bit more.

"Dropbox 222.4.5042 Up to date" - Upon installing this version of Dropbox, I immediately noticed an issue with file synchronization. Many files—far more than expected—were showing as taking "Zero bytes" of local disk space.  Notably, my local Dropbox folder was only occupying about half the expected disk space, suggesting incomplete offline storage.  Dozens of files appeared in the local folder but remained online-only (indicated by "Zero bytes" locally).  Opening these files took longer than usual, likely due to on-demand downloading.  All files should be fully downloaded and available offline by default (Based on my Preferences selection), yet newly synced files remain online-only unless manually downloaded each time.

Hey cfrivera1, would you mind hover your mouse over the little Dropbox icon, next to your WiFi and let me know the app's version?

When did you first notice this behavior? 

Yes, this issue occurs with any newly added files. I’ve tested it with multiple files shared/added to Dropbox from my iPhone—including email attachments and photos received via text—and while they appear in the Dropbox folder on my Mac, they show as taking "Zero bytes" locally. To access the actual content, I have to manually double-click each file to download it.

Hey cfrivera1, let me also jump in here!

Does this happen with newly added files, or existing files?

I'm asking because this setting allows files to remain available-offline by default if they are added on the web or via another device.

If you select your content inside your Dropbox folder, right click on it, and choose to sync it as available offline, does that work?

Dropbox files are stored on an external Samsung SSD which has 2.6 TB available out of 4 TB.

Hey cfrivera1! Let’s have a look together. 

First off, can you send me a screenshot of your sync settings, as they show under the Sync tab of your desktop app preferences? 

Other than that, how much hard drive space do you have available on your computer at the moment?

I'm experiencing the same issue. Despite selecting a default sync state for new files as 'Available Offline' in Preferences, my files aren't actually stored locally. They appear in Finder but show as 'Zero bytes' on disk.

I am not using Dropbox with File Provider, yet every new file behaves this way—visible but requiring a download when opened. This delay is frustrating, and worse, it defeats the purpose of offline access. If I lose internet connectivity, I need all my files accessible immediately.

Why is Dropbox ignoring my offline preference setting? Is there a fix for this, or is this a bug?

Hey jk33!

Yes, my bad. I meant the folders you choose to de-select. I corrected my previous response for clarity.

I don't think that your Dropbox folder's location could be causing it, I just wanted to have an insight as to if your device is using the File Provider update.

If you can change them by right clicking on them, I think that's the best way to go about it. Could you also send me a couple of screenshots of the steps you followed on your end, and the settings you applied, if possible? 

Hi Megan,

Did you write that correctly? I thought de-selecting folders in Selective Sync made them such that they are not visible locally, whereas having them checked in Selective Sync should have them visible locally? 

But yes, you understood my issue correctly: folders got synced locally, but they appeared to be online-only. If you right click on them, yes I can select them to sync locally as available offline.

To answer your final question: No, my Dropbox folder got placed in my user directory:

/Users/jk33/Dropbox

Think that's part of the problem?