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morashmedia's avatar
morashmedia
Explorer | Level 3
2 years ago

Selective sync, not working. Minus sign.

Hi I work on a shared project with multiple people, We are a video company. one editor usually gets the files from the camera folks and uploads the footage to the three other editors.  he usually sends an upload link to whoever is editing. One editor gets segment A, the 2nd gets segment B etc.  So not everyone needs every file that is uploaded.  This project has ballooned to tb of footage, so it's unrealistic to download everything so i'm trying to use selective sync to just download the files i need.  The files are usually organized by folder by season, be episode by segment.  so the directory tree is quite long.  I go to the selective sync option and all the files are there but as soon as i deselect a folder that i don't need, i get a minus symbol on the i guess i'll call it the root folder and then nothing syncs.  Any suggestions.  I also live in a rural area so my internet connection isn't the greatest so i can't download from my web browser for it constantly fails i have to use the dropbox app.  thanks

  • Megan's avatar
    Megan
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff

    Hey morashmedia, let's jump right into this!

     

    Can you let me know the version of the app that you're using on your end, along with its syncing status


    Also, keep in mind that the gray circle with the minus sign may appear on a file or folder when you're using the selective sync feature (meaning you've opted not to sync this file or folder on your computer).

    In general, selectively synced files and folders won't appear in the Dropbox folder on your computer. However, if you create two files or folders with the same name, the gray icon will appear, indicating that one of the files isn’t being synced. Could that be the case here? 

     

    You may have a selective sync conflict, which occurs when you create a folder with the same name and in the same location as an unsynced folder. For more info on how to tackle this, I’d recommend checking this article out.

     

    Keep me posted!

    • morashmedia's avatar
      morashmedia
      Explorer | Level 3

      Hi, I am using version 183.4.7058.  There are no duplicated folders as it never started syncing.  Is there a better way to download just the files I need with the app?  Keeping in mind my browser loses connection frequently so the app is the better option .

       

      thanks

      • Hannah's avatar
        Hannah
        Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff

        Hey morashmedia, sorry to jump in here.

         

        Would you mind sending us a screenshot of what you see when you uncheck a folder in the selective sync settings?

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