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Smart Sync and removing local files
Hello,
I'm attempting to convert my dropbox folder on my desktop to smart sync, so that I'm not storing any local files on my harddrive in order to save space. Currently, my folder has some local ...
Hi Grant W.1
So first and foremost, Dropbox is a sync solution, not a backup. When sync is turned on, it sync the local file to the cloud. If you delete the local file, it will also destroy the cloud copy. You can directly upload your files for storage using the web client https://www.dropbox.com/home and then that will be stored independently of your local files.
As for the status, if you click on the little dropbox logo in the system tray, it should give you the current sync status of your files.
Daphne
Dropbox Community Moderator
Dropbox Community ModeratorHey there Grambles12,
Can you just confirm for me that the folder you're referring to is correctly showing the online only sync icon (grey cloud) and your desktop app sync status is "up to date"?
Also, can you please confirm which version of the desktop app you're running and the OS of the computer that is having this issue?
Should you be using a Mac computer and you're not seeing the space reduced after applying smart sync to your files, I'd recommend checking out this post here.
Let me know what you find and we'll go from there!
Hi,
If anyone still needs a quick solution, I simply uninstalled dropbox app on my Windows 10. This completely breaks the link, so you can delete the local files no problem, then go back and re-download the app if you'd like and be a little more selective with your selective sync ha!
Hey guys,
I am facing the exact same issue: I marked a folder to use smart sync online only mode but it seems the files are still there occupying a lot of space on my HD. Just to be clear: it's not only the file name, the full files are still there.
How can I solve this?
- Hannah
Hi Hanna,
Thanks for your answer. I read the thread you mention, however my computer is a PC, not a mac. Does the solution work for a PC as well?
- Hannah
Thanks for updating me on this!
Since online-only files aren't supposed to take up space, can you check if this is related to the Dropbox cache folder? The files might not have been removed from it yet.
The cache folder is cleared out automatically every 3 days, but since the Dropbox application is "Up to date", you can manually clear it using the steps here.
Let me know if that helped!
Hi Hannah,
I followed the steps and cleared the cache but it didn't work. The folder is still occupying more tham 100 GB of my HD.
I don't know if it could be related but just to give you more info: the folder is shared with another person.
Do you have any idea on how can I free this space?
