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Unable to make all my files available offline onto new Mac
I've got a new iMac after the old one has just given up the ghost. All my files are fortunately backed up on Dropbox. My back-up drive was unfortunately corrupted. I've installed Dropbox on the new computer and all my files now appear but with "zero bytes".
But there's a problem. I can download each file onto the hard drive one at a time by opening and closing it, but this is impossibly time consuming to do for every single file!
I have gone to Dropbox Preferences, then clicked Sync and then checked Available Offline - but still all my "zero bytes" files remain on line and don't download until I click on them.
I'm sure there's a simple solution. Please can someone advise me how to find it? Thanks.
22 Replies
- Walter
Dropbox Community Moderator
Hey there stuartcalder - sorry to hear you're having issues with this.
Did you try selecting your whole Dropbox folder and making it available offline and/or online-only and vice-versa to see if it makes any difference?
Otherwise, you can try copying or moving those zero-bytes files to another location and then back into your Dropbox folder.
In any case, please keep us posted, Stuart.
I selected the whole Dropbox folder and made it available off line. I have now deselected it and pressed update, then later gone back and reselected it and pressed update but my files are still reading zero bytes.
With your second recommendation, I don't quite understand how moving these zero-bytes files to another location on my computer and then back into the Dropbox folder will download them. Please can you explain? Thanks.- Nancy
Hey stuartcalder! Hope you don’t mind if I jump in.
Can you clarify what you mean when saying that you’ve deselected the Dropbox folder and pressed “Update”?
If you can send me a screenshot of where you’re clicking exactly, that’d be great so that I can have a visual, too.
Under Preferences I clicked Selective sync to select all the folders. Then I clicked Available offline. Here are the screenshots -
- Jay
Hi stuartcalder, could you locate the Dropbox folder in Finder itself, and then right click it and choose the option to make the files local?
Eureka! Thanks for the tip.
Hi Jay @ Dropbox Staff
May jump in with a question, since I am having the same problem? I am setting up a new iMac 2024, Sequoia 15.2, Dropbox version 216.4.7292. The Dropbox folder on my old Mac didn't have this problem. I also have selected the same options on the Dropbox Preferences folder.
When you said, "locate the Dropbox folder in Finder itself, and then right click it and choose the option to make the files local," do you mean the Dropbox in the left sidebar of a Finder window? After right clicking, I don't see the option to make all the files local.
This Dropbox app was "restored" from a Time Machine backup from the old iMac. I wonder if I uninstalled this "restored" Dropbox app and started from scratch if that would help?
I would appreciate your help in making a global change since there are thousands of folders and files to have to switch individually to offline. Thank you!
- Hannah
Hey janicetaylor, thanks for the nudge here and sorry to see you're also having trouble.
If the Dropbox app was restored from a time machine backup, I'm wondering if perhaps it's not running at all.
Do you have a small Dropbox icon in your menu bar?
What do you see when you hover over it with your mouse?
Thank you for your reply. I see "Dropbox 216.4.7292 Up to Date" when I hover on the icon in the menu bar
- Jay
Hi janicetaylor, are you able to right right a file or folder in the Dropbox folder, to see if the Dropbox context menu items appear there?
