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How can I make my files “online-only” to free up hard drive space?
Hi!
I’m on macOS and I use Dropbox with the “online-only” option (Smart Sync). Downloading/working with files is fine, but after I open/download things once, some of them remain stored locally. For example I have ~350 GB in Dropbox cloud storage, but my Dropbox folder still uses ~130 GB on my Mac. How can I remove all local copies and make everything online-only again? Is there a way to automatically remove local files after some time if I don’t use them (like “free up space after X days”)? If there’s no automatic option, what’s the best way to manage this manually when you have lots of files that you open once and then don’t touch for months? Thanks!
1 Reply
- Hannah
Dropbox Community Moderator
Hey xtermalq, thanks for posting your question to our Community!
To easily set your files to online-only and free up hard drive space, you can use our "manage hard drive space" tool.
To use the tool:
- Click the Dropbox icon menu bar.
- Click your avatar (profile picture or initials).
- Click Manage hard drive space from the dropdown menu to open the tool.
- You can view and sort files by size and the date they were last modified.
- Check the boxes next to the files you’d like to make online-only.
- Click Move to online-only.
You can read more about the feature here.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to let me know!
