Dropbox files are available in finder but aren't downloading to hard drive

Hi there JasG - sorry to hear you're having issues with this.

Can you please clarify your computer's exact OS version and the status and version of the Dropbox desktop app as shown in your menu bar?

Also, what happens when you right click on your files in your Dropbox folder and select the 'make available offline' option?

Any additional information is more than welcome!

Hi there Walter,

My OS version is 14.6 (23G80)

Does version v216.4.4420 seem like I am looking at the version number? 

When on right click on a file in my Dropbox folder and select the make available offline option, it seems to "download" the file (and now it is available).  I am just wondering why, since I have the make available offline box check (or don't have the online only box checked) in preferences, all my files are not being downloaded automatically.  Looking at around at other directories I am seeing that most of my files that I am not regularly using on the hard drive of this laptop (a relatively new laptop) are zero bytes.  As if when I installed the Dropbox app on this laptop the vast majority of files remained in the cloud.

Thanks for any advice you have.   I am happy I noticed this at a time when I am online most of my work days.

Jim 

Hey Jim! v216.4.4420 is the most recent Dropbox app version indeed, so you’re looking at the right place. 

Other than that, I’d like you to go to your Dropbox app preferences and send me a screenshot of your Sync tab; I’d like to check your current settings and see if there’s something enabled that explains what you’ve described.

It is (good) insane how quickly you people respond.  I wish you were in charge of my health care.  Stay tuned. I will get you screen shot when I get to my office.  

What file format do I need to save a screen shot to in order to share it here.  I tried the default png and then pdf and get messages saying "file not allowed."  Sorry for what I don't know.  

Don’t worry at all, Jim! Did you save your file as a .png image and then, got this error when pasting it directly in your message box on the forum?

Yes.  The first screen shot saved as a .png (automatically) and when I received that error message I tried saving it as a .pdf and received the same message.  No matter what format I save it to, when I try to drop it into my reply, I get an error message.  

Ah, I see. No worries then; we’ll try to figure this out another way. 

If you go to the Sync tab of your app preferences now, is there any setting called "Save hard drive space automatically” that’s currently enabled?

It's quite possible that the app has set some of the files you're not regularly using automatically as online-only, in order to help you save hard drive space and use it for the files you access more often.