Is it possible to have the directory of files visible locally, without downloading them?

Hey JohanBang, did you double check your selective sync settings, like Jay previously suggested? If you did, were you able to find your folders this way?

I'm having the same problem and it's frustrating.

New computer, 5TB dropbox account. No ability to display folder structure within Windows explorer without syncing the whole dropbox account.

There's a problem with the settings. In my screenshot you can see that I've selected to make all folders visible.

And I've chosen to store the files online-only.

But those settings don't work properly. Choosing to "see" the folders causes the app to download the folders and their contents.

Please help.

Hi JadeB, in addition to those settings you have enabled, could you try marking the Dropbox folder itself as online-only by right clicking it and choosing that option, to see if this helps?

Thanks, Jay. But I don't have that option within Windows explorer.

In this screenshot I've selected all the folders except for the one that I want a local copy. Right-clicking produces only "transfer a copy" as an option.

Are you certain that you're viewing the files in the Dropbox folder?

Is the Dropbox desktop application currently running and syncing, in order for you to see all the context menu items?

Thanks Jay. I had paused syncing because I didn't want my HD to fill up. I resumed syncing and then I had the right-click context menu to "make online only."

So, I've selected that. But I'll just have to wait and see if it continues to create the local folder structure or if it will leave whatever folders hadn't yet synced invisible on my local computer.

It should populate the Dropbox folder with placeholder files of your entire folder structure, as you didn't hide any folders using the selective sync feature.

This can take a little time depending on the number of files and folders on your account. 

Let me know how it goes!

Hey JadeB! I wanted to check if you have any more updates on this. 

Let us know.

Thanks for following up, Nancy. Everything seems to be working the way I wanted now.

Glad to hear it! 

Don’t hesitate to reach back to us here, if you need something else.