Forum Discussion

Andrew-RFLB's avatar
Andrew-RFLB
Helpful | Level 5
9 years ago
Solved

Smart Sync and Quick Preview on Mac

Smart Sync causes my quick preview function (spacebar) to not function properly on my Mac. I can't preview thumbnails, or quick preview any videos or photos. Any ideas why this happens?
desktop
Mac
Setting up the apps
  • Rich's avatar
    Rich
    9 years ago

    Likely because you're trying to preview a file that doesn't exist on your computer.

     

    When you set a file to Online Only, the only thing that's left of that file on your computer is the necessary information to make it appear in the folder. Since there's no content in the file, your OS (nor any other program) is able to preview it.

     

    Remember, when you set a file to Online Only, the file is removed from the computer leaving behind only a marker file. In order to access that file, whether it be to open and edit it or simply preview it, the file needs to be on the computer (Smart Sync doesn't allow you to open files directly from the Dropbox servers). When you open a file, it's synced back to your local drive and then opened as normal. When you're done with the file, if you want it to be online-only again, you need to mark it as such.

Rich's avatar
Rich
Icon for Super User II rankSuper User II
9 years ago

Likely because you're trying to preview a file that doesn't exist on your computer.

 

When you set a file to Online Only, the only thing that's left of that file on your computer is the necessary information to make it appear in the folder. Since there's no content in the file, your OS (nor any other program) is able to preview it.

 

Remember, when you set a file to Online Only, the file is removed from the computer leaving behind only a marker file. In order to access that file, whether it be to open and edit it or simply preview it, the file needs to be on the computer (Smart Sync doesn't allow you to open files directly from the Dropbox servers). When you open a file, it's synced back to your local drive and then opened as normal. When you're done with the file, if you want it to be online-only again, you need to mark it as such.

wheywood's avatar
wheywood
New member | Level 2
7 years ago

I don't think this solves anything. It just explains why Dropbox isn't working WITH AppleOS anymore.

I've been using both DP & Apple together for a decade. I never used to have this issue with the Previewing of files on a Cloud.

While I now understand what is causing the Preview to stop working I fail to understand how it's my problem. If DP can't fix I'll just move to a different product or build a server.

DP need to understand that they are messing up the workflow for it's users. Fix it or don't. That's fine. But don't claim that it's been fixed when it really hasn't. That is just a lie and will cause loss of faith from your paying (Premium) customers and a devaluation of your brand.

  • Jane's avatar
    Jane
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
    7 years ago
    Hey wheywood, as I'm currently gathering all relevant reports & re-directing them to our specialized team members, I’ve just sent you a brief message back on my end, in order to look into that a bit more closely. Please have a look at your inbox whenever you have some spare time & we’ll take it from there! 
    • sam011989's avatar
      sam011989
      Helpful | Level 5
      7 years ago

      Well, here we are at the end of June. A whole year since this problem was originaly reported and it's still an issue.  This is absolutely pathetic. If I didnt already have so much backed up on your servers I would be bailing out right now and going somewhere else.  

      1) Stop lying, this is not a "solved" issue. Unmark it as such. If you cant, then you should definitely develop that capability to prevent false advertising.

      2) After enabling smart sync as part of your upgrade I immediatley lost ability to quick look at files. Additionally, my mac's backup jumped from a typical 1-1.5GB backup to a whopping 576GB backup. WTF!? 

      3) After numerous reboots, qlmanage-r terminal commands, uninstalls and anything else you could imagine I couldnt get quicklook back. 

      4) I finally was able to disable smart sync (which was a pain in the ass to find). After a reboot, quicklook is back. Thanks to absolutley no help from Bret, the support individual I spoke to on chat online. Through his bad english I could see he had zero comprehension on how my mac worked, so how am I supposed to get support from someone who has no idea how my computer runs to begin with? He also had no idea how to solve the issue and eventually, once he understood my issue, practically just said "just email us" WITH NO HELP WHATSOEVER.

      You guys are pathetic. I'm sorry, but no bug should take a year to be resolved, and even then customer support shouldnt be clueless about the issue after it's been around for a whole year.  So now my plan (which they just raised the price of) includes smart sync, which disables a more important feaure on my mac so I cant even use it. Awesome! I always loved paying for features I can't use!

      • Jane's avatar
        Jane
        Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
        7 years ago
        Hey sam011989, sorry to hear that you’re feeling this way; let me follow-up on that a bit closer!  
         
        Kindly note that I recently discussed that with a team specialist & they had mentioned that they were working to improve the behavior mentioned on this thread, however it’s my understanding that you’ve now disabled Smart Sync thus reverting all your files to Local as a temporary solution. While it would be worth examining how you determined that this was attributed to Dropbox & what were the steps you followed along the way, please note that I’ve located your open support request on our system & I’ve now prioritized that internally. 
         
        Since I could see that your ongoing discussion is still active, I’d like to ask you to wait for my colleague’s next update if possible, as they have a clear view of the context surrounding the case. I understand that the support interaction hasn’t brought about an ideal result so far, however it would be best if we gathered all relevant details within the same email chain. Nonetheless, if my coworker can’t reach a solid resolution on this matter, they’ll submit your inquiry to a higher-level technician for further evaluation & review. 
         
        Let me know if you need further assistance in any way & I’ll make sure to check back with you asap. Thanks again! 

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