New Sync Feature is auto cloud only. I hate it. How do I turn it off permanently?

[Joseph Parks]

Prior to a recent Dropbox update, all of my files on my PC were automatically synced into the cloud. I've always had smart sync off, so that I get to choose what folders I want on my PC. I want them ALL on my PC, but a recent update has changed it to that now they are only on Dropbox in the cloud and NOT on my PC anymore. I hate it. I have looked and looked by cannot find any way to force any new folders or files I create on my PC dropbox folder to always stay there and not to be replaced by an image with an X and only a cloud link.

Please help. If I can't fit this, I'm leaving Dropbox and finding some other way of keeping my files on my PC. Thanks for anyone who can help me.

~ Joseph

[Megan]

Hey @Joseph Parks, enjoy your day! 

It sounds like you're referring to our Computer Backup feature that you accidentally enabled.

Can you try to disable it using the steps provided in the Help Center article?

Keep me posted on what you find.

[Joseph Parks]

Thank you for your help, Lori.

I looked where you directed me--where I'd never been before and didn't even know existed until you told me about it. It's asking me to set it up, so it's not something I accidentally turned on because it's not even activated.

What should I do next?

~ Joseph

[Hannah]

Hey @Joseph Parks, sorry to jump in here. 

Can I ask a couple of things, so I'm clear on what happened exactly?

Were your desktop files all moved inside the Dropbox folder?

Or did all your Dropbox files get the cloud icon on them and are no longer available locally on your PC?

[Joseph Parks]

Hannah,

Thanks for jumping in! I'll take all the ideas I can get! 🙂

All of my Dropbox files suddenly acquired the cloud icon on them and are no longer available locally on my PC.

~ Joseph

[Hannah · Accepted solution]

Thanks for updating me here, Joseph!

And if you select your files, right click on them and choose 'Smart sync' > 'Local', do they get downloaded?

[Joseph Parks]

Quite by accident, I discovered that if I right click on a file I get an option to choose syncing between local and cloud. I never saw that before and never designated my files to sync like that, so it's new to my knowledge. I was able to right click on my entire dropbox local drive and force all of my 25,000 file the cloud back onto my PC, so that's good.

One big question remains: How do I force new files added and new folders I add to stay on my PC, but upload also to the cloud where my other computers (or other people) automatically get a copy of my files and folders? Surely, I don't have to constantly tell each new file to not only upload the file to the cloud but to keep the local copy as well?

~ Joseph

[larsdennert]

Look in the sync preferences. These features have been around for many years. Look at the option for save space automatically and turn it off

[Joseph Parks]

Alas, I've known--and have been using--that feature for years. It's off now and I've never turned it on. Yet, somehow, all my files automatically became cloud only a month or so ago. 😞 I've done as suggested by above and right clicked on the folder to make it local only, but will quadrillion-check to confirm that the settings are still set to off for 'save space automatically'. 

I'm looking now and it's 'off'. Selective Sync is also selected to sync all folders with my PC.

I guess my original problem has been solved.

[Jay]

Hi @Joseph Parks, any files you add from your PC into the Dropbox folder will remain local, they don't get marked as online-only immediately.

If you disable the save space automatically feature, then they won't become online-only after a month of not being used.

Bear in mind that Smart Sync is device-specific, so one computer could have all folders to be local, while another can have them online-only.