How to make dropbox watch certain folders and sync automatically on change.

[Valekea]

Hi.

I have the dropbox business advanced account.

I have the offline installers etc for the newest version of the Dropbox app.

But, I am finding it rather difficult to use. What I want to do is make this program only watch certain folders and then sync them as the files and the folders in those folders change.

For example, I don't want my desktop constantly synced.

So, can somebody please direct me on how to do this?

Thaks.

[Daphne]

Hey there @Valekea, welcome to the Dropbox Community!

I'd be more than happy to assist you with this, let's see what we can do.

When the desktop app is running it will keep all files and folders on your desktop synced with your account, I'm afraid there's no way around that. However, you can use selective sync to choose only specific folders that you want available and syncing to your computer.

The selective sync settings can be changed at any time. Any folders that are unchecked in those settings will be safe in your account online and will no longer appear and sync to your desktop.

Does this sound like it would work for you?

Let me know if you have any questions - thanks!

[Valekea]

Hello @Daphne

Thanks for your reply.

However, my problem persists.

The selective sync only seems to concern the files and folders that are inside the dropbox folder that is located in the hard disk drive from where, basically, you can hide some of the files and folders inside that folder.

This is the opposite of what I am interested in, as that is selectively syncing from the cloud and not from my own computer.

Basically, I want to be able to point out to certain directories in my hard disk, and have the app watch these directories and upload as the files are changed / added.

Also, there are 2 ways to "upload" files and folders, one on the website, where I can drag a folder or a file into, and those I can not even see in my hard disk drive dropbox folder.

And one, where I drag files and folders into the hard disk dropbox folder location.

Both of these are just failing to perform the task of backing up and uploading files on to the cloud as the changes take place and I am deeply dissatisfied with what I had in mind for this app.

Please keep in touch with me in communication.

I am completely unable to do what I want to do with Dropbox at this point in time.

[Daphne]

Thanks for getting back to me with this additional info @Valekea!

In terms of syncing files between your computer and your account online, the files/folders would need to be located within the Dropbox folder on your computer to be synced. There currently isn't a way to have content outside of the Dropbox folder sync to your account I'm afraid. 

If you want to upload files to your account via the desktop app, you would indeed need to move the files within the local Dropbox folder which will automatically sync these to your account. If you want to upload via the website, in addition to using "drag and drop" into the web browser, you can choose specific files/folders to upload with the steps here.

I understand that this isn't exactly how you wanted to use Dropbox but it seems like what you want to achieve here isn't something that we currently support.

I hope this helps, give me a nudge if you have more questions about this!

[Valekea]

Okay, so, if I drop the folders into the dropbox folder, you are saying I will also be able to see them when I use my dropbox app on my smartphone or if I go on to the dropbox web browser page, then I will be able to download the files and folders there?

Also, it needs to be such that the dropbox folder is "cloud only", so when I drag and drop folders and files there they need to sync and fully complete the sync, even through computer restarts etc. I fear that it will "drop" and will not sync etc etc.

Also, you are saying that auto-syncing a file or a folder outside of the dropbox folder is something that dropbox is unable to do?

[Rich]

---

@Valekea wrote:

Okay, so, if I drop the folders into the dropbox folder, you are saying I will also be able to see them when I use my dropbox app on my smartphone or if I go on to the dropbox web browser page, then I will be able to download the files and folders there?

---

Yes. Any files you add to your local Dropbox folder will be available on the Dropbox website, mobile app or other linked devices.

---

Also, it needs to be such that the dropbox folder is "cloud only" ...

---

Dropbox only syncs the files and folders that you place within the Dropbox folder, and the Dropbox folder is an actual folder that exists on your computer. It is not a cloud-only folder where the content only exists online. You can use either Selective Sync or Smart Sync to remove the local copies of files and folders, but that is done manually and only after the files have fully synced to the cloud.

---

... so when I drag and drop folders and files there they need to sync and fully complete the sync, even through computer restarts etc. I fear that it will "drop" and will not sync etc etc.

---

As long as the Dropbox app is running (it starts automatically by default), your files will sync. It will also resume syncing if interrupted by a restart.

---

Also, you are saying that auto-syncing a file or a folder outside of the dropbox folder is something that dropbox is unable to do?

---

Correct. Dropbox only syncs the files and folders located within the Dropbox folder. It cannot sync files located elsewhere on your computer. You would need to move or copy those files into the Dropbox folder for them to sync.

The idea is that you move your files into the Dropbox folder, then work on them directly from within Dropbox. This way they sync automatically as you make changes to them. Think of it as a replacement for your Documents folder.

[Valekea]

Hmm... Well... in that case, I am thinking of doing this one thing.

Currently, I have a hard disk drive with data in it.

Well, I can just convert that hard disk to be the dropbox drive.

So, basically, anytime I make changes to it, it would sync automatically.

And, it would only be working on that folder and not outside of it.

So, in this case, would everything sync automatically if the dropbox app is set to

autostart,

ALSO, how does this relate with regards to me formatting the hard disk drive afterwards etc, then lets say I format windows too, then I install dropbox again, then, will I be able to then see the folder recreated in the hard disk drive and have the contents downloaded.

Is this something that Dropbox is capable of?

As a new user, I would like you to explain some of these matters a little bit more in depth, things such as "selective sync" and "smart sync" with regards to what I want to do. (backing up, and accessing data from the cloud automatically)

Thanks.

[Daphne]

You can indeed try moving the Dropbox folder to your external drive, by following the steps here.

Before you do this, I'd recommend disabling Dropbox from starting automatically and launching the app manually to make sure the hard drive is correctly mounted.

Also, as long as the app is running, your files within the Dropbox folder should sync. You can always check your files' sync status here.

In terms of formatting the drive, check that it meets the system requirements for the desktop app (NTFS-format for Windows devices).

If you need to do a fresh install of the app, you'll have an "Advanced settings" option after signing in. Through there, you can point to the existing Dropbox folder, to avoid re-syncing.

Finally, check out these articles for Smart Sync and Selective Sync.

If you have any further questions I'll be more than happy to help!

[Valekea]

Okay, I have successfully moved the dropbox folder and I moved my data into it.

I saw that it synced rather fast at the speed that I would like after placing the folders there. It was not like using the web browser to upload which was incredibly slow.

I then tested by making a change to a file and saving the file, then dropbox immediately synced. It is indeed constantly watching the dropbox folder and deleting the files I delete and syncing the files I change, which is exactly what I want it to do.

So, if I format this hard disk drive, can I then download everything again with the dropbox app? I mean, erasing the dropbox folder will erase the files and folders locally, but they are still always accessible with the dropbox app, right?

[Daphne · Accepted solution]

I'm very glad to hear that everything is set up and working nicely @Valekea!

If you need to format the hard drive and remove the Dropbox folder contents in the process, you'll need to unlink your desktop app from your account first.

Once you've finished re-formatting, you can sign back into the desktop app and it will re-sync your files from your account online.

I hope that helps!