Smart Sync enabled still taking up hard-drive space!

[Bella3]

Hi

My dropbox folder takes up space on my harddrive even though I've set all folder to Smart Sync. 

Just updated my computer to latest version. Did not help. 

I'm running Mac OS High Sierra 10.13.4 

Can you help me?
Only have 5 GB left on my hard drive 😞 

Thanks

[Jane · Accepted solution]

Hey Bella3, 

Thanks for getting in touch on the Dropbox Community, let’s check some details together & we’ll take it from there, I hope you’re doing well today! 

#1. Initially, (in case you’re the Team Admin) can you double-check whether Smart Sync has been enabled on your Admin Console Settings? (Note: If you’re not the admin, you may have to ask them whether this has been enabled, as it can’t be accessed by all team members). 

#2. Secondly, can you also make sure that you have enabled system extensions on your Mac OS High Sierra 10.13.4?

#3. In the event that the steps above have been completed successfully, your overlay icons should load as outlined in this resource. In case you’re unable to load them as expected, you should either receive an error or get a different behavior on your end. If so, could you include a screenshot of what you’re experiencing in your next reply? 

#4. Last but not least, I’d appreciate a screenshot (omitting personal info) indicating the space discrepancy in your next reply, so as to better understand what’s happening. 

Thanks for the time you devote in gathering this info for me & once you reach back out, I’ll make sure to investigate in more depth! 

[ChrisInSantaFe]

I am experiencing the same issue.

If I go to the dropbox folder and "get info" it shows ~108GB size with ~30Gb on disk. This makes sense to me - the total size of all files, and the actual amount used.

However, if I go to "about this mac" and "storage" it still shows 110 GB of documents, not 30GB (I only have documents in the dropbox folder)

So, it appears that as far as the mac is concerned the files are still taking up the full amount of space.

Hopefully someone can help, otherwise going back to selective sync.

[Jane]

Hey ChrisInSantaFe, 

Welcome to our Forum & I hope you have a wonderful week ahead, let’s check what’s happening together! 

Assuming that you’ve checked all the points above & you’ve applied all relevant settings, could you include a screenshot of the space used on your “Get info” & your “About this Mac” sections in your next reply, so that I get a better insight & advise accordingly? 

Following, just as an additional point of reference since the cause could be an underlying syncing issue, can you make sure that you’re running the latest stable version of the application on your desktop (48.4.58) & it’s syncing correctly on your system tray ? It would also be useful to confirm that you’ve installed all latest Mac OS updates. 

Thanks in advance for the time you devote in gathering this info for me & I’ll be awaiting your next reply on this discussion. Happy Monday! 

[Koichi N.]

Hello, I am also experiencing the same issue. I have checked and have the latest version of both Dropbox and Mac High Sierra. My Dropbox is also fully enabled for smart syncing (I also operate Parallels with windows software where I have no such issues with using Smart Sync) and I do not get any error messages of note. On a side note, I did also raise this using the Dropbox support email which I understood to have a 12 hour turnaround time for Business users but still have not had a reply some 60+ hours later.

[Walter]

Hey @Koichi N. - Welcome to our Forum!

First off, sorry to hear about the issue you have been experiencing so far with Smart Sync.

In regards to the email correspondence you had up until now with us, I ran a small search on our system and I was able to locate your support ticket and the agent working on it has already provided you with an update. Is it possible that you are not getting our emails? 

Moreover, can you please check your inbox and let me know if you see my colleague's email?

In the meantime, could you also try unlinking and relinking your account to the affected computer following these steps?

• Click the Dropbox icon from the menu bar. 
• Click the gear icon and select Preferences… from the menu.
• Select the Account tab.
• Click Unlink This Dropbox... and confirm your choice.
• Your Dropbox will then prompt you to re-enter your account information.

Note that your account should then take a few moments to re-index your Dropbox folder and sync any pending changes before returning to normal activity.

If this persists, send us a screenshot of the discrepancy on the space used as you see it on your computer and we'll take it from there. 

I hope this works for you and thanks in advance for your cooperation. 

PS: Our levels of support and turnaround times (24 hours for Dropbox for Business users ) can be found here too.

[Koichi N.]

Hi Walt,

I have unlinked and re-linked my Dropbox account but unfortunately it has not resolved the issue. Would it be better for me to post the illustrative screenshots here on the forum or should I send them across in an email?

Re the issue with the previous emails, I got the first couple but did not receive anything after that.

Regards

Koichi

[Walter]

Sorry to hear this persists for you Koichi. 

I have reached out to you via email as well to see if you're getting our emails. Check your inbox and get back to me when you get the time and we'll take it from there as this would require account specific information to troubleshoot. 

Thanks!

[Koichi N.]

Hi Walt,

Unfortunately I haven't had an email, I've also double-checked my spam folder but there's nothing in there. I seem to be receiving emails normally elsewhere so I don't think there's issues with mailbox being full or anything like that. How best to progress from here?

Regards

Koichi

[Walter]

Thanks for letting me know and sorry to hear that Koichi!

I have re-sent my email - could you check your inbox again and let me know if you can find it? If this persists, please go ahead and log a ticket with our team. Let me know a ticket ID when you do and I'll take it over from there. 

Thank you for your cooperation and patience so far - I appreciate it.