Storage Usage reported for online-only folders on Finder doesn't match the "User Info".

[nino2]

So after more than a year of discussion on pretty much the same topic, this  still has not been resolved. Sugesting that issue will be resolved in the next version of software is somewhat unacceptable, and if you try to imagine this in any other profesion, you will agree, it would not be tolerated. We just designed a house for you and although it says its 200m2 it is acctually 150m2. But don't worry we can build another one for you and it will now be 200m2. 

When storage gets limited on computer, there is something starting to happen with all computers, that cause them to overheat. I am no computer genious, but many will agree this is just what acctually happens. So basically I had 500gb SSD and becouse of this issue I am acctually using only about 100gb, becouse the rest is taken by files I do not have on my computer but rather on Dropbox online, yet still it makes the rest of my disc unusable. So not only this feature is completely useless, might as well have files on my computer in the first place, it also damages my computer. 

I had similar issue with Box before, now Dropbox... amazing. 

[Jane]

I understand akaraetteh & thanks for clarifying the specifics of your initial inquiry for me here, now I’m right on the same page with you. I’ve made sure to gather all the info you’ve included here & I’ll send that to the relevant team in form of a question. 

Once I have more details on the matter, I’ll update the thread here. I hope you have a great weekend ahead & thanks again for posting your question on the Dropbox Community! 

[akaraetteh]

Thanks for the replies and splitting of threads.

Now that you've investigated that Finder reports sizes incorrectly, what are next steps? Do we live with this forever?

Surely the point of Smart Sync is to allow us to save space. And in order to save space, we need to conveniently know how much space is being taken up. Having to individually "Get Info" on files/folders defeats this process. 

Can we (as in dropbox) get in touch with Apple and get something about this behaviour updated?

[Jane]

Hey akaraetteh, thanks for getting back in touch, let me clarify in a bit more detail for you & we’ll take it from there! 

As it’s my understanding that you’re referring to my last reply here, where I’ve explained the thread separation, I’d happily elaborate more on my fourth comment: 

- The Properties (Win) and Get Info (Mac OS) panel will indicate the actual file size instead of the size on disk, as you may expect. “Size on disk” is the space being taken up by a placeholder file and should be around 0kb.

(i.e.  based on our discussion above this is the closest match to what you’ve previously described) 

You may keep in mind that there are various places to see the size of a file in Finder. Some of these locations will display the logical size, others the physical size. Let me re-iterate that when you set your files as online-only, there is a file that takes up approximately 0kb & this is the physical size. The logical size of the file is the actual size of the file, if it were downloaded to the device.

That being said, I’ve asked you to include a screenshot of the view you’re getting on the “User Info” screen previously, as this is the most reliable source of info, whereas in other views of Finder, the operating system will report the logical size. 

My advice to address the disc space usage inquiry you’re having would be to utilize the du command (& you may find all the relevant details online with a google-search), though I could also discuss the particulars in regards to your feature request via email, so as to make our team specialists aware of your requests & benefits of the feature in your workflow. Once you confirm that you’d like to continue this discussion via email, I’ll message you directly on my end. 

Thanks again & I’ll be awaiting your next reply on this discussion! 

[akaraetteh]

Email re feature request would be great. [personal info removed by Jane]

And I think you're still missing the point of my posts. Perhaps feature request is the best place.

But if this is a Mac OS problem, I'd rather Dropbox put pressure on Apple than kept going back and forth with me.

FYI here's that same folder's info.

24GB total, but 9GB local. Again - that's cool. But useless for sorting/finding which folders to make online/mixed...it takes faaaaar too long to have to individually query each folder. Making smart sync a "nice to have but not very useful" feature...I'm almost ready to downgrade back to Selective Sync which is much more transparent.

 

The "du" command I'm familiar with...and it doesn't SORT, so again, du -d 1 will give me a 100 entries (the number of entries in my dropbox root folder) to parse [this being the next closest thing to what I need].

Alternatively, dropbox could introduce a browser that shows "physical usage" based on the UNIX command du, and we'd not have this problem. However at the moment, because of how dropbox presents its online-only files to the kernel/OS, no browser we know of is useful for determining physical usage.

[Jane]

I appreciate your ongoing cooperation & thanks for reaching back out to me on this discussion, I hope you’re doing well today!

Initially, you may keep in mind that I’ve slightly modified your photo (& re-uploaded here), as it included some sensitive personal info. 

Following, because I understand your concern, I’ve made sure to reach out to you directly via email (on the email address connected to your Forum profile), so as to further address your inquiries via our Official Support channel. 

At your convenience, please check your inbox for my latest message and let me know here if you have any issues locating it. 

Thanks again & I’ll be awaiting your next email, so as to move forward on the matter together!

[MikeWinters]

Jane,

You are asking for a lot of information from users, and your "solutions" are not solutions, just more questions. This behavior is disappointing and should be fixed. Only a true solution should be marked as such. Nothing here so far has been "Solved."

Doesn't Dropbox have a development team that can run MacOSX 10.13.4 and replicate this issue themselves (The answer is yes). Please ask them to figure it out. And please stop this madness of "Solved" replies when no solutions yet exists.

Many thanks,

Mike

[MikeWinters]

Jane,

I've read through all of these posts, and still have not found a solution. Will you please refrain from marking your post as a "Solution" when you only ask more questions? It is very confusing to newcomers, and is also just misleading.  As far as I can tell nothing here has been "solved." 

Let me ask you this, doesn't Dropbox have a development team that can run MacOSX 10.13.4 and replicate this issue themselves? The answer is yes, and I think it would be a better use of time for them to replicate it rather than continually asking users to post more information and marking your further questions as "Solutions."

Many thanks,

Mike

[Jane]

Sorry to hear that the post marked as a Solution doesn’t address your inquiries MikeWinters & thanks for your honest feedback here!

You may keep in mind that I surely haven’t accepted my post as a Solution, as I’m of the same opinion as you that this would be misleading to other users visiting the thread with the same question & I aim to create an inviting environment to anyone visiting our Community. Based on your comments though, it’s my understanding that you are concerned in regards to the storage usage reported for online-only folders on your Finder window. Am I right in my assumption? 

If so, please note that I’ve included some details in regards to the physical vs logical size above & I’ve also made sure to pass all the points made on this discussion to our higher level technicians, when it comes to the feature request. Of course I remain at your entire disposal should you need to discuss it in more detail, so please don’t hesitate to share any thoughts you may have in your next post & I’ll do my best to check back with you. 

Thanks & welcome to the Dropbox Forum Mike! 

[alevroub]

Hi Jane,

I have to say I also find myself frustrated reading these comments, and other threads about this issue. I think it's very clear for everyone the difference between physical vs logical size. The point I and many others are trying to get at is that Dropbox is breaking the default, and expected behaviour of the operative system. The du command may be useful for single folders. However, Disk Utility and System Information report the nominal size of Dropbox files (online and offline) under Documents in High Sierra (10.13.4), which gives a very skewed overview of actual disk usage. The size column in Finder is more or less useless too. Clearing the Dropbox cache doesn't fix this issue, and so far there has not been a single real solution to this problem.

[Jane]

Hello again to all (& welcome aboard 

alevroub)

, I’m just updating this thread here, as I received some feedback on the progress that I’d like to share with you. I’ve collected all your feedback & comments posted here & I’ve passed on to our team specialists, who are working towards a solution. Once I have an update, I’ll make sure to get back in touch here with more info. 

I hope that this is helpful to you & thanks a lot to everyone who reached out on the Forum on this matter!