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Dropbox files now take up double space on my Mac

Hi there!

So today, just out of nowhere, I noticed all my Dropbox files have gone online-only. So I click on the clouds with the arrow down to download them to my MacBook. However, I noticed that as it's downloading, it's taking up space as well!!!

I had 110GB of space with all the Dropbox files on my local computer. Now that everything shows online only and I'm downloading to my local computer, I'm losing space for things that were on my local computer. It's like every file is taking space twice.

This is an issue I had before, and with the Dropbox major update recently for macboks, that problem got resolved, and I ended up suddenly with 50GB extra space.

I'm using Macbook Pro M2 (2022).

MacOS Ventura Version 13.2.1 (22D68)

About Dropbox: V179.4.4985

I never use the online-only feature. I tried once last year, it moved my files online only but didn't make any space. And when I downloaded back to my computer, it started taking more space. GOD save me from this ....

Screenshot 2023-08-11 at 11.00.39 pm.png

This was on 'online only' and I returned it back to available offline. Yes, I'm 100% I didn't change that setting earlier today. I went online only automatically.

Screenshot 2023-08-11 at 11.04.02 pm.png

I removed the Dropbox and reinstalled it, that didn't change anything.

Screenshot 2023-08-11 at 11.06.06 pm.png

Early release feature is also off.

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Comments

Nancy

Hi @armin_alimardani, and thanks for posting here.

To check this further, I’d like one more screenshot of what you see here, and one more showing the space taken by the Dropbox folder on your Mac computer.

Also, can you clarify when exactly your desktop app started showing as beta, even though you’re on the stable app version? Did this happen after installing the latest Dropbox update for macOS?

Keep me posted!

armin_alimardani

Thanks Nancy. Here's the image you wanted:

Screenshot 2023-08-12 at 5.19.28 pm.png

About the beta, I never noticed it until yesterday. Then I re-installed it, and still it's still there.

I can't check the Dropbox file size, it says zero. I tried everything, I can't get it.

My App folder it says it's taking 220GB, but I calculated it can max be 100GB. Then as I was writing this I checked again my Apps folder went down significantly, the System Data was went up, then in one second the numbers swapped again.

I just read this on Dropbox page:

Note: If your computer is low on hard drive space, these files can automatically change to online-only to free up space.

Is this what happened? I read this is a bug that Dropbox gives wrong notification that your'l low on space. I'm pretty sure I had 110-120GB space.

And this is how the status of folder in my Dropbox look:

Screenshot 2023-08-12 at 6.05.13 pm.png

azodl

I had something similar happen to me starting a day or two ago. I now notice that many of my files are online only when I know they are on my mac (offline). And yeah, when I set them to offline again, they download again to my mac and take away space from my hard drive (doubling the size, like you said). I also have "beta" showing at the top of the dropbox window, like you do (and it's been like that for a long time).

I don't believe it's hard drive space issue like you are asking, as I have 500 gigs available and there would be no need for files to suddenly start making themselves online only.

I also am now getting green checkmarks for the suddenly "online only" files that I reset to "offline". After the official update to the cloud library thing, those didn't even exist. If I simply open a file to make it offline again, I don't get the green checkmark, though, it only happens when setting to "offline".

Here is a screenshot of what I mean. Anything WITHOUT a green checkmark or WITHOUT the little cloud icon is simply is on my computer like it's supposed to be (offline). The one green checkmark item shown in the screenshot is the picture I had to set to "offline" again and now suddenly it shows with the checkmark. The one item showing with the little cloud icon is one of the pictures that is suddenly showing as "online only" when I never changed it to that, it is on my computer. If I were to set that to "offline" or simply open it it would take up double the space.

Screenshot 2023-08-12 at 9.47.52 AM.jpg

azodl

I just wanted to add these videos to your issue before I open my own and maybe support can fix both of our issues at once since they are essentially the same thing.

This video shows how in one of my dropbox folders, suddenly images are suddenly showing up with little cloud icons (online only) when they were originally offline (this is happening in all of my folders, I'm just showing you one of them). It also shows that when I simply open one of them, it makes it offline, but does not add the green checkmark. But when I simply choose "make available offline" rather than just opening it, it puts it on my computer but gives me the green checkmark this time (and as a reminder, none of my offline files ever had green checkmarks next to them after the conversion to the new mac cloud organization switch):

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/8euggtegvutygkqykh5nz/1.mov?rlkey=gqwl2ttu6cl9bjpapwb8m7jo2&dl=0

This video shows that when I add a new folder/file to the root dropbox folder it always gives me a green checkmark. But when I add a folder or file to any of the already existing folders (in this case the "Active" folder) it never gives me a green checkmark...unless after I add it, I go and click "make available offline". Obviously when I add something and don't set it to "online only" it should automatically get a green checkmark, right?

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/j30x5jkb6j3jwznlugnl4/2.mov?rlkey=chuoxqcnqljxh7b83lza0zktf&dl=0

But, the main issue is that many of my offline files (not all of them like the OP) have suddenly appeared as online only, even though they are clearly somewhere on my computer taking up the space already. Going through and re-setting them to "available offline" begins to take up double the space on my hard drive, just like the OP.

(Just noticed that when I quit the Dropbox app, the checkmarks and cloud icons remain. In the old structure, they used to disappear. Not sure if this means anything) (this is after quitting the dropbox app on my macbook):

Screenshot 2023-08-12 at 6.42.31 PM.jpg

armin_alimardani

Thanks Azodl, good to know that it's not me only or I didn't change something randomly.

I noticed many of the files that I downloaded last night they're back online only again.

Also see these two images and see the size of apps and system files (first and last), they changed in 10 seconds.

Screenshot 2023-08-13 at 11.23.31 pm.png Screenshot 2023-08-13 at 11.24.09 pm.png

azodl

That's crazy, armin. Mine doesn't seem to have that issue.

Out of curiosity, do you have these checkboxes checked in Privacy & Security, Extensions, Added Extensions?

I unchecked mine a few days ago because I wasn't sure they were necessary, and that may have caused the issue (will wait to hear from your support person). I rechecked them yesterday and no more of my offline files seem to be changing to "online only" anymore, but all the ones that suddenly changed, and there are thousands of them, still remain as online only and I will have to manually change them, but I fear it will duplicate the hard drive space necessary and want to hear back from tech support first.

Also, here is the screenshot of the app still saying Beta. I have no idea how I'm supposed to update it because it's supposed to update on its own:

And here is a screenshot of finder not providing me the size of the dropbox folder, no matter how long I wait:

Screenshot 2023-08-13 at 9.20.18 AM.jpg

azodl

Also, here is a screenshot of Dropbox related items running on my macbook. Not sure if this will help the support person. Maybe it's lacking a necessary process or a couple are extraneous? I don't see DropboxMacUpdate, for instance:

Screenshot 2023-08-13 at 10.30.41 AM.jpg

Here is a screenshot of my current DB version:

Screenshot 2023-08-13 at 10.58.51 AM.jpg

Hannah

Hey @armin_alimardani and @azodl, thanks for all this info and screenshots, they're quite helpful.

Would you both mind hovering over the Dropbox icon in your menu bars, to see the exact version of the Dropbox app?

The most recent stable is 180.4.4912. The xxx.4.xxxx indicates that it's the stable version, whereas the beta would appear as xxx.3.xxxx.

Also, what's the sync status? Are both your computers 'up to date'?

azodl

Hi Hannah. You can see that I already added a screenshot in my previous reply showing my version, which yes, is the latest (even though it still also shows "beta" on the top left, as I've also shown in a screenshot above).

My computer is up to date with syncing, but the main issue remains...that a ton of my offline files suddenly had a cloud icon next to them (online only), which is forcing me to redownload them, even though they seem to be on my computer. I just can't figure out how to tell where the original files are, because in the new dropbox folder in the new cloud storage location there is only a blue dropbox icon and not a folder scheme. I am waiting to make sure I have to re-download all the files that have suddenly become "online only" vs you giving us a proper solution that will solve the issue. I don't want my computer to suddenly be taking up twice the space necessary if these file are actually still on my computer.

Feel free to relook at all the screenshots and the 2 screen recordings above for further information/clarification. Thanks.

armin_alimardani

Hi Hannah,
Samw here, Ive already provided the dropbox version earlier and its xxx.4xxx
My macbook is up to date

armin_alimardani

Sorry I missed your quesiton. My privacy and security extensions for dropbox are all checked. I never touched those.

Hannah

Sorry I missed that and thanks for the update.

Just to confirm, is the "Online-only files on Mac" option enabled in your account settings?

azodl

It seems odd that this support question is taking so long. To answer the question you asked the OP, yes, I have that checked in DB.

Should I open a new question to get any kind of information/answers on what I'm supposed to do with the seemingly 100+ gigs of files that suddenly showed a cloud icon next to them even though I know I had them on my computer and were offline (not online only)? That's a lot of bandwidth to redownload them all and I need to know that it's not going to take up double the space suddenly...because I never deleted those files to begin with. Why won't you answer any of the other questions being asked about the green checkmarks, establishing which files are actually on the hard drive, etc?

Have you watched the videos posted earlier in the thread?

Jay

Hi @azodl, thanks for the info. I'd recommend contacting the support team for further assistance on this matter for them to investigate further.

rumbers

I suspect like many, I will be cancelling my Dropbox account as soon as I've located my files which Dropbox has mysteriously made 'online only'.

I'm having a nightmare with the latest Dropbox update. Offline vs online files seem to be completely random - you go into a folder, and some are downloaded, some aren't, some have the green tick, some have the green tick AND a download icon, and even clicking the download icon doesn't work - the taskbar notification says that all my files are up to date and nothing is syncing. Absolute disaster. I'm trying to recover my files and then I'm cancelling my Dropbox subscription.

Tried logging out, reinstalling, selecting 'make available offline' on the main Dropbox icon, you name it. What a mess.

armin_alimardani

Hi @azodl and @rumbers and anyone else who has the same issue.

I think I finally found a solution! I was this close to cancelling my Dropbox subscription.

So with the latest update, it seems Dropbox keeps the old files in some location and then moves everything to a new location and runs the app from the new location and forgets that you already have some of the files on your Hardrive in the old location.

Please read the following until the end and then begin the process if you like (I can't guarantee it works and just letting you know that I can't take any responsibility if something goes wrong).

To address this issue:

- Uninstall Dropbox (drag and drop from Applications to user trash)

- Empty trash.

- Find your Dropbox files. For me, I had to use Command + shift + . (that's a dot at the end, so you should push 3 buttons) to show hidden files on Mac. Go to users, your username, library (which is hidden), Cloudstorate, and then remove your Dropbox. Your files must be online and given Dropbox is uninstalled, your files will stay in place online.

- Empty your trash.

- Restart.

- At this point, I noticed that my hard drive still takes the same amount of space, meaning Dropbox files were still in my computer somewhere. After 30 minutes of messing around and not doing anything specific, suddenly, I got my 50GB back!

- Install Dropbox again.

- Once you install, you might get an error that it can't run the Dropbox, in that case, go to this link and follow advanced reinstall (https://help.dropbox.com/installs/advanced-reinstall). When I was doing that some of the commands that it asks came back with errors or didn't do anything. But it worked anyway!

- When re-installing, select online-only when it asks where you wanna keep the files.

- Once you install and the files are synced, you get a notification that there's a newer version of Dropbox that keeps your files in a new place (i.e. Cloud storage). I'm doing that right now and it says it takes 45 minutes. I'm assuming once you do that, given none of the Dropbox files were on my Hardrive, Dropbox won't take double space.

I really hope it helps!