Certain folders created on different computer not syncing to main computer

Question

My main Windows desktop computer has never been set to selective sync and my intent is for all my Dropbox files to be available offline.  I also have a desktop Mac that also is full sync.  I do have a laptop with selective sync.  I reorganized some files into different folders a month or so ago on the Mac.  I just noticed that these are not synced to the Windows computer and that almost every folder on my Windows computer has a little cloud icon on it.  Not sure what is going on or how to fix it other than going through 1 by one and clicking "make available offline."  In my settings if I look at the "select folders" select all is checked, and new files default is "available offline."  Any ideas as to what is going on here and why these folders are not syncing without manual intervention?  Currently downloading 65,000 files.......

Rich · Accepted Answer

@larea wrote:I reorganized some files into different folders a month or so ago on the Mac.  I just noticed that these are not synced to the Windows computer ...

Check the folder and file names for any characters that would be incompatible on a Windows system. Any folder or file using such a character won't be able to syn to a Windows computer. This is common when working between Mac and PC because the Mac can use characters that are reserved on Windows.

If you find any folders or files using such characters, simply rename them to remove the characters and they'll be able to sync to Windows.

... almost every folder on my Windows computer has a little cloud icon on it.

The cloud icon indicates a file or folder that is marked as Online-only. This is separate from the Selective Sync feature and has nothing to do with what is or isn't checked. If you want the folders to be available offline, just highlight them all at once, right-click and select Make available offline. You'll need to give it time to sync, especially if the folders are large or contain a lot of files.