Child Item

How can I set up my new computer to show all my folders in my Dropbox folder?

Device Macbook Pro M5

Operating System/Browser (if using the web)
Tahoe 26.0
Dropbox App Version/Browser Version

243.4.6956

Question or Issue
I have an existing Dropbox account, linked to a phone, my old computer, now my new computer. Due to limited hard drive space, I specified only a few folders and files be available offline when I installed Dropbox. But I had made the default for the app "online only". Or perhaps for the account. In any case, what I expected was similar to how my phone operates -- the device shows all the folders and contents, but the files must be edited on line or specified as "offline". Instead, it only shows the folders I specified as offline available when I was installing Dropbox onto the new computer.

I would like to be able to set the computer up to work like my phone. But also, I have decided to move my Dropbox folder to an external drive and make the files/folders all available offline. At present, at the new location on the external drive, only those few file/folders are visible. How do I get the whole Dropbox directory to be visible, and load those files onto my external drive (where the new Dropbox folder is).

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Accepted answers

Nancy

Hi @Ken R.7, let me chime in here, too.

Based on your description, it sounds like you used the selective sync feature indeed, while setting up your Dropbox app.

If you wish to make all of your content online-only instead, you’ll first need to sync all of your folders back to the desktop app, I’m afraid.

Since I understand there’s a space issue though, you can try to sync them one by one instead, wait till the app is up-to-date, and then make them online-only (this way). When your Dropbox app has updated everything again, you can continue with the next folder.

All comments

Hannah

Hey @Ken R.7, thanks for posting to the Dropbox Community!

If I understand correctly, when setting up your new computer, you chose to sync only specific folders to your Dropbox folder and now you'd like to sync the rest.

You should be able to find and choose which folders you want to sync, by following these steps.

Let me know if you have any issues!

Ken R.7

Hannah,

Thank you, but that's not quite it. I want to know how to have Dropbox on my computer show all the folders without loading them to the local hard drive. And I want to be able to do that without first loading them on the hard drive. There is not enough drive space on the computer in question, which is why I have Dropbox.

This is the default for my phone. (All files are online only, unless I download them or specify "make available offline" when viewing").

On another computer, I have placed the Dropbox folder on an external drive so the folders are readily available (and portable).

Nancy

Hi @Ken R.7, let me chime in here, too.

Based on your description, it sounds like you used the selective sync feature indeed, while setting up your Dropbox app.

If you wish to make all of your content online-only instead, you’ll first need to sync all of your folders back to the desktop app, I’m afraid.

Ken R.7

Nancy,

Ackk! Almost prohibitively impractical, there are so many files/folders. But to clarify, I go to Dropbox, on my computer, sync the file from there, wait until it loads, and then (again from my computer), set it to "online only"? And then it leaves the icon for the folder, but it is just an alias for the online copy?

Ken R.7

Is there a way to reinstall Dropbox on the computer, specifying "online only" when I install? I misunderstood how selective sync works. Still looking for a simpler way to install Dropbox on the older computer without it automatically downloading all my files but still show the folder structure.

Jay

Hi @Ken R.7, yes, it should be possible to reinstall the Dropbox desktop application and choose to have all files set as default to be online-only.

You would need to do an advanced reinstallation of the app using the steps in this link, and then choose the correct option during the installation of the app for your files and folders to be online-only.

Make sure not to choose the selective sync option, which as you're aware is a separate feature.

If you have any further queries, feel free to message back.

Ken R.7

Thank you, Jay. This looks very hopeful, sounds like what I was looking for.