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I get an error that I don't have enough space when trying to upload files through the desktop app

I record my podcasts to a external hard drive then upload the raw files to dropbox for my editor to bring into the editing software. My problem is that when i move the raw files to my dropbox app on my mac it says not enough space which forces me to upload the files into the website. that transfer can take 8-10 hours. Any ideas of how to fix this or make it more efficient?

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Hannah

Hi from me as well, @bdepaoli!

If these files are already synced to your account, one thing you could do to reduce the space they take up would be to use our selective sync feature.

This feature allows you to remove entire folders from your Dropbox folder, but have them available in your account online and other linked devices.

You can also take a look at this article with info and steps on how to make your files "online-only", which would turn them into placeholders and allow them to remain in your Dropbox folder, without taking up hard drive space.

I hope this helps!

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Dell_Dropbox

Welcome to the community @bdepaoli

For clarification, is Dropbox telling you you don't have enough disc space on your Mac or is it telling you there's not enough space in your Dropbox account?

Just to confirm, you're signed into the same Dropbox account both on the website and the Dropbox application, correct?

Can you also send us a screenshot of your Dropbox folder's properties, so we can compare the size of the Dropbox folder on your disk as well?

bdepaoli

It is telling me I dont have enough disk space on my Mac. Yes I am signed in to both app and website. Screen shot attached

Jay

Hi @bdepaoli, thanks for contacting us.

As it seems that you don't have enough space on your Mac itself, as opposed to quota on your Dropbox account, there isn't a method to move files into your Dropbox folder, while not taking up any space on your machine.

The files would need to upload first, and then can be marked as online-only to free up local space.

You could try using the dbxcli tool to upload files directly to your Dropbox account, without having to use the site, as an option.

Keep me updated with any progress.

bdepaoli

ok thank you! How do i go about removing all of these files locally without deleting them entirely out of my Dropbox account?

Hannah

Hi from me as well, @bdepaoli!

If these files are already synced to your account, one thing you could do to reduce the space they take up would be to use our selective sync feature.

This feature allows you to remove entire folders from your Dropbox folder, but have them available in your account online and other linked devices.

I hope this helps!

Theresa

Hi @bdepaoli and welcome to the Dropbox Community 👋.

Thanks for your question...this is a common one 🤓 You can use the online-only feature with Dropbox for macOS.

Here’s how:

Open your Dropbox folder in Finder.
Right-click (or control + click) the file or folder.
Select “Make online-only” from the Dropbox menu.

This will remove the file from your local storage but keep it in your Dropbox account, where you can still access or download it when needed.

If you would like to learn more about Selective Sync check out @Amy 's article here. You might find even more ways to use this feature

Thanks for dropping by, and hope to see you around the forum more!

T 😸 (Dropbox Community Manager)