Child Item

Dropbox doesn't keep my selective sync settings when on OSX Sequoia 15.7.3

Application Affected
Dropbox app and Selective Sync
Device
MBP 2.3 Intel, 16GB Memory, 1TB SSD
Operating System/Browser (if using the web)
Sequoia 15.7.3

Reference the screenshot below. This is a mess, which am I supposed to choose? At the top it says "Choose folders to store only in the cloud". (That used to mean you'll see all of your folders displayed and if you wish to download a file or folder, you right click and select "Keep on this device." That is what I want, but certainly not what I'm getting.)

If I click the Select Folders button right underneath, as can be seen below, it says "Only selected folders will take up hard drive space on this device." If I choose the folders, the d*mn thing downloads them and fills up the hard drive if you walk away thinking it's setting up the online-only version. The worst part? If you select 1 or 2 folders to see what happens, and you see it start to down the files, you can go back into Selective Sync and uncheck them to stop them. Brilliant! Except the app reselects them for you before you can even close the window. I know you're going to say "well, it has to finish the initial sync". My response is, why doesn't your app respect the "Choose folders to store only in the cloud" and start downloading the files? If I let it finish the sync and delete the local copies and go back to the beginning and not select any folders, I get nothing. It's been "syncing", I don't know what, for the better part of an hour +. I say I don't what it's syncing because after they hour +, my local folder remains empty.

I've been a long time user and this is the sloppiest setup interface I've ever seen.

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Accepted answers

steve64_64

Hi Nancy and Megan,

Due to running out of time over the weekend I submitted the initial query, I wiped the drive and started over from scratch. I upgraded to Tahoe 26.2 and now Dropbox is doing as it should, showing the folders without downloading the contents unless I elect to have them reside locally.

I don’t believe changing the OS factored in this but it may have. The biggest issue originally was that it downloaded files until it basically bricked the computer, it warned me when it had 2mb left on a 1TB SSD that had about 700GB open when it started to sync. When I tried unselecting the folders, in the past it had cleared that space quickly, on this occasion it didn’t clear anything, and after several hours of not being able to do much, I elected to wipe it and start over.

All comments

Megan

Hey there, @steve64_64, let's jump right into this!

I'm going to need to gather a few more pieces of info and get closer into what is happening.

As a first step, could you clarify the app's current version that you're using? You can find the version, and syncing status by hovering your mouse over the little Dropbox icon in your menu bar next to your WiFi.

I'm thinking that you might be using a beta version which could cause inconsistencies, this is why I need this info before I proceed with the troubleshooting steps.

Also, is this a new installation by any chance?

Let me know more, and we'll take it from there!

Nancy

Hey @steve64_64, I’d like to chime in here and check if you still need our help with this.

If you do, please provide us with the details Megan asked for above, and we’ll be happy to look into your request.

steve64_64

Hi Nancy and Megan,

Nancy

Thanks for keeping us in the loop! I’m glad to hear you were able to resolve this in the end.

If there’s something else you may need in the future, you can always let us know.