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Forum Discussion

Henkka's avatar
Henkka
New member | Level 2
4 years ago

Online only not working

Hey!

 

I've had a problem few weeks now. Even I've tried to put almost everything online only -mode, nothing happens in the hard drive storage. Any ideas what could be wrong? Last month everything worked like a charm.

 

Thanks!

  • Hey there Henkka, thanks for using Dropbox and welcome aboard!

    If your app is showing 'up to date' in your menu bar/system tray and you've set your Dropbox files to be 'Online Only' through the Smart Sync feature, then this space might be taken up by your cache folder.

    Let me know if that's not the case!

     

    Moderator note: If you're using a Mac, and online-only files still take up space on your device, you might need to check this Help Center article too. 

  • Walter's avatar
    Walter
    Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff

    Hey there Henkka, thanks for using Dropbox and welcome aboard!

    If your app is showing 'up to date' in your menu bar/system tray and you've set your Dropbox files to be 'Online Only' through the Smart Sync feature, then this space might be taken up by your cache folder.

    Let me know if that's not the case!

     

    Moderator note: If you're using a Mac, and online-only files still take up space on your device, you might need to check this Help Center article too. 

    • janeclimber's avatar
      janeclimber
      New member | Level 2

      Online only not working.  I am using a mac.  I don't even see the option "make it online only" when I right click on my mac laptop.

      • Jay's avatar
        Jay
        Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff

        Hi janeclimber, what version of Mac OS are you running on your device?

         

        What options do you see when right clicking a file?

    • Henkka's avatar
      Henkka
      New member | Level 2

      Thanks, have to keep that cache in mind and check again in few days!

    • 2579FT's avatar
      2579FT
      Explorer | Level 3

      I am still having this problem. All files set to online only and sync is up to date (these files have been set to online only for at least a year). When I get info on one of the files that is online only, it says 'zero bytes on disk' however in MacOS Manage Storage it shows all these online files (~175GB) are taking up my hard disk space.

       

      I followed the instructions for emptying the cache files. No change. Any other ideas?

       

      Thank you.

  • smoravarsi's avatar
    smoravarsi
    Helpful | Level 6
    Hi! How did you resolve this problem? I am having the exact same problem. Nothing seems to work or be “live” anymore while using the desktop app. Dropbox comes offline without notice and nothing is available.
    I have tried multiple times to get Dropbox to assist me and no one seems to want to assist. This is so frustrating, I’m not even sure why we pay for a service
    • markhutch's avatar
      markhutch
      Helpful | Level 5

      I have given up on Dropbox.  Nothing I ever complained about or suggested was ever actioned.

       

      I 'fixed' my issue by moving to Sync.com.  Not necessarily better or even the best but it works, similar price for the data storage I need and, MOST importantly, when I contact support with issues or suggestions, I got a response and an acceptance for my suggestions.

      • smoravarsi's avatar
        smoravarsi
        Helpful | Level 6

        It really is a pain trying to get any support from DropBox. I'm looking for another provider. I've been with this same issue for over 2 months and zero assistance and resolution. 

        Cheers,

        SM

  • kayte's avatar
    kayte
    New member | Level 2

    Why are online only files taking up space in documents (manage storage on my iMac).

     

    I checked the dropbox cache but they are not stored there.

    • Megan's avatar
      Megan
      Icon for Dropbox Staff rankDropbox Staff
      Hey kayte, happy Wednesday! 

      Have you taken a look at the troubleshooting steps shown here

      Provided you have, let me know if you've turned Smart Sync update for Mac on.

      Keep me posted!

       
  • markhutch's avatar
    markhutch
    Helpful | Level 5

    I think you'll still see files on your drive but (on my mac) they're tagged as online-only.

     

    I believe the way it works is that if you try to access that file from your system, it will download the file and then open it.

    The problem I have found is that there doesn't appear to be any way of unsetting that. I've changed the preferences to not have ANY folders or files online-only and nothing changes.

    For this and a few other reasons, I'm bailing out of Dropbox after being with them since their very early days.  It just doesn't seem reliable any more. Which is a shame. Anyway, hope the above (if my understanding is correct of this feature) will explain why you have those files still present.

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