You might see that the Dropbox Community team have been busy working on some major updates to the Community itself! So, here is some info on what’s changed, what’s staying the same and what you can expect from the Dropbox Community overall.

Forum Discussion

Cara_M's avatar
Cara_M
Explorer | Level 3
2 years ago

Turn OFF selective sync, do FULL sync instead?

I see that, under selective sync in settings, I can check all folders - but, if I add a folder, will it start syncing?  If not, is there a way to turn OFF selective sync and instead opt for FULL synching?

 

(I just noticed that I thought I had no files in a folder but I actually DID, because I was not synching all the subfolders, so I think I need to synch everything while I'm cleaning up files.)


  • Cara_M wrote:

    I see that, under selective sync in settings, I can check all folders - but, if I add a folder, will it start syncing?  If not, is there a way to turn OFF selective sync and instead opt for FULL synching?


    Yes, if you add a folder to your local Dropbox folder it will start syncing and be available offline. If you're on a PC and you add a folder to your account online (or another device), whether or not it syncs down as Available Offline or Online-only is dependent on the Storage of new files setting in Preferences on the Dropbox application.

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

    Hey @Jim B.45 - could you clarify your computer's OS version and the version and status of the Dropbox desktop app?

     

    Also, can you find the selective sync option in the sync tab in the app's preferences

    • Jim B.45's avatar
      Jim B.45
      Helpful | Level 7

      I gather that you mean the "Default state for new sync files" setting, not the "Storage of new files" setting. Given my experience with Dropbox it's not surprising that their staff doesn't use the correct terminology for their software. I won't bore you with my Dropbox war stories, including trying to configure it on my new Windows 11 box.

    • Jim B.45's avatar
      Jim B.45
      Helpful | Level 7

      Windows 11, Dropbox 206.3.6386

       

      Selective Sync is of course the first item on the Sync tab. There isn't actually a "selective sync option", there's a Select Folders button.

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

        It seems that you're on the beta version of the app @Jim B.45

         

        Could you try the latest, stable one from this page directly and let us know how it goes? 

         

        Just make sure to toggle off the 'early releases' from your account's settings first. 

  • Rich's avatar
    Rich
    Icon for Super User II rankSuper User II

    Cara_M wrote:

    I see that, under selective sync in settings, I can check all folders - but, if I add a folder, will it start syncing?  If not, is there a way to turn OFF selective sync and instead opt for FULL synching?


    Yes, if you add a folder to your local Dropbox folder it will start syncing and be available offline. If you're on a PC and you add a folder to your account online (or another device), whether or not it syncs down as Available Offline or Online-only is dependent on the Storage of new files setting in Preferences on the Dropbox application.

    • Jim B.45's avatar
      Jim B.45
      Helpful | Level 7

      "the Storage of new files setting in Preferences on the Dropbox application"

       

      There's no such setting.