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The Daily Insight

How do I sync specific files to Dropbox?

Author

James Craig

Updated on March 28, 2026

Click Finder (Mac) or Start (Windows) and then click your Dropbox folder. Drag and drop the file you want to sync into your Dropbox folder. While you see the blue syncing icon on it, right click on the file and select Sync Now. That file will prioritize over all files that you haven't selected to Sync Now.

Simply so, how do I sync a specific folder in Dropbox?

Click the gear icon, then click “Preferences”. A window will pop up. Click the “Account” tab in this window and press the button labeled “Selective Sync”. From here, a sub-window will pop up, allowing you to uncheck specific folders or sub-folders.

Subsequently, question is, how do I sync my desktop with Dropbox? How to use selective sync to save space on your hard drive

  1. If you haven't already, install the Dropbox app for your computer.
  2. Click the Dropbox icon from the system tray (Windows) or menu bar (Mac).
  3. Click your profile picture or initials.
  4. Select Preferences… from the menu.
  5. Click Sync.
  6. Click Selective Sync…

Subsequently, one may also ask, how do I choose which files to sync with Dropbox?

To sync a file or folder without opening it immediately, you can make it local:

  1. Open the Dropbox folder on your computer. Click the Dropbox icon from the menu bar.
  2. Locate the content that you want to sync to your computer.
  3. Control-click or right-click the file or folder.
  4. Choose Smart sync.
  5. Choose Local.

Can Dropbox sync files automatically?

If there's a change—a new file or folder, or an edit to an existing file or folder—Dropbox will automatically sync those changes. This means that sync happens automatically, as long as you have an active internet connection, you have the Dropbox desktop app installed, and you're signed in.

Related Question Answers

Why is my Dropbox folder not syncing?

Sync only works when you're signed in to the same Dropbox account across your computer, phone, tablet, and dropbox.com. To check this: On Android: open the Dropbox app, tap Menu, and then tap Settings. On dropbox.com: click your name in the top right corner.

How do I know if my Dropbox is syncing?

To check the progress of syncing files on the Dropbox desktop app, right-click the Dropbox icon in the system tray or menu bar (or single-click, on a Mac). You can also monitor the transfer speed, the number of files remaining, and the estimated time until completion.

How do I manage Dropbox sync?

How do I sync online-only content to my computer?
  1. Open the Dropbox folder on your computer. Click the Dropbox icon from the menu bar. Click the folder icon. Choose Open folder.
  2. Locate the content that you want to sync to your computer.
  3. Control-click or right-click the file or folder.
  4. Choose Smart sync.
  5. Choose Local.

How often does Dropbox sync?

File sync is always in your control Earlier versions of your files are backed up for 30 days—or as many as 180 days for Dropbox Business users—so you can always recover an earlier version of your file sync.

How does Smart Sync work on Dropbox?

Smart Sync is a Dropbox feature that helps you save space on your hard drive. Access every file and folder in your Dropbox account from your computer, using virtually no hard drive space. Smart Sync is available for Dropbox Plus and Professional customers, and members of Dropbox Business teams.

How do I upload folder to Dropbox?

On dropbox.com
  1. Sign in to dropbox.com.
  2. Click Upload.
  3. Choose Files or Folder. If you choose Files, select as many files as you like and click Open. If you choose Folder, select a folder and click Upload.

How do I upload multiple folders to Dropbox?

How do I upload files to multiple dropbox folders?
  1. Go to Drop Box. Select the Drop Box tool from the Tool Menu in your site.
  2. Select the file to be uploaded. Click the Choose File button to browse for and locate the file on your local computer.
  3. Select the destination folders for your file.
  4. Email notification.
  5. Click Continue.

Should I use Dropbox Smart Sync?

When Should You Use Smart Sync? Consider Smart Sync when you have a large amount of files stored in your Dropbox. Furthermore, Smart Sync is perfect for you if a lot of users share files with you. The convenience of being able to see and access these files without storing them on your hard drive is immense.

How do I prioritize Dropbox sync?

Click Finder (Mac) or Start (Windows) and then click your Dropbox folder. Drag and drop the file you want to sync into your Dropbox folder. While you see the blue syncing icon on it, right click on the file and select Sync Now. That file will prioritize over all files that you haven't selected to Sync Now.

How do I move files out of Dropbox?

4) Select everything in your dropbox folder by single clicking the fist file/folder the going to the last file/folder and with the SHIFT key pressed click the last file/folder. 5) RIGHT click on any of the selected files and drag then to the folder you want to move them to. 6) when the menu appears select MOVE.

What does indexing mean in Dropbox?

Please wait…" it means the Dropbox desktop app is in the process of indexing the files in your Dropbox folder, or that you paused syncing from the Dropbox menu. If either of these are true, you can choose to wait until indexing is complete to access your selective sync settings.

Why are my Dropbox files not syncing?

Sync only works when you're signed in to the same Dropbox account across your computer, phone, tablet, and dropbox.com. To check this: On Android: open the Dropbox app, tap Menu, and then tap Settings. On dropbox.com: click your name in the top right corner.

How do I sync my phone with Dropbox on my computer?

Open the Dropbox app. Tap the menu icon. Tap the gear icon. Tap Connect a Computer.

Why is Dropbox syncing so many files?

If files in your Dropbox folder have incorrectly set permissions, then the Dropbox app will continually try—and fail—to sync them. Performance of the Dropbox desktop app starts to decrease at around 300,000 files. You can improve performance and sync speed with selective sync.

Why is Dropbox not syncing on my computer?

Sync only works when you're signed in to the same Dropbox account across your computer, phone, tablet, and dropbox.com. On iOS: open the Dropbox app and tap Settings. On Android: open the Dropbox app, tap Menu, and then tap Settings. On dropbox.com: click your name in the top right corner.

How long does Dropbox take to sync?

Re: Incredibly Slow Box Sync Dropbox finishes in less than 10 minutes where as Box take on average about 3 hours.

How do I upload files to Dropbox without syncing?

How to Upload to Dropbox Without Syncing
  1. Open the Dropbox folder on your computer.
  2. Now we're going to configure Dropbox so that it does not sync that particular folder.
  3. Click the Sync tab from the top menu.
  4. Now remove the check mark next to the folder you just created – the one that you don't want to sync with your computer(s).

Where are my Dropbox files stored on my computer?

By default, the Dropbox folder is located in your user folder. If you moved your Dropbox folder, or if you connected a work and personal, it may be located elsewhere or have a name other than "Dropbox." You can programmatically find the folder path through a JSON file.