Also, Selective Sync does not allow you to select files – you can only selectively sync folders to a computer. However, Smart Sync is only available to Plus, Professional, and Businesscustomers.įinally, Smart Sync settings applies to any computer you are syncing your Dropbox file. However, while Smart Sync still shows the item (folder or file) on your computer (as a placeholder), Selective Sync does not.Īnother difference is that Selective Sync is available to all Dropbox plans. However, there is another Dropbox technology that is similar to Smart Sync.īoth Smart and Selective Sync save you disk space by setting files to only be available online –. So far this Itechguide has been discussing Dropbox Smart Sync. This option will NOT be available if you enabled ASS – this is because with ASS enabled, all files added via are automatically set to online-only anyway. However, if ASS is not enabled, you can configure the Dropbox client on your computer to automatically set files added to to online-only.

If you enable Automatic Smart Sync (ASS), all new files you add to your account are automatically set to online-only.

However, if an application needs a file to function properly, Automatic Smart Sync temporarily sets that file as local – then, automatically return it to online-only later. ASS allows you to set files you haven’t opened from your computer for a few months to be set to online-only automatically. Automatic Smart SyncĪnother important term of Dropbox Smart Sync is Automatic Smart Sync (ASS). However, you must be connected to the internet to open an Online-Only file. With Dropbox Smart Sync, you can still open an Online-Only file from your computer. What you see on your computer is a placeholder. However, you can still see the file or folder on your computer but is is not an actual copy. This allows you to decide which files are only available online – on your account on and not saved on your local hard drive.Īs I already mentioned in the first section of this guide, when you set a folder or file as Online-Only, the file is saved only online and not on your PC. To help understand this Dropbox technology, this section explains some of the terms associated with Smart Sync.

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