Dropbox – How to Sync Only Certain Folders on Dropbox

dropboxsyncUbuntuwindows

I have a desktop machine with plenty of space with Dropbox set up. I also have a netbook with limited space. Is there any way to set up my netbook to sync only with certain folders in my Dropbox (i.e., sync my 10 MB of documents not my 100 GB of pictures). I also have some Ubuntu machines and some Windows machines so advice for both would be welcome.

Best Answer

The current version of Dropbox suports selective sync, it is explained in the dropbox help. Here's how to do it, check the help link for more advanced cases.

  1. Click on the Dropbox icon from the system tray
  2. Select Preferences
  3. Click the Advanced tab
  4. Click the Selective Sync button

Selective sync

A window will appear with a list of all the top level folders in your Dropbox folder. The folders with a check next to them will be synced to your computer. Uncheck any folders that you don't need to sync to your computer's hard drive. When you're done, select OK. Any folders you deselected will be removed from your hard drive, but will still be available through the website and on any computers linked to your Dropbox account.

Use the Advanced View button to drill down into the folders in your Dropbox. Click on the arrow next to the folders in your Dropbox to drill down and check or uncheck folders deep within your Dropbox hierarchy.

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