dropbox online-only files still taking up space on a mac? here's why
by sumit paul · last updated
dropbox online-only files themselves take almost no space on a mac: dropbox says each is a tiny placeholder, and on macos 12.3 or later it shows as zero bytes. when your disk still looks full, it's usually files you opened (opening downloads them, and they stay), the dropbox cache, which keeps deleted and changed files for up to three days, or storage numbers in macos that haven't caught up. the fix is to make the opened files online-only again, clear the cache, and check real usage in terminal.
first: how dropbox on file provider works
current dropbox for mac runs on apple's file provider system. your dropbox folder lives at ~/Library/CloudStorage and shows under locations in finder's sidebar. to check you're on it, click the dropbox icon in the menu bar, then your avatar › preferences › sync. it says so under dropbox folder updates.
on file provider, files are in one of two states:
- online-only (cloud icon): a placeholder. double-clicking it downloads the whole file, then opens it.
- available offline (green check): a full copy on your disk.
the catch is that a file you've opened stays downloaded. watch a few videos from dropbox and those gigabytes are now on your mac, even though you never changed a setting.
why the space doesn't drop
| cause | how to tell | fix |
|---|---|---|
| files you opened stayed downloaded | du shows the dropbox folder using space | make the folder online-only |
| the dropbox cache | the cache folder is large | wait three days, or empty it |
| macos 10.13 to 12.2 counts logical size | storage settings show the full size of online-only files | turn on the dropbox.com setting below, or update macos |
| storage numbers lag | du and system settings disagree | give it time, quit and reopen dropbox |
| time machine local snapshots | tmutil listlocalsnapshots / lists some | macos removes them when it needs room |
step 1: make files online-only again
- open finder and go to your dropbox folder.
- select the big folders (or everything inside the dropbox folder).
- right-click and choose make online-only.
to stop new files filling your disk, open the dropbox menu bar icon › your avatar › preferences › sync and set default sync preference to online-only. dropbox notes this applies to new files and folders added at the top level of your dropbox; files you already have, and files you move in from your mac, keep their current state.
dropbox also says files not marked available offline may be set back to online-only automatically when your disk runs low. that's useful, but it waits until space is tight. making folders online-only yourself frees it now.
step 2: clear the cache
dropbox keeps a cache of deleted and changed files so it can recover from mistakes, and clears it every three days. if you just deleted or replaced a lot, the space comes back by itself after that. to free it now, on file provider:
- in finder, click go in the menu bar, hold option, and choose library.
- open group containers, then the folder whose name ends in
.com.getdropbox.dropbox.sync. - open
root-mountand move its files to the trash, then empty the trash.
on the older, non-file-provider dropbox, the cache is a hidden .dropbox.cache folder inside the dropbox folder; press shift-command-period in finder to show it.
step 3: fix the numbers on older macos
on macos 10.13 to 12.2, dropbox says online-only files can appear to take space in your mac's storage settings, because macos counts their logical size. to fix it, sign in at dropbox.com, click your account menu › settings, and turn on update for online-only files on mac. it can take a few minutes; if nothing changes, quit and reopen the dropbox app.
step 4: check what's really used
finder and system settings › general › storage don't always agree. terminal shows the actual space files take on disk:
du -sh ~/Library/CloudStorage/Dropbox*
online-only placeholders count as nothing here. if this number is small but your disk is still full, the space is somewhere else: the cache above, local snapshots, or something outside dropbox entirely. our guide to a large system data category covers the usual suspects.
if you keep opening big files
online-only works well for documents. it works badly for video and raw photos, because every open downloads the whole file and keeps it until you clean up again. you need free space for the full file before it can even open.
a streaming drive avoids that. feather drive puts dropbox (and google drive) in finder and fetches only the parts an app reads, so a large video opens in about a second and get info shows zero bytes on disk. what it read sits in a small cache with a size limit you choose. it's not a replacement for the dropbox app: it uses its own app folder (apps › feather drive), so it only sees files you put there, not your whole dropbox. it also needs macos 26 or later and an internet connection to open files, and it's a paid app with a 3-day free trial. the dropbox app is still better for offline access and for syncing everything you have.
related
- how to use dropbox in finder without filling your disk
- how to open any file from the cloud on a mac without downloading it
- what to do when your mac storage is full
- how to get more storage on your mac without buying a new one
common questions
do dropbox online-only files take up space on a mac?
almost none. dropbox says an online-only file is a small placeholder holding its name and a link to the cloud copy, and on macos 12.3 or later it shows as zero bytes. space is used once you open the file, because opening it downloads it.
why does my dropbox folder still use space after making files online-only?
usually because files you opened are still downloaded, the dropbox cache still holds recently deleted or changed files for up to three days, or your mac's storage numbers haven't caught up yet. check the real usage with du in terminal.
how do i make all dropbox files online-only on a mac?
right-click the top-level folders inside your dropbox folder in finder and choose make online-only. to make new files online-only by default, set default sync preference to online-only in the dropbox app's preferences, sync tab.
can macos remove downloaded dropbox files by itself?
yes, with dropbox on file provider. dropbox says files not marked available offline may be set back to online-only when your disk runs low. files marked available offline are kept.
where is the dropbox cache on a mac?
with dropbox on file provider it's outside the dropbox folder: in finder, go › library (hold option), then group containers, the folder ending in .com.getdropbox.dropbox.sync, then root-mount. dropbox clears it every three days on its own.