How to open online-only files on macOS

Updated Feb 17, 2025

The information in this article applies to all Dropbox users.

When you make a file in your Dropbox account online-only, it won’t be automatically downloaded to your hard drive via the Dropbox desktop app. Online-only files will still appear in your Dropbox folder in Finder, but they won’t take up any space on your device. These files will only download to your device when you open them. This allows you to save space on your device, while still being able to see what files are in your Dropbox account.

Note: If you don’t want specific files or folders to sync to your device, but want to keep them in your Dropbox account, you can use selective sync. Learn more about selective sync.

How to open files when they’re online-only

Notes:

Online-only files on macOS 12.3 and higher will show as zero bytes in size.
Dropbox is expanding the rollout of full support for macOS 12.5 and higher.
- Learn more about Dropbox support for macOS on File Provider and expected changes with this rollout.
Online-only files have a cloud icon next to them.

To open online-only files:

Open your Dropbox folder in Finder.
Double-click the file you’d like to open.
The file will be downloaded within your Dropbox folder and will open in its default app.

To make an online-only file available to open in third-party applications:

Open your Dropbox folder in Finder.
Right-click the file you want to make available.
Click Make available offline.
The file will be downloaded within your Dropbox folder.

Note: If you’re not using Dropbox for File Provider on macOS, the file icon will change to a green checkmark once it’s downloaded. There won’t be any icon on the file if you’re using Dropbox for File Provider. Learn more about what the Dropbox sync icons mean.

The downloaded file can then be opened through any third-party application.

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