How to use selective sync to choose which folders to sync

Note: You must install the Dropbox desktop application to use selective sync. 

To choose which Dropbox folders to store on or remove from your computer’s hard drive:

For Windows:

  1. Open your Dropbox desktop app preferences.
  2. Click the Dropbox icon in your taskbar.
  3. Click your avatar (profile picture or initials) in the top-right corner.
  4. Click Preferences.
  5. Click the Sync tab.
  6. Under Selective Sync (Windows), click Select folders.
  7. Check the folders you’d like saved on your hard drive. Uncheck the folders you’d like removed.
  8. Click Update.

For Mac:

  1. Open your Dropbox desktop app preferences.
  2. Click the Dropbox icon in your menu bar in the top right corner of your screen.
  3. Click your avatar (profile picture or initials) in the top-right corner.
  4. Click Preferences.
  5. Click the Sync tab.
  6. Under Select folders to sync to this Mac (Mac), click Select folders.
  7. Check the folders you’d like saved on your hard drive. Uncheck the folders you’d like removed.
  8. Click Update.

For Linux:

  1. Click the small Dropbox icon, which is typically at the top or bottom of your screen.
  2. Click your avatar (profile picture or initials) in the upper-right corner. 
  3. Click Preferences.
  4. Click the Sync tab.
  5. Check the folders you’d like saved on your hard drive. Uncheck the folders you’d like removed.
  6. Click Update.
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