Normally, synced files are fully downloaded to your computer and they take up hard drive space. With Smart Sync, you can make files and folders online-only. Online-only files use just a small amount of hard drive space to store information like the file name, size, and thumbnail, but the full contents of the files are stored securely in the Dropbox cloud. You’ll always see your online-only files on your computer, so when you need them, you can open them with just a click.

Yes, it’s easy to make your files available even for when you’re offline! Simply right-click on the file and choose Local from the Smart Sync menu. The full contents of the file will be synced to your computer’s hard drive so you can work offline.

Both Smart Sync and selective sync can help you save space. Selective Sync is an older feature that allows you to choose files and folders to sync with Dropbox. Synced files take up hard drive space, and everything you don’t sync can’t be seen or opened on your computer. With Smart Sync, you can choose to make files online-only. Online-only files take up practically no space on your hard drive, but you can still see them, rename them, move them, and preview them right from your computer — just like regular files. And when you need them, just open, and they’ll sync automatically.

Smart Sync works on Windows and Mac OS. Learn more about our system requirements