How do I stop Dropbox from storing locally?

Dropbox is a popular file hosting and sharing service. Does Dropbox keep a local copy? Yes! When you sync computer to Dropbox, it will automatically sync files you upload to the cloud to the local Dropbox folder on your computer.

Luckily, there are several ways that you can use to prevent Dropbox from syncing locally. If you are looking for an answer to how to copy files to Dropbox without syncing, don't miss this guide.

Necessity of Uploading to Dropbox Without Syncing Locally

Some users want to complete Dropbox upload without sync for the following reasons:

• Free up local space. The files synchronized to the local will not only occupy the online storage space but also occupy the local hard drive space. For some users, the purpose of uploading files to the cloud is to free up local space.
• Prevent accidental deletion of local files. If you delete a local file in the Dropbox folder, the file stored in the Dropbox cloud will be automatically erased as well. Not only does this fail to protect your data, but it may lead to file loss due to accidental deletion.

3 Ways to Upload to Dropbox Without Local Copy

No matter what the reason is, you may need an easy way to upload files to Dropbox without local copy. How to only perform Dropbox one way sync from local to cloud without cloud to local? In the following content, you will learn 3 step-by-step ways on how do I keep Dropbox online only without syncing locally.

Way 1. Upload to Dropbox Without Local Copy using CBackup

When you want to upload files to Dropbox without syncing locally, using the free cloud backup tool - CBackup is a good choice for you.

With CBackup installed on your computer, you can sync files to Dropbox, OneDrive, Google Drive, and more public clouds with no need to worry about local syncing. Once you upload files to Dropbox successfully, you can delete your local versions directly without any impact on cloud files.

Now, click the button below to get this tool and follow the steps below to settle how do I remove files from my computer but keep them in Dropbox.

Step 1. Register an account for CBackup for free for preparation. Run CBackup desktop app and log in.

Step 2. Connect your Dropbox account to CBackup by clicking “Storage” > choosing Dropbox to tap on “Authorize Now”. After that, sign in to your Dropbox account and grant CBackup access to the cloud storage.

Step 3. Go to the Sync tab and select the Sync PC to Public Cloud option.

Step 4. Check the directory/directories you want to upload to Dropbox. You can also choose to sync external hard drive to Dropbox if needed.

Step 5. Choose a folder in your added Dropbox account to save these items. Click on Start Sync in the lower right corner to sync files to Dropbox without syncing locally.

Notes:✎...

To ensure that files are not automatically synced locally, you could uninstall the Dropbox desktop app on your computer. Because once you run the Dropbox desktop app, the cloud files will be automatically synced to the Dropbox folder on your computer.

Way 2. Upload to Dropbox without Syncing Locally with Smart Sync

There is another way to upload to Dropbox without syncing - with the help of Smart Sync. It is a feature of the Dropbox desktop client that allows you to make files online only and save hard drive space on your computer. You can also use it to fix Dropbox not enough space on device error.

How do I keep Dropbox online only with Smart Sync? Here's how it works.

Step 1. Download and launch the Dropbox desktop app and sign in to it.

Step 2. Open the Dropbox folder on your computer and find the folder or file that you want to set online.

Step 3. Right-click it, choose hover over Smart Sync in the pop-up menu, and select the Online-only option.

The disadvantages of using Smart Sync:

• This feature is only available for Dropbox Plus, Family, Professional, and Business customers.
• Whenever you open the file you set as Online-only, it will sync locally and occupy hard drive space again, requiring you to reset it.

Way 3. Upload Data to Dropbox without Syncing via Selective Sync

The Dropbox selective sync feature, available to all Dropbox users, also gives you the option to remove folders from your computer hard drive and still have them saved on your cloud. With this option, you can use Dropbox without storing files locally by removing specific Dropbox folder sync from your hard drive.

If you encounter the “Dropbox can't sync, not enough free disk space” error, Dropbox selective sync can also help you.

Step 1. Run the Dropbox app and click the Settings button to choose Preferences.

Step 2. In the Sync tab, click on Selective Sync.

Step 3. Deselect folders that need to be saved only on dropbox.com to click Update.

The Disadvantage of using selective sync:

• It only lets you remove folders from local sync, not for individual files.

Bonus Tip: How to Increase Dropbox Storage for free

If you're craving more Dropbox storage space, but struggling with the high cost, you can use the cloud space combination feature of CBackup to merge Dropbox accounts and get more cloud storage at no cost.

Step 1. Run CBackup and add all your Dropbox accounts to it by referring to the cloud-adding step above. CBackup has no limitations on the number of added cloud accounts.

Step 2. Then, click on Add Combined Cloud on the Storage tab.

Step 3. Rename the combined cloud. Select all Dropbox accounts, and click Next > Combine.

You will get a combined cloud, and you can click Backup > Backup PC to Combined Cloud to upload data to the huge space.

Conclusion

In a word, to upload to Dropbox without local copy, you can use a third-party cloud backup service like CBackup, use Smart Sync, or employ Selective Sync. Among them, using CBackup is the easiest and once-and-for-all choice. Download it and give it a try.