Synced folders: choosing what lives on the computer

The “Folders” page decides, folder by folder, what is kept on this computer. An unticked folder stays intact in the cloud; only its local copies go. You can change your mind at any time.

The window

At the top, a drop-down list picks the account, next to the reminder “Unchecked folders are removed from this computer but stay in your cloud.” Below it, the estimate line compares the selection with the free space of the disk and with the space of your Drive.

The tree shows the folders of your Drive with, for each one, a checkbox and its size (subfolders included). Expand a folder to see its subfolders; they are only loaded at that moment. Hover the size to read the number of items; until the cloud listing is complete, the size is replaced by a dash and the tooltip reads “Size unknown until the cloud listing completes”.

At the bottom, the summary of the applied selection, for instance “21 folders included”, “2 excluded”, then the number of items and their size, followed by “unsaved changes” as soon as checkboxes changed; then the Reset and Apply buttons.

The checkboxes

Ticked: the folder and all its content are synced.
Unticked: the folder and all its content stay in the cloud, with no local copy.
Intermediate: the folder is synced, but at least one of its subfolders is excluded.

Unticking a folder excludes its whole subtree. Ticking a subfolder of an excluded folder re-includes the path down to it and leaves its siblings excluded: you can thus keep a single subfolder of a large branch.

Step 1: exclude a folder

Untick the folder.
Click Apply.
The “Remove local copies?” question lists the folders concerned: “These folders will be removed from this computer (moved to the trash) and stay in your cloud: …”. Confirm with Remove local copies.
The “Folder selection applied” message appears.

The local copies go to your desktop trash, from where you can restore them; the cloud is not touched. Reset cancels the checkboxes not yet applied.

Step 2: re-include a folder

Tick it, then Apply: the folder is downloaded at the next cycle. Before accepting, the estimate compares what would come back to the disk with the free space. If it does not fit, it turns red (“Not enough free space on this disk: uncheck folders until the selection fits.”) and Apply stays disabled. The folders you untick at the same time do not count as a deduction: they go to the trash, which frees no space.

Step 3: switch account

Choose another account in the drop-down list. If checkboxes of the current account are not applied, the window asks “Discard unapplied changes?”: Keep editing leaves you on the current account, Discard changes switches to the other one. Coming back to the page by Ctrl+2, by the banner or by the “Accounts” page keeps your unapplied checkboxes.

When the account is not syncing

The page stays readable, but it says so:

Situation	What the page shows
Account paused	a notice “Account paused: the folder list is not refreshed (last listing: 2 min ago)” with Resume; the tree is dimmed and its tooltip says “This list may be out of date: the account is not syncing.” The checkboxes stay editable: the selection will be applied on resume
Account paused and never listed	the page “Account paused: the cloud has not been listed yet”, “Resume syncing to show your folders.”
Offline	“Offline: showing the folders as listed …” with Retry
Sign-in required	“Sign-in required: the folder list is not refreshed (last listing: …)” with Sign in again
Error	the reason given by the service, with Retry
Cycle running	“Checking for changes…”, “Sync in progress: 3 transfers” or “Rebuilding the index…”, with an activity spinner; the tree stays usable
Cloud listed and empty	“No folders yet”

The “… ago” labels follow the clock even when the account gives no more news.

Good to know

The “Ignored files” patterns of the Settings apply on top of the selection: an ignored file is neither sent nor downloaded.
An item moved, on the cloud side, into an excluded folder leaves the computer (trash); moved into an included folder, it is downloaded at the next cycle.
If you recreate on the computer a folder bearing the name of an excluded folder, it is sent to the cloud as a new folder.
The “Folders to sync” row of the “Accounts” page leads straight here.