To enable selective sync, head to your Dropbox preferences from your desktop:
Show instructions for:
Vista/Win7/Win8/Win10Click the Selective Sync... button.
The selective sync options from Dropbox preferences
Vista/Win7/Win8/Win10
Select which folders to sync on Windows
- Click the Dropbox icon from the system tray.
- Click the gear icon and select Preferences... from the menu.
- Click the Account tab.
- Dropbox Business users: If you have connected your personal and work Dropbox accounts, you'll also need to select the Dropbox for which you want to change settings at the top of the tab.
The selective sync options from Dropbox preferences
A window will appear with a list of all the top level folders in your Dropbox folder. The folders with a check next to them will be synced to your computer. Uncheck any folders that you don't need to sync to your computer's hard drive. When you're done, select OK. Any folders you deselected will be removed from your hard drive, but will still be available through the website and on any computers linked to your Dropbox account.
Note: Wait until folders display a green checkmark—which means they are completely uploaded to your Dropbox—before unselecting them in your selective sync preferences and removing them from the Dropbox app on your computer.