Dropbox has two ways to keep files from syncing on Windows, and they do different jobs. To stop one specific file or folder, mark that item as ignored with a PowerShell command. To exclude filenames, paths or future content that match a pattern, create a rules.dropboxignore file in your Dropbox root folder. Choose the method by what you want to exclude, and check the effects below before you change anything, because an ignored item is deleted from the Dropbox server.
Choose the right control first
“Ignore” is only one of several Dropbox settings that keep content off a computer or out of the cloud. Each one has a different effect on where the content lives, so pick the row that matches your goal.
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| Goal | Control | Where the content ends up | Existing cloud copies | Scope |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stop one specific file or folder from syncing | Ignored item, set with PowerShell | Stays in the local Dropbox folder; removed from the Dropbox server and other devices | Removed from the server, and can’t be opened on dropbox.com while ignored (Dropbox Help, updated October 7, 2025) | One file or one folder |
| Exclude filename patterns or future content | rules.dropboxignore file |
Matching new content stays local and is not uploaded or counted toward your Dropbox quota | Not affected; files already synced stay online unless you remove them separately (Dropbox Help, updated June 4, 2026) | Patterns across the account, applied going forward |
| Remove folders from this computer but keep them online | Selective sync | Unchecked folders are removed from the local hard drive and remain stored online | Unchanged; they stay in Dropbox online | Folders only, set separately on each computer (Dropbox Help, updated September 15, 2026) |
| Keep files visible in the Dropbox folder without using local disk space | Online-only | Content stays online and appears in the Dropbox folder; it uses local storage only after you download or open it | Unchanged | Not stated in the cited help page |
Selective sync and online-only change what is stored on your computer. Ignore settings change what Dropbox syncs to your account. If you only need space on a laptop, you don’t need an ignore rule at all.
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Ignore one file or folder with PowerShell
Dropbox’s documented Windows method for a single item uses the com.dropbox.ignored alternate data stream. The steps below follow Dropbox’s Windows instructions. Those instructions don’t name Windows 11 specifically, so if a menu label on your build looks slightly different, look for the closest match.
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- Open PowerShell from the Start menu.
- In File Explorer, go to the file or folder inside your Dropbox folder. Right-click it and choose Copy as path.
- Type the command below, replacing the sample path with the one you copied. Explorer wraps copied paths in double quotes, so remove those quotes and keep the single quotes around the path. If Dropbox is installed in a non-default folder, change the path to match.
Set-Content -Path 'C:UsersyournameDropbox (Personal)YourFileName.pdf' -Stream com.dropbox.ignored -Value 1 - Press Enter. Dropbox marks the item as ignored.
Dropbox’s documentation says a file or folder that is ignored keeps its local copy, but the cloud copy is deleted and other devices lose it. Confirm you want that before you run the command. For a folder, the ignored state applies to the folder itself, and the icon appears on the folder rather than each child file.
Stop ignoring an item
To reverse the setting, clear the stream with the same path substitution:
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Clear-Content -Path 'C:UsersyournameDropbox (Personal)YourFileName.pdf' -Stream com.dropbox.ignoredShared files and already-synced material
Be careful with shared files or folders. While an item is ignored, your local edits don’t sync to the shared version. When you turn ignoring off, Dropbox may merge the two versions, or it may keep both as a conflicted copy. Resolve that conflict before you assume the shared file is the one you expect.
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The rules file handles repeatable exclusions. It applies to individual accounts only; Dropbox says it is not available for Dropbox team accounts.
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Create the rules file from Dropbox preferences
- Click the Dropbox icon in the Windows taskbar. If it is in the hidden icons area, open that first.
- Open the account menu in the Dropbox window and choose Preferences.
- Select Sync.
- Under Set Ignore Rules, choose Modify Rules.
- Dropbox creates
rules.dropboxignorein the Dropbox root. The file includes examples. Add your rules, save the file, and Dropbox applies the change.
You can also create the file yourself. Make a plain-text file named exactly rules.dropboxignore in the Dropbox root. If Windows hides file extensions, a new text file may be saved as rules.dropboxignore.txt, which Dropbox won’t read. Turn on file-extension display in File Explorer to check the name.
Rule syntax
build/ignores a folder and everything in it.*.logignores every matching.logfile in the account./Photos/vacation.jpgtargets one file by its path from the Dropbox root.?matches one character, but never a slash.**/matches folder paths. Recursive wildcards work in positive patterns.- Rules are case-insensitive.
!negates a pattern to re-include matching content. Simple negation patterns don’t match recursively, and recursive wildcards are restricted in negations, so test any re-include rule on a sample folder first.
What a rule does not do
Dropbox Help states, “The rules.dropboxignore file doesn’t sync across devices.” Create the file on every computer where you want the same exclusions. Rules only cover files and folders created after the rule was added, so files already in your cloud remain there. Dropbox ignores rules outside the Dropbox root and reads only one ignore file per folder, so nested rule files don’t combine the way Git’s .gitignore files do. Existing shared folders aren’t covered retroactively, though new matching content added to them may be ignored.
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Check that the ignore state took effect
On Windows, Dropbox shows a gray circle with a white minus sign on a file or folder that is ignored and won’t sync. If you ignored a folder, check the folder icon. The child files don’t get their own icon. For rules, check the result by adding a test file that matches a pattern: it should stay local and not appear on dropbox.com.
Troubleshooting
- A matching file is still on dropbox.com. This is expected for rules. Ignore rules are forward-only. Delete the old cloud copy separately if you no longer want it there.
- The rule works on one PC but not another. The rules file doesn’t sync, so the second computer has no rule. Create the file there too.
- The menu option is missing or the account is a team account. Rules and the per-item ignore method are not available for Dropbox team accounts. If your computer is managed by an administrator, confirm with your organization which sync settings are permitted, because these sources don’t show which workaround your deployment allows.
- PowerShell reports an error. Check that the path is inside single quotes, that the Explorer double quotes were removed, and that the file or folder still exists at that location.
Dropbox updates its help pages and app menus over time, so if a label or path differs from the steps above, check Dropbox Help for the current instructions before making changes.
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