Dropbox Location Change on MacOS 12.6

Hi podusa, currently, if you're on the new version of the Dropbox desktop application, it wouldn't be possible to move the Dropbox folder to an external drive (or any other location) as this feature is no longer supported by macOS. 

We wouldn't have any information on if this would be possible in future releases of the desktop app. 

Downgrading to an older version of the app wouldn't help in this instance, since the app itself would automatically update to the latest version more or less immediately. 

Same - in music and video production, just not useable without all the files being local on an external drive. 

It is no longer supported by macOS but there is a way around it on other cloud services. Using symlinks. 

Looks like it is time to switch!

It is a limit of newer versions of macOS, but there are also workarounds on other cloud services (using symlinks).

However, my experience is that it's not consistent. I have a hackintosh running the latest macOS 12.6 up until a few days ago, and it did not force my dropbox to move. I have the same experience on my MacBook Pro 16" M1 Pro. One of my user accounts still has the Dropbox connected to an external SSD. So it's obviously still possible. Dropbox FORCES the change sometimes, and definitely with a new install.

I agree on everything in mf88's post.

I mean, who's going to subscribe or need these bigger plans with a lot of storage, not being able to store its content on an external drive? (Especially Mac-users with its limited internal HD-space, as being mentioned I earlier posts). If it just going to be an online "cloudstorage service" there are much cheaper/better options. This is by FAR the most terrible business-decision I've seen. Ever. (

I've been using dropbox for the last ten years.

I don't care about the desktop app, I would gladly get completely rid of it, I only use dropbox in the finder.

I don't use Smart sync neither, nor do I use any of the new features bloat, I just want to keep using my dropbox like in the early days, as a simple and reliable backup and file sharing solution.

I don't want to change my Dropbox folder, it is a massive regression and I'm dumbstruck to discover just now the app tries to force that on me, and I'm very disappointed to spend my evening on this forum looking for answers.

Is it safe to not update the desktop app while keeping the basic functionality of the service ?

Thanks.

Hi all, thanks for reaching out about this.

As part of the Dropbox for macOS update, the Dropbox folder must be located in ~/Library/CloudStorage.

Some other things to note about the Dropbox folder location:

- Changing the location of your Dropbox folder is no longer supported by macOS. 
- Due to the change of the Dropbox folder location, files that were previously linked in some third-party applications may need to be linked again.
- Storing your Dropbox folder on an external drive is no longer supported by macOS.
- Your Dropbox folder in Finder will now be found under Locations and no longer under Favorites.
- Individual folders can be moved from your Dropbox folder to Favorites for quick access.

We hope that helps!

Megan With respect, how is that copy-and-paste job supposed to “help”, exactly? It comes across as though you didn’t read or didn’t understand what was being discussed. It actually seems a bit insulting to us users.

Is the Dropbox team completely oblivious to the problem raised here in this thread?

How about, have someone knowledgeable explain why the change was necessary (if it, in fact, was), and also tell us if there is any hope for those of us with less than 2TB internal storage to continue keeping a full local sync of our 2TB Dropbox account? That’s all we are asking for.

That doesn't answer any of my questions and is in fact a copy of the article that was linked in the update window of the desktop app.

So, no that doesn't help at all.

Agree again with mf88.

They (Dropbox) keeps dodging the question of WHY this change is necessary and if it's permanent?

I'm sure Dropbox-team know very well that this is going to be a "big thing". Are they forced to do it? If so, for what reason? Is it a technical issue?

(I just can't be...it's 2022...really?)

Hey all, and thanks for writing back.

As with any operating system, macOS is updated regularly and with that we must keep the Dropbox desktop app aligned with any requirements set out by an OS.

Keeping aligned to those requirements ensures that the Dropbox desktop app will provide the best possible experience for all our customers in to the future.

We’ll be sure to pass your feedback along to our Product team.

Thank you.

With respect again, Megan, how are you going to “pass our feedback along“ if you don’t seem to understand what it is that we’re discussing? We’re not offering “feedback” as much as we’re asking a question about the future usefulness of the product itself. Clearly, no one that Dropbox has assigned to interact with this forum is able to answer.

I don’t think that any of us here are interested at all in the Dropbox desktop app. I think we’d all prefer if it wasn’t even there. We use Dropbox passively in the Finder as we always have. We have large, paid Dropbox accounts, and the majority of us have internal drives on our Mac that are smaller than our 2TB Dropbox storage. We have always been able to keep our entire Dropbox synced locally by way of an external drive. Now we're being notified that a change in this functionality is being forced upon us, and we are asking whether or not this change is permanent, so that we might be patient for some amount of time with Dropbox to develop a workaround before we cancel our paid Dropbox accounts and look elsewhere.

If you want “feedback,” here’s some feedback: There is a lack of explanation and transparency from Dropbox as to why this change is necessary (if it truly is). There needs to be more clarity to your customers. There is also a clear lack of expertise demonstrated by their representatives in this forum.

Hi mf88, I hope it’s OK to jump in, too. 

I can understand your frustration on this matter.

If that’s alright, we can log a ticket instead and have our support team further assist.

Or perhaps you could point us to the MacOS documentation that says you are not allowed and are not able to make the content elsewhere on the machine?  That seems to be the implication from Meghan's statements although we often find that such broad statements are interpretations.  Which is why, I think, people have been asking both "why" and "what does the Dropbox team plan to do" about our need for the old features (described earlier).

How can I force the Dropbox location change?

I want to update to macOS 13 and want to do the Dropbox Location Change first.

I have Dropbox version 161.4.4923 installed.

However, I am not offered the option to do this and my files are still in the old location.

Hi mrc247, thank you for reaching out.

Full support for macOS 12.5 and higher has started rolling out. Broader availability has begun this month as we work to preserve the reliability and quality of our sync experience. You will be notified when you’re eligible.

If you’re interested in joining our private beta, you can turn on early releases. You can also keep up to date with what is supported on macOS 12.3 and higher here.

Thank you!

Dropbox v161.4.4923 was automatically installed on my Macbook Pro under Mac OS 10.14.6.

My Dropbox folder is still located in my home directory, so it is NOT in ~/Library/CloudStorage.

I have a 2 TB Dropbox Personal Plus account with some 784 GB of data of which 337 GB on the

local disk. 

My question is:

Can I now safely update MacOS to 10.12.3 and later versions? Will the migration of the Dropbox

folder to ~/Library/CloudStorage happen correctly, despite v161.4.4923 already having been installed

on my system before the Mac OS update?

Hi mk53, the rollout to the new location of the Dropbox folder and its other features is being done gradually at this stage.

This means it is not guaranteed that the Dropbox folder would immediately change location when you upgrade.

Same here, involved in music production and we all rely on Dropbox for our collaborations. This has to be resolved..