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Dropbox removing external disk support for Mac users
In case anyone's unaware... if you're a Mac user storing your Dropbox on an external drive, you'll shortly lose that ability.
https://help.dropbox.com/installs/macos-support-for-expected-changes
Just confirmed this with DB support (see below). Gutted - been with Dropbox for years and our entire video team flow is based around it 😕
>Hi there, I read today that you are scrapping the ability to store the Dropbox folder on external disks, on OSX. I'd like to ask more about this please.
> Hello Jon, and thank you for contacting Dropbox Support. My name is Joseph, and I will be more than happy to look into your request, right away.
That is correct Jon, as part of the Dropbox for macOS update, the Dropbox folder must be located in ~/Library/CloudStorage.
>This is a showstopper for us, and will mean we have to move to another service. We have a large distributed team using DB for video work, no way it'll fit within internal drives.
Is there a workaround?
> I totally understand and I apologize for the inconvenience. Unfortunately, there is no workaround on this as changing the location of your Dropbox folder is no longer supported by macOS.
>This change doesn't seem to have hit us yet - we're running a variety of machines inc Ventura
What will trigger its enforcement? Can we stay on an earlier OS or Dropbox version?
>The updates happening automatically every time the Dropbox app is restarting, for example if your device never restarts it should maintain the older version but we can't guarantee full functionality on older versions of the application.
>So what will happen - if we have a Dropbox folder on an 8TB drive and a tiny internal drive - will it try to clone stuff across and eat up the space? What's the mechanism?
>That's right, it will try to move the content on your internal drive until it has no space and gives you an error.
>Is Smartsync still supported? I.e. will it move stuff to being online only if it won't fit?
>It is, however it is now known as online-only.
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Thanks for the recommendation. You seem to speak of Dropbox with the property of someone that knows something we all don't. Do you have inside info, or to rephase it: how can you say they don't have a contingency plan?
- I'm following this issue with some dismay as having a large volume of data accessible via local syncing and using DB like a storage "lending library" has been a huge success in our media production environment. And despite issues like this, the support has been top shelf. It allows us to use what we need and have the rest available when the need arises, in a UI that is *much* more universal than one which would force everyone including our infrequent partners to use a server that we admin in house.
I see the note that Dropbox hopes to restore this functionality, which I hope we will see whether in the form of symlinks or some other end around. If not I fear that this would be the death knell for our use of Dropbox as an organization, and we'll have to devolve into more antiquated methods of file sharing. 1. The moderation of this discussion board is just terrible on a few levels. They are way too quick to combine threads while at the same time being way too lax on garbage posts, politics, etc.
2. The idea of continuing to mark this issues as "SOLVED" is another bad one.. while at the same time moving an external drive related posts to this thread. Just plain bad form.3. The lack of transparency is problematic as well. Yes, apple did make a change. Yes, other companies have found ways around it. BE REAL dropbox.
Frankly, these items above have combined to greatly call into question Dropbox's viability and competency. I guess large companies often fall into this trap. But it's super sad to me to have to be looking for an alternative.
for anyone who wants to know about the external drives there's this little gem of a page: https://help.dropbox.com/installs/macos-support-for-expected-changes
That's a nightmare, no more logic and Final Cut synched over cloud services, seems like Mac is trying to kill its pro user base.
I think it's either kill off it's user base under the guise of "security and protection" or get us to stump up insane amounts of money for internal storage.
Juts look at Apple's range of products. They've never been more complicated. I've been an Apple user for close to 30 years and it's never been as insane as this.
I'm not sure if this is just an Apple issue or a Dropbox and Apple issue or what but it's never been harder running a business than now, with WFH, Data security, storage, computer types, spiralling taxes...
Did you try it? If so, what do you feel is the downside here?
Cheers
I've had to downgrade my Dropbox from the Beta because apparently it was stuck. So just gotta keep waiting for them to sort their sh*t out I guess.
That doing Dropbox sync via Synology is a super long winded way of doing it. Not that it's wrong but more the fact as to why the hell should you have to do that.
I already sync my Dropbox with a Synology NAS so I have a local backup but I don't want all my team to either VPN in to the NAS or do something like that with the Synology app.
Everything about this change is so disappointing. From the lack of communication with us, the paying customer, the lack of detail of what's happening too. Surely somebody must've looked at who their customers are and gone, hey, you know, this is quite a big change, maybe we should speak to the industry and see what they say. It seems the level of arrogance is astounding.
Got it, thanks. Makes sense. Maybe arrogance could also be "not having their **bleep** together". But either way. Yeah, it's been almost a month and not having an official statement with something specific from dbox_ is a super concern, as this is a deal breaker for many of their users.
