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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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I have a similar connection. Unfortunately Sync.com doesn’t have this Synology feature, but, since they support external drives, I don’t need this. It would, however, be nice as a backup. I have spoken to them about this and they replied they are considering it, which is a nice way of saying “sorry.” UKD
UKD beenyweenies I [originally] retitled this post because I’m wandering off-topic with you about Mac choices. [But then I got so many gripes that I titled it back.]
I got a MC Studio Ultra with 64GB and a 2Tb internal drive —plus 4Tb OWC external nvme RAID — and have been VERY happy with all my Lightroom. And Photoshop needs. This thing flies and I’m never short on memory, For my wife, I just purchased a Mac Mini M2 Pro with 16 GB and 1 Tb internal drive plus 2Tb external SSD and my re-purposed OWC 2Tb external nvme RAID. She works mostly on her own health website so her day-to-day needs are comparatively modest, but she does need photo processing power so I’ve tried out her rig on Adobe LR and it never even hesitates.
BTW, spouse and I BOTH are on Sync dot com now after Dropbox scared the cr@p out of me.
So, @UKD , I’d recommend a Studio with M2 Extreme and 32GB at a minimum, 64GB ideal. I kinda doubt you’ll need the M2 Ultra, but with everything you’ll be spending, if it were me, the Ultra buys me another year of service so I figure it’s well worth it. Just one man’s opinion.
Please return the old title.
marcosdutra wrote:Please return the old title.
I attempted to change it to
Dropbox Mac External Storage Blame Game NIGHTMARE — still unresolved after months of waiting!
but I may not apparently have the forum juice to change a subject line. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
- Hundreds of comments are about the original title. Please change it back to Disaster: Dropbox removing external disk support for Mac users 😞
rockdirector Jennifer G.29 UKD marcosdutra Okay okay okay I changed the title, but it's a no-win,m because now I'm entirely off-topic in that post. But if it makes you happy....😳
- Hi there, Ive received an email re the new MacOS FileProvider version of Dropbox.
I have 2x partitions on my MacBook internal drive, one for the system and one for Dropbox. This allows me to quickly erase/reinstall the system without having to copy terabytes of work off the drive - basically nuke any system issues quickly.
The FileProvider email links to notes which state it won’t support external drives and I assume this also means partitions?
And if so, is this temporary or the future of DropBox on Mac?
BTW sorry if this isn’t the right forum, the link just dumped me at the default forums home page.
Any help/ideas much appreciated. Cheers, Ben. The Idea of a 10gbit local Server (linux based, running a proper normal version of Dropbox with the ability to sync to wherever you want) is like this:
The Server has a huge RAID Storage attached
It runs the Dropbox Software so our files are synced to Dropbox
This enables us to do HomeOffice from a MacBook with SmartSync
In our Studios we work via 10gbit Ethernet on the RAID Storage, which gets synced to Dropbox by the Linux client.
So no Dropbox on our Workstation Macs at all, only the 10gbit Connection.
We have the Dropbox Sync still working like this, the only thing we loose is all of the right-click menu stuff like sharing links, but you can do this from the web...
That's the idea if we never get a real solution by Dropbox for external Drives...
TRO_Berlin Jon C.10 Ben S.31 UKD Here’s a great article by the truly legendary Adam Engst in TIDBITS, detailing possible solutions:
https://tidbits.com/2023/03/10/apples-file-provider-forces-mac-cloud-storage-changes/
I recommend everyone read it, even though some solutions, e.g. Maestro no longer work on my own machine. BTW, I’ve been following the Synology-related solutions with great interest, as it may well come to this in a new age of Apple carelessness.
- ArthurPix that’s an interesting article and also mentions the uproar faced by users and that we’re not the only cloud users forum that is in disarray.
It does seem that reading that that Apple is deliberately doing this to make people upgrade their storage with them at their extortionate prices. This doesn’t sit well with me and whilst I usually pay more because I run a laptop as I need mobility, Apples prices and connected items (chip, memory, GPU etc etc) is making it harder for users.
Combine that with most cloud storage companies inability to find a workaround, my gut feeling is even if Dropbox et al find a solution that Apple is just gonna close that door by changing something else. That being said, Microsoft have sorted this, Sync DOT com have sorted this too so Dropbox also should’ve sorted it too, especially with their resources. Weird that Google haven’t managed to or maybe they don’t care. Probably don’t care actually, especially how they just make money hand over fist.
Anyway, I digress. Just 3 more weeks and I will be done. I will not have to worry about any of this and I will be free of all these issues. I just pray that Apple doesn’t break sync DOT coms app.
