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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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Thank you ArthurPix great article.
Seeing as I always use a separate partition for the system vs work, I may try migrating the Users folder to the work partition. That way the Dropbox/FileProvider defaults should work in a way that’s Apple sanctioned (in theory).
ArthurPix Do you have experience with moving the Users folder to another partition - any pros/cons/suggestions?
Cheers, Ben
UKD Well, Sync has "solved" it by allowing users to use an old version of their app. "Sync is currently supporting an older version of our app. This app does not include the Sync Cloudfiles/ Dropbox SmartSync feature, but still allows you to change the Sync folder location to external drives."
Dropbox on the other hand states: "You can install the standard Dropbox desktop app on a new device and after the installation, you can choose to avoid the upgrade to the new version for macOS. Our team is working on a solution currently, but there is still no official statement or a time frame for a fix."
This I got from support chats with Sync and DB respectively.jakobsjobom that's interesting because I know the Cloudsync feature is in beta at the moment because I'm using it. In fact all my staff are using it and the MacOS users they're using an external drive. The windows guys, also are on the beta app bu they're not affected by the Apple API.
Whilst we are limited in the features when right clicking a file and finder integration, like you get in Dropbox, I find we don't need more than what we get. Create a Link, Set cloud only and Set local. There's 1 other which is to Sync to vault but I have my own vault with my NAS's so I don't use that feature.
It'll be interesting to see what happens over the coming months but all this change is causing me certainly a lot of issues with regards to hardware upgrades. 3 of my guys are on 5 year old 27" iMacs so they need upgrading this year but without having a very clear decisive outcome from anyone as to what the future path is what do I get? 1TB drives or re-mortgage my house and go for 4TB drives?
UKD Actually Sync doesn’t appear to have it sorted any better than Dropbox. In fact their solution is identical to Dropbox from what I gather - let customers use the old app until a real solution presents itself OR Apple finally deprecates kernel extensions and Sync forces everyone onto the new system. This is exactly what Dropbox is doing.
The oneDrive approach (storing only reference files in the CloudStorage folder, while the underlying ‘real’ data is linked in from a cache folder located anywhere you like) is probably what most of these companies will adopt, although it seems inefficient and your data will be stored in a format that is entirely reliant on their software to make sense of, so you’re locked in to their scheme. I personally won’t adopt any solution that turns my files into jibberish like this.
beenyweenies oh well, it is what it is. If push comes to shove I'll drop the external cloud completely and rely on my own NAS. I have a clone of all the files on there as a localised physical backup and I can expand it to about 75TB without the expansion drive, which I think will give me an extra 75TB on top of that.
This isn't the perfect solution but that's my final fallback if none of these companies can figure out a decent solution.
Anyway... I am now off Dropbox. All my files have been moved and all I now need to do is start removing the files from Dropbox. Then it's Au Revior, Adios, Ciao and no more drivel and bollocks stories from Dropbox. I'm just cancelling my personal account too.
Out of curiosity, anyone heard from Dropbox about the final stable release of their software? Just in to July and I'm pretty sure they said they would have it all resolved by May. Might be mistaken but I'm sure it was May.
I keep getting notifications about the new "better app" that uses the new Apple API. And then if I click on the info line below I get a huge list of all the things that will no longer be possible when I upgrade, as well as all the known limitations!
https://help.dropbox.com/installs/macos-support-for-expected-changes
Just a wild idea - maybe also tell users what the benefits will be with some actual examples other than it "integrating more deeply with the OS" 😜? Otherwise literally the only benefit listed is "fix issues related to opening online-only files in third-party applications".
Thanks
Hi,
What's the update to this? My team and I will need to switch provider before too long if we cannot store Dropbox files on external drives.
Thanks,
A
Curly123456 none that I am aware of. Only that the Beta is out there somewhere I believe and that's it. Even that doesn't allow external drive support though so you'd have to stick with the old version and all the issues that comes with.
You should know by now as far as all these big companies are concerned it's this: "Shut up and go away. Be thankful of what we give you and stop complaining. We'll tell you when we have anything for you and our software is amazing, you're the problem. Now just go away."
That's the 2020's for ya!!
I hear you.
There was some confusing talk above about people who have existing dropbox folders on external drives will be able to keep on using their external drives for Dropbox.
What would happen if I drag my dropbox folder to an external drive?
Mac OS Ventura
Currently there is an invitation in the dropbox icon on my mac to update... 'Dropbox for MAc OS on file provider is now ready. Update Dropbox to use it on the latest version of macOS on file provider'
I've been holding back from this update on the off chance that updating will close the external drive loophole...
I hope this make sense!
Curly123456 The only way to relocate the Dropbox folder is to point the DB software to a new location of your choosing, and it will completely resync to that new location. You can’t drag and drop, or in any other way ‘pre-populate’ the new location with your existing downloaded files. Pointing Dropbox to a new location requires a total re-sync.
Also, if you update to the new version from your invite, you will be unable to use DB on an external drive going forward. The only way to reverse that is to uninstall DB and reinstall the version from their website, and when it asks where you want to locate the folder, choosing an external drive will prompt their software to use the non-beta version that allows for external drives.
