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What happens if I don't update to the new Dropbox for MacOS?
I have Dropbox on my M1 MacMini, M1 Macbook Air, old 2015 MacBook Air (all three on Monterey 12.6.3) as well as my iPad Pro and iPhone 13. On the computers, my DropBox folder is in users/{myname}/Dro...
By default, new files added to the account from the site or another device would sync as online-only on your machine, but you can still mark them as available offline.
Files will still sync as normal, and yes, you'd need to change your aliases if any apps of programs need to locate the Dropbox folder.
I guess the name "CloudStorage" confused me, making me think the files would only be in the cloud. You're saying nothing would change, I'd just have to update all my aliases on my devices?
Hannah
Dropbox Community Moderator
Dropbox Community ModeratorHey Macki, thanks for taking the time to reply to this thread.
As part of the Dropbox for macOS update, the Dropbox folder must indeed be located in ~/Library/CloudStorage on your Mac.
We definitely understand any inconvenience caused by this.
As with any operating system, macOS is updated regularly and with that, we must keep the Dropbox app aligned with any requirements set out by an OS.
I will of course, pass your comments along to our team about this, so thanks for your feedback here.
I've been reluctant to update to Dropbox under MacOS 12.5.1. The reason is a bad experience with OneDrive. I far prefer Dropbox to OneDrive, but my employer is a Microsoft ecosystem and I have to use OneDrive for work-related files. After updating OneDrive under 12.5.1, my files no longer sync automatically; they are kept in the cloud and I have to manually click a button to download them to sync. It's like I'm back in 2014 using Unison.
I don't love the other changes under the new version of Dropbox (presumably foisted upon you by Apple), but having to manually sync is a non-starter for me; I want all my files synced on all my machines at all times. So, before I update, I want to make sure: Am I going to have this same problem if I update Dropbox?
Still not pleased with the news that I will have to manually mark any new files as off-line on multiple devices. I'm in my late 70s and memory is not my forte. I will avoid the upgrade as long as possible, even if it means not upgrading my OS. Sad that this has become a requirement with the new DB for OS. One HUGE advantage was not having to think about it and having all file synch to all devices.
Hannah,
As your response to my concerns was basically to suggest that the issue is with the Mac OS and was out of Dropbox's hands, I took the time to look at alternatives, and found that none of your competitors seem to be having the same problem and that there are quite a few alternative options. I spent the time since my last message testing out three of them, and found one in particular that I like a lot. It's less expensive, gives me a much more granular level of control over what files and folders are stored where, and lets me put them wherever I want - and not in some specific location that they decide on. They also offer a deal with a one-off lifetime payment for a positively huge amount of storage (10TB) which I will probably take. So I guess I should thank you for giving me the reason to look at better solutions.
I hope someone at Dropbox figures out how to work with Mac OS so that they can do something similar, otherwise I suspect that they will lose quite a few customers who have Apple computers and like to have control over their own systems.
- Hi,
We have a business account, and the Mac I use has a 10tb external drive connected to Dropbox. That data obviously can’t be moved to ~/Library/CloudStorage: there simply isn’t enough room.
Are your saying that after the update (when will that happen?) any change I make on the external drive will no longer be synced?
That’s a non starter for us. It’s the whole reason we pay for a Dropbox Business account, to keep our stuff in sync. I have to have my data both local and in the cloud and in sync.
And I don’t want stuff only in the cloud. If I did I’d be using a much cheaper cloud provider. The benefit of DropBox is the sync of ALL our data, where I need it.
I suggest you escalate this, and force Apple to change course. This change is completely ridiculous.I think the problem is not with Apple. No cloud storage company other than Dropbox that I could find is having this problem or imposing a change on their users as a result of anything Apple has done.
Hi, would you be so kind to point us to the other solutions? (the one you picked specially)
Sure, although I have a feeling the post may get deleted by Dropbox
The one I went with is pCloud. They get good reviews and their system seems to work as advertised. They also offer an option for end-to-end encryption among other add-ons.
The other one I liked was Tresorit and I also looked at IDrive. I wanted to get something in place quickly before Dropbox unilaterally upgraded their app and tried to reorganize my hard drive, which would have resulted in a catastrophic mess as there was not enough space on any of my machines. I can't imagine trying to unravel that.
Based on a comparison over a day or so, which is less time than I would normally take for a decision like this, I concluded that pCloud was the best fit for me. So far, it's working out well and I like it a lot.
Dropbox has been around a long time and I expect they're working with legacy systems that that may not be easily modified whereas a lot of the alternatives are much younger companies and have had the opportunity to start from scratch and use up to date technologies and approaches.
Macki - I'd love to know the service you found. Can you share?
- Me too - i also use external storage. My internal ssd is far too small - this sucks
