New MacOs Problem due to default to Online Only Files

[bdharvey74]

Been having issues recently with terrible performance around video editing I was doing. The files were choppy and acted like they not fully entering the software. After digging digging and digging I just found out from DropBox support that with the new MacOs Monterey apparently when you add files to your Dropbox folder via Finder it first has to upload all the files to Dropbox then if you want them to also be on your hard drive you have to go to the file (or folder) and tell it to make them available off-line. Telling it to make them available offline means that it now has to download all the files you just uploaded. Usually not a big issue but...

If you do any video work then this SUCKS! For example, today I shot a bunch of 4K and Raw video so needless to say the files are quite large. So moving the files off my camera's SD card to put them on my hard drive (which is also a dropbox folder) kicked off the process of uploading the files to Dropbox. In my case it needed to upload almost 60 Gig of video which even with decent internet it takes a while, in some cases a couple hours. Also while the files are uploading it basically makes them unusable in any video editing software (for me Premiere Pro) because it appears they are having to download what is being uploaded verses just using what should be stored locally on my hard drive.

So what is the fix according to Dropbox Support? Well there isn't one so you have to upload first, then after they all upload you have to go back and set the files to Available Offline which at that point Dropbox then downloads the files back to your hard drive. Needless to say downloading 60 Gig does also take some time. 

I hate this and have been with Dropbox for over 10 years but going to have to change. If this change was caused by the new MacOs then why didn't the dev team at DropBox have this figured out already and before Apple released Monterey? 

Just annoyed that I spent hours and hours trying to figure out why I was having such bad performance issues while trying to edit video only to figure out there is a default to "On-Line Only" first. Ugg. So wanted to put this here in the community in the hopes that someone who is struggling with the same problem will find it and stop beating their head against the wall.   

[bdharvey74]

Thanks for the encouragement and been holding out waiting for a fix but I have to do something now. My recent videography work is killing my storage, both on my mac and Dropbox. Are you aware of any other solutions that have something similar to SmartSync? I loved Smartsync because it would automatically off-load any files on my mac I hadn't used in a while thus freeing up hard drive space.  

[dstrand1]

I can't believe that this still isn't fixed...OS Ventura is coming out soon! 

[sealbee]

My company has looked into Sync.com--a very viable competitor to dropbox. They have a similar feature to smart sync called CloudFiles, but it is in "beta" mode. The feature has been out for quite awhile however. I'd say definitely worth testing out. Sync.com is also more affordable than dropbox.

Sync | A secure Dropbox alternative

How to use Sync CloudFiles (Beta)

I was using a personal PC and then switched to a new Mac studio that my employer provided--to say I was annoyed about this issue is an understatement. I had to completely alter my sync workflow, but I am fortunate that I do not have to keep a ton of raw footage on my hard drive.

Also maybe dropbox will see this and think, maybe we should fix this issue that has lasted almost a year...

[Walter]

Hi all, thank you all for your feedback on this. 

I just wanted to let you know that full support for macOS 12.5 and higher has already started rolling out. 

Broader availability will begin in November 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. 

[styrk]

Nov 22 now. Any news regarding the out rolling?

[albertrand71]

So where is it? 

I've just moved over to a new Mac and forced to use Monterey 12.5. I've been made of this issue and have not upgraded to Monterey because of it until now. If you're not getting this very serious issue sorted very, very soon, then Mac users are going to leave Dropbox in droves. Including me.

It's nearly a year after this issue came to light.

Please fix it. 

[styrk]

Walter. You wrote this answer to us in April. It's almost a year ago, and then you said that work was actively being done to resolve this.
How active are you really? And is there any ongoing information we could get that would help us?

[ProfessorT]

I find this whole situation inconceivable. I'm with those who say that soon they will ditch Dropbox for another cloud syn. system.

[sealbee]

This issue is still persistent in January 2023

[albertrand71]

Joining the beta seems to fix the issue