Disaster: Dropbox removing external disk support for Mac users :(

[Jon C.10]

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://talk.tidbits.com/t/dropbox-drops-support-for-storing-files-on-an-external-drive-and-onedrive...

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.

[shinbeth]

@Bluebiycle 

'Hopefully', 'soon' doesn't cut it for a company as mighty as Dropbox. Be sure of your update or don't release it.

And no one faulted Dropbox sync otherwise, that's not the point of this thread.

[millifoo]

@Jgcamil 

The wording of the "pause" was a big cagey:

"While we work to implement a solution, customers who have their Dropbox folder on an external drive will not be migrated to the updated macOS experience."

I take that to mean if you have it set up with an external drive already, and don't mess with it, it'll keep working... for now.

But if you - say - try to migrate to a new machine and have to re-set things up, it's going to switch to the new "internal drive only" mode. That might (???) explain why @Warhen and @Peter Proulx are having problems now.

[Warhen]

DropBox canceled my account and moved me to basic. I had a support chat asking about resolving this issue. I had stated in the support chat below twice that I wanted a refund “after” I found another service to move to.  "( 19:07:37 ) Visitor: Let me move my files to a different service and follow up with a request for a refund.” and again at "( 19:11:19 ) Visitor: Lousy guidelines Courtney. I will want a refund after moving to a service that will support external drives."

WTF!

[BFEINZIMER]

Beware if you are setting up a new machine. While doing a restore/data migration to a machine I was using as a loaner, the Dropbox app forced the change. I've two computers running latest Mac OS and DB applications (DB v168.4.4802 Mac OS 13.1.) and while doing a data migration coping one to a temporary machine (for a repair loner period on one computer) the new computer forced the update disabling external drive usage after the data migration. The two existing machines did not force the change yet, 

Due to my business workflow of working with large amounts of data (larger than the internal drives of my computers) I'll need to find another service if Dropbox can't find a way to make this work...

Another major gripe is if my external drive where my DB folder lives becomes disconnected, DB needs to NOT delete my entire Dropbox account. Have had this happen 2-3 times now and most recently it took support and the restorations team 7-9 days to restore my account, where I was waiting 24 hours per reply from the restore team. While I'm grateful for the restore team's help, it was unacceptable it took over a week to get my data back while paying $300 a year for Dropbox.

Dropbox if you can't fix these two issues, I have to move on and you'll lose a 10+ year customer.

[Jamesgangcc]

Don't know if this will help some of you out there. I didn't "send for brochure" or send an email because it won't work for me. And I don't want to be called by a salesperson into infinity. If Dropbox gets squirrelly that I shared a link, Google "Best Cloud Storage" and search for Seagate. There are others but this apparently allows for collaboration, etc. 

https://www.seagate.com/services/cloud/storage/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=sem&utm_campaign=lyve_c...

[Peter Proulx]

I was able to use a Time Machine backup and revert to a date before I upgraded to the new version that doesn't allow external drives. 

[Sunspot]

Fortunately I am not in as deep trouble as some of these users bc I do store my dropbox folder on my main drive. But I am confused by this error message and I don't want my Dropbox to disappear into the system folder. I use it constantly. I don't want all the fancy bells and whistles, I have enjoyed the consistency and simplicity pf Dropbox for many years. So when I accept this change what will happen? My dropbox folder currently resides on my desktop. I use it to keep special files that I want to be sure are backed up in two places and also occasionally to share. I would like to continue that familiar scenario.

Furthermore, I certainly feel the other users pain. Someday I might need to store my Dropbox folder on an external drive. 

As a matter of fact we also have subscription to another company that I assume is a competitor to Dropbox. My partner likes using them for file transfers, and it's true they have a good experience for those sending and receiving files, but I find Dropbox' simple integration with my system perfect and hope they remember that further complication is not necessarily good.

However to give credit due . . . I have not clicked the update button and everything seems to be working as usual for now.

 

 

 

[Jamesgangcc]

This is exactly how I got here 🙂 When I read the "learn more" it freaked me out (even though I don't use it externally). And I'm still confused about why some folders show up as being in the dropbox while they shouldn't be there... and I'm confused as to why all the desktop and docs on my computer aren't being saved in the iCloud though I have that clicked. It's been three days and there are still items loading ... 

[Ru 1971]

Just so I full understand where we are now. If I buy a new Mac today, can I *currently* install my dropbox folder on an external drive, whilst they try & fix this messy situation?

[psalcal]

This is BS.  Google has figured out a way around it for google drive.    This is a COMPLETE SHOW STOPPER and this is TERRIBLE and unusable.  How many of us have large dropbox libraries on our desktop computers AND host all our files on external volumes?  

Instructions on how to fix google drive, for reference:

"Disconnect their account from Drive for Desktop.

- Quit Google Drive for Desktop.

- Run this command in a terminal touch ~/Library/Application\ Support/Google/DriveFS/fp_left_beta

- Start Google Drive and log back in.

https://support.google.com/drive/thread/159983654?hl=en&msgid=162498347

This way the user will have a second folder that is not controlled by FileProvider and can be safely used."

MAKE THIS HAPPEN.