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.

[TORLEY]

I'm frustrated and disappointed by this, and wanted to add my voice too. Gosh, many relatable stories.

So far my Dropbox hasn't tried to update and force me to move files onto internal storage. 🤞 I see this message:

However, another Mac I'm on that only uses internal storage was forced to update, or Dropbox would quit.

Like others, I've long relied on a professional path that depends on trusting Dropbox for file-sync integrity, but this sounds confusing and messy — the right thing to do here is to have a solution/workaround IN PLACE before removing the old pathway. That's called making a smooth migration, and not having it is simply not responsible.

Dropbox risks destroying much goodwill with longtime customers. The lack of communication is even more detrimental, during a time where we and our workflows would benefit from reassurance and updates.

[chadbush]

I have a setup with two user accounts on the same Mac, each connected to the same Dropbox account. One user has its Dropbox folder on the internal drive. The other, which I only sync periodically, has its Dropbox folder on an enormous external drive. Therefore, it looks like Dropbox is going to force everything to try to get crammed onto the internal drive, which won't work. The desktop Dropbox app, when I'm logged into my primary user account with the DB folder living internally, keeps prompting me to upgrade it since it doesn't recognize that a ton of files on this same DB account live on external drive.

Even though I just paid my annual DB bill in February, I'm seriously looking at sync.com. The answer DB support seems to be giving us for this major flaw is that it might come up with a solution at some undetermined time in the future. That's not good enough, especially since mine seems to be an edge case for which their "we won't for an upgrade if your DB folder lives on an external drive" promise won't hold true.

[vsloth]

I was unaware of this issue, until i last night was hit with the same prompt y'all is dealing with.

my entire teams work structure is now utterly crippled and i'm literally here in the studio in the weekend pulling out my hair trying to navigate the damage this has created so far.

so many broken links, so much data just mixed up now between client computers and our edit computers. it's such a mess.

is there really no update from Dropbox side? this is a costly move for many of their more pro clients.

jeeesus christ.

[ArthurPix]

@vsloth I believe you can bypass the update, but don’t know if you can do this retroactively. Personally I have switched to sync.com, at least until Dropbox figures out how to let us continue using our external disks. It’s not quite as comfy as Dropbox but works very well and does everything I need very quickly. Plus, Sync gives you 6 Terabytes for $240 a year.

Plus, ]if you have a DropBox Team account, you’ll save major bucks in the long term by switching to Sync. Unlimited space costs just $15 a user per month on Sync, compared to $24 a user per month on Dropbox.

[shinbeth]

But sadly sync.com isn’t as smooth and fast as Dropbox and also only Dropbox is able to sync 100% of file extensions without any issues. I’ve had issues with sync.com, OneDrive and Google Drive in the past, their environment isn’t as smooth as Dropbox.

I personally didn’t renew my Dropbox plan until they offer bigger plans like 10TB (just like the rest of the competition) since 3TB is way too small.

[TheMainOne]

@shinbeth 

Sync.com has been incredibly good. It is getting better all the time as well. 

We have moved exclusively to Sync.com now and have all of our team on it.

The only thing that I have noticed much of an issue with is the initial upload. I have several terabytes on their system now. And it does take a little bit to get the first upload done. Bringing things down as needed it has not been an issue in the speed has been plenty fine. 

It seems to be the major player that really gets what is needed. 

I am so glad to have dropbox off my system you can hardly imagine. The nonsense they have put everyone through has been ridiculous. 

[ArthurPix]

@shinbeth Sync has been taking criticisms of their speed seriously. When I first started using it a few months ago, I too was dismayed by the time it took to upload a pdf from my iPad Pro, but as of a few weeks ago, their speed has accelerated significantly, at least on my account. 

@shinbeth I’d also really appreciate it if you could share which file types have been giving you trouble on Sync. This would help me isolate which files I should move to iCloud, for which I also pay.

[fjazzfjazz]

Question about Sync.com

If I have other collaborators that all need local access to media files. 

All of them will need to have a sync.com plan to be able to do that right? 

[ArthurPix]

@fjazzfjazz  As I understand it, file sharing on Sync operates pretty much the same way as on Dropbox. Specifically:

If you simply want your team to be able to see and use a file, you can send them a link via email, message or Airdrop, and they will NOT need a Sync account. As Sync’s own FAQ states:

 “The people you share with get instant access, no Sync account required, and you can control access with passwords, expiry dates, email notifications and more.”

However, if you want your team to be able to work on shared files and update them, you need a Sync Team account. The cost for 1 Terabyte of Team space is $6 a month per user, billed annually. Unlimited storage costs $15 a month per user, and you also get an administrator account, phone support and other perks.

Again, all this is similar to what’s offered by Dropbox, with different pricing. As of June 3, 2023, you can buy 5 Terabytes of Dropbox Team space for $15 a month per user, billed annually. Unlimited space for your Dropbox Team goes for you $24 a month per user, billed annually. 

NOTE: My own needs are taken care of by individual accounts, so I can’t personally vouch for how well each service’s Team accounts work, but they appear to operate similarly.

@fjazzfjazzif you or anyone else have any more questions, please let me know.

[ArthurPix]

@UKD @fjazzfjazz @shinbeth @TheMainOne Your earlier comments about how much money you’ll save by switching to Sync are spot-on. They appear to be looking closely at Dropbox’s Team pricing and working hard to one-up Dropbox at every level. An Unlimited Space Team account costs $15 per user in Sync and $24 per user on Dropbox. Plus, for people with smaller space needs (like me!) Sync offers a 1T Team account for just $6 per user per month! Makes me wonder if I should be trying a Team account instead of playing ping-pong with my frequent collaborator —even though we’re not a permanent team, we might both save a lot of time!