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Forum Discussion
Dropbox for macOS syncs when the app is closed - what can I do?
*I'm copying and pasting my final reply to Dropbox support, who told me to come here - Dropbox syncs on Mac even when the app isn't open.*
Dropbox should only sync WHEN THE APP IS OPEN. You hav...
Hannah
Dropbox Staff
Dropbox StaffHey the_name_youll_be_known_as, indeed, what you're seeing is expected with the File Provider API.
You can see Emma's response here for more info.
Hey Hannah,
Thank you for your quick answer.
As the Apple File Provider is doing the sync, even when Dropbox is not running, I presume it is syncing only between iCloud configured macOS and iOS devices and not to the Dropbox server.
Is this correct?
If Dropbox is running, does it sync to the dropbox.com servers AND the iCloud servers?
Does it transfer the data twice?
I am somewhat concerned about my Internet bandwidth and most of all the cost (data roaming in the EU is still VERY expensive and limited).
- Hannah
Hey the_name_youll_be_known_as, happy Monday!
Dropbox isn't really connected to iCloud; they are basically two different services, which shouldn't even interfere with each other.
If you make changes to your Dropbox files using the local Dropbox folder on your computer, for example, Dropbox will sync these changes to our servers and any other devices you have linked to your Dropbox account, like a phone you've installed the Dropbox app on.
I hope this helps clarify things a bit, but if you have more questions, I'd be happy to help!
Hi Hannah, happy Monday to you as well 🙂
Dropbox isn't really connected to iCloud; they are basically two different services, which shouldn't even interfere with each other.
After some experiments, I'm starting to get it.
1. The DropboxFileProvider process on macOS and iOS use Apple File Provider to synchronise the files
2. This process runs even when Dropbox is not running.
3. Allthough one might think that ~/Library/CloudStorage/ is used by iCloud, it is not used by the Dropbox folder, which resides in the Cloudstorage folder.
4. The DropboxFileProvider syncs to Dropbox and not to iCloud.
So there is absolutely no double upload. I think point 3 got me confused to start with.
CloudStorage ≠ iCloudStorage.
Thanks! -- peter
I've gotta say, the newstyle background sync behavior with File Provider is a big win from my perspective, perhaps because I end up needing to juggle a bunch of cloud providers — iCloud, OneDrive, Drop Box, gCloud (or whatever it's called) — for various projects. There's a lot of "Where's that file? Oh, I rebooted two days ago and haven't had [cloud provider client X] open...". Then I get to open it and wait three minutes for it to get caught up. This removes that friction.
And I really like having that "Locations" spot in the Finder sidebar — it's the same pattern as in the Files app on iOS/iPadOs — and not having to have three or four duplicative-but-slightly-different cloud storage apps open all the time. Drop Box's desktop client interface is perfectly pleasant, and I'm sure someone feels that way about gCloud or OneDrive (even if it isn't me), but they're all a bit different.
I find it really improves matters conceptually in keeping track of where each file is actually stored: here's a simple, straightforward list of all of the places you keep things! The only improvement I would make would be for iCloud Drive to be down there in Locations with the hoi polloi — or hot pollo as autocorrect would have it LOL — too. But don't hold your breath for Apple to make that change.
It also (I think?) makes it harder to produce the insane mixups that would happen if you inadvertently put a folder synced by one service inside a folder synced by another.
