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Forum Discussion
Disaster: Dropbox removing external disk support for Mac users :(
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...
I'm very confused about what is happening with Dropbox. I've read the help documentation and read through some posts on this forum.
The standard copy-and-paste reply from Dropbox support is from this article: https://help.dropbox.com/installs/macos-support-for-expected-changes
"Storing your Dropbox folder on an external drive is no longer supported by macOS."
The issue with this and all the replies I've seen is that there is no explanation or understanding as to how much of a disadvantage this to some of us long-time Dropbox users. I want to understand what has happened and what the workarounds (if any) are.
I'm currently on Mac OS 12.5 (Monterery).
I am concerned about upgrading because it looks like I will no longer be able to store my Dropbox folder on my external drive.
On my 1Tb MacBook Pro, this isn't an issue.
But on my 512Gb Mac Mini, this is a significant issue.
Like many people, I work with very large video files, and I quickly run out of space on my Mac's hard drive. And it's not an option to store many of these files online, because of the time it takes to download (even on a fast connection).
From what I gather, Apple are requiring 3rd party tools to work with their iCloud API and to store all files within the user library.
But, is it not possible to move my Apple user library to an external library? Even on Ventura? If so, wouldn't that mean I CAN use Dropbox on an external drive?
On my Mac Mini, I don't really want any of my documents on my main drive, because there just isn't enough room.
Can someone explain what is happening here, and if there are any workarounds? Specifically, can I move my user library to an external drive and so use Dropbox there?
Thanks!
What happens if my boot drive IS an external drive (which mine is)?? Is it possible that the Dropbox folder needs to be on the boot drive, wherever that happens to be?? If this is true, it wouldn't help teams whose workflow is based on shared network storage, but it MIGHT help those like me with simpler set-ups. Does anyone know if this is so???
