You might see that the Dropbox Community team have been busy working on some major updates to the Community itself! So, here is some info on what’s changed, what’s staying the same and what you can expect from the Dropbox Community overall.
Forum Discussion
Dropbox Migration to a New Mac With the New Cloud Storage Setup
On my primary computer, I keep all Dropbox files in offline mode. I've updated to the new Dropbox setup that places the Dropbox folder in ~/Library/CloudStorage. I'm wondering what will happe...
Got it! Thanks--that makes sense.
Can I suggest that your development people review this and see if it's possible to update the Dropbox application at some point in the future so these steps are no longer necessary. The way things worked BEFORE the current change was simpler and less time-and-bandwidth consuming: You just had to run the standard Apple migration, and and then connect the new computer to your Dropbox account (no reinstallation necessary). At that point Dropbox would update its indexing without requiring re-download of the Dropbox contents.
Hannah
Dropbox Staff
Dropbox StaffSorry to jump in here, fssbob.
I understand where you're coming from, so a way to avoid this, if you'll no longer be using your old computer, would be the following:
- Before the migration, unlink the old computer from Dropbox. This will disconnect it from your account.
- Delete the Dropbox app and the Dropbox folder from the old computer. You're safe to do this, as long as the computer is unlinked.
- Proceed with the migration
- Install the Dropbox application on the new computer and sign in to your account.
Got it! Thanks--that makes sense.
Can I suggest that your development people review this and see if it's possible to update the Dropbox application at some point in the future so these steps are no longer necessary. The way things worked BEFORE the current change was simpler and less time-and-bandwidth consuming: You just had to run the standard Apple migration, and and then connect the new computer to your Dropbox account (no reinstallation necessary). At that point Dropbox would update its indexing without requiring re-download of the Dropbox contents.
Hi fssbob. Thanks for your persistence with seeking clarification on this issue. Did you end up following the steps and all worked as expected? Deleting the Dropbox folder from the old Mac feels like a massive step, one that it's hard to go back from if things don't work out as expected.
I just got a new MacBook, but I'm still "not eligible for the new Dropbox for macOS on File Provider". So, I'm still unclear on whether these steps apply to me, or whether I should continue to wait. Fun times!
Hi Stephen,
Yes, I followed the steps and it worked. Wasn't fun though.
When you say you're still "not eligible for the new Dropbox for macOS on File Provider", where and when do you see that message? My memory is that Dropbox first installs everything in the old location, and only then tells you it's ready to move the Dropbox contents to the new location, which might be the point at which it says you're "eligible". I discovered that one way to speed up that process was to use "Selective sync" to temporarily specify only one small Dropbox folder was to be added to my Mac. After it downloaded, Dropbox informed me I was ready for the new setup, and I clicked the "OK" button. It performed the move. And then I specified add the rest of my folders, at which point they were added in the new location.
The whole process appears to have been designed only to handle an existing legacy Dropbox user--not a user who is installing on or updating to a new Mac. I can't imagine how many users Dropbox has lost over the frustration in dealing with this fragile and obtuse process.
Hello! I see that message when I go into my Dropbox preferences and click on the Sync tab. It's under a heading that says 'Dropbox folder updates'. I remember maybe a year ago I had an option for early access to the file provider update, but I was nervous about the impact on my workflow, so left things how they were. I decided I was finally ready to jump in, but no longer have the option to switch.
I went into Selective Sync, and tried unticking an existing folder, and creating a new one to sync one file to, but the message under Preferences > Sync is still saying the same thing. Tried restarting the app too, but no difference. I'm just one user on this company Dropbox account, so I'm hesitant to try too many workarounds.
My current MacBook (Intel) is fiiiiine, but the new one that became available (Apple Silicon) is appealing. As you mention, I used Migration Assistant to transfer everything from old to new, but when I opened Dropbox on the new one and logged in there were all sorts of unsynced files and permission errors and I had work deadlines to meet, so I shut it down and went back to my old MacBook. Now I'm hesitant to try again, because what if I unlink the old MacBook and remove the app, do the transfer and then discover the same issues are there. I can't just jump back onto my old Macbook like nothing happened.
And now that I know I'm not using the "latest and greatest" Dropbox, who knows what other factors that introduces. Better just to play it safe, leave things how they are, and dream of how Apple Silicon could be speeding up my After Effects rendering. 🙂
Appreciate your time responding.
A follow-up note after reading about Dropbox's layoffs and current financial difficulties. In my opinion Dropbox has made the classic mistake of putting too many resources into developing sexy new features while failing to maintain the strength of its core technology. Over time, most Mac users migrate to newer machines. At that point Dropbox still forces them to go through a needlessly long, complex, and painful process, and many customers simply give up and decide to abandon Dropbox. It's now been two years since the original Forum discussion about this. That's easily enough time for Dropbox development to have improved the process if it had been given priority.
Yes, classic, for sure. I'm sure there are many companies this applies to, but Adobe's one that impacts me every day. Diverted all their resources to developing AI technologies no one wants, while neglecting the features and foundations we rely on.
Disappointing thing in this thread is that even if Dropbox's best advice is to follow a long series of steps, it would be great if someone from the company could document those steps and publish them! "How to migrate to your new Mac (with screenshots)". Dropbox for Dummies. File management can be nerve-racking, especially when deleting/removing things is involved, so an authorised step-by-step procedure to follow would be great.
