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Forum Discussion
macOS File Provider not installed by default and needlessly erases and downloads files twice
I just restored my machine a macOS Time Machine backup, and I was surprised to learn that apparently the Dropbox installer doesn't use the macOS Dropbox File Provider implementation by default. Becau...
Megan
Dropbox Staff
Dropbox StaffHi William M.26, I'd be happy to touch on each one of your points here!
Here's what I understand, and feel free to correct me if I am wrong: you used Time Machine on your mac, which then erased your files, and prompted you to download the app but not on the File Provider as it was before.
It sounds like Time Machine, might have interfered with our File Provider. After all, I think that you can't use Time Machine with Cloudstorage folders, but since this is an Apple feature you might need to contact them for official information.
As for your current syncing process, would you mind clarifying the app's status for me? Also, did you set the preferences anew, when you re-installed the app?
Let me know a bit more, and we'll do our best to help!
Sorry, that's not what I meant. Time Machine seems to have worked just fine and originally restored all Dropbox files to the proper location, ~/Library/CloudStorage.
Then when installing Dropbox, Dropbox proceeded to remove all the files, restart Dropbox back in the older location pre-file-provider, ~/Dropbox, then redownload all my files. This was unnecessary and redundant. All this time it was prompting me to turn on the file provider, which I couldn't do because it was downloading files.
Then a few hours later, once all files were re-downloaded, I re-enabled the macOS-specific Dropbox file provider implementation, which then moved everything back to ~/Library/CloudStorage/Dropbox, and then synced again.
I think this is a bug and Dropbox should actually install the macOS file provider by default and just verify the files are synced, instead of moving/deleting/restoring/moving/syncing again.
As far as status, all seems well now. It just took hours of needless downloading and confusion.
As for this assertion: "can't use Time Machine with Cloudstorage" ... This doesn't appear to be true. I can verify in the Time Machine backup that all Dropbox files in ~/Library/CloudStorage/Dropbox are present and accessible.
- Megan
Hi William M.26, I definitely see clearer what you mean, and why this whole process was not timely.
I'll forward your feedback and comments to the appropriate areas and developers, in order for us to continue to improve.
Thank you so much, William!
