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
Request regarding MacOS X 10.10 (Yosemite) & 10.11 (El Capitan)
I just received a notice that dropbox will cease support for OS 10.10 and 10.11.
The notice, giving it the most leeway i can, indicated that i should consider upgrading my OS or use a web brows...
Hi justmeinNJ & Chern - thanks for dropping by our Community to share your feedback on this.
As you probably know, as of October 17th 2022, the Dropbox desktop app will no longer work on any Mac device running OS X 10.11 or older.
If you do not wish to or cannot update your operating system, all your files will still be available through other compatible computers with supported operating systems, through supported mobile devices, and on the Dropbox website. However, on October 17th, 2022, devices running Mac OS X 10.11 or older will no longer be able to log in and access content through the Dropbox desktop app.
Kindly note that we regularly release new versions of the Dropbox desktop app with additional features, better performance, and security enhancements and these are not always compatible with older systems.
Apple stopped providing security updates to OS X 10.10 and OS X 10.11 in 2017 and 2018 respectively.
We are ending our support of the Dropbox desktop app for these operating systems to keep our product offerings in-line.
Let me know if you have anything else to add or ask.
Walter
Dropbox Staff
Dropbox StaffHi justmeinNJ & Chern - thanks for dropping by our Community to share your feedback on this.
As you probably know, as of October 17th 2022, the Dropbox desktop app will no longer work on any Mac device running OS X 10.11 or older.
If you do not wish to or cannot update your operating system, all your files will still be available through other compatible computers with supported operating systems, through supported mobile devices, and on the Dropbox website. However, on October 17th, 2022, devices running Mac OS X 10.11 or older will no longer be able to log in and access content through the Dropbox desktop app.
Kindly note that we regularly release new versions of the Dropbox desktop app with additional features, better performance, and security enhancements and these are not always compatible with older systems.
Apple stopped providing security updates to OS X 10.10 and OS X 10.11 in 2017 and 2018 respectively.
We are ending our support of the Dropbox desktop app for these operating systems to keep our product offerings in-line.
Let me know if you have anything else to add or ask.
- Ok. You've made your stand, gave a standard response, and I will make mine.
My standard response will be to leave Dropbox.
Thank you for the decade of good service. Obviously wasn't a good enough customer for you to consider retaining.Same here: loved, used, and paid Dropbox for years.
I have some apps on 4 Macs running which require Mac OS 10.10.
I could live with limitations (or "use at your own risk") with Dropbox, but if they stop supporting Mac OS 10.10, I have to leave and look for something else.
Any suggestions for alternatives to Dropbox? Does not have to be a free app; I'm happy to pay.
Thanks- I've been with Dropbox since 2011 (I have the exact date still fresh in my memory.) Dropbox is great, no doubt, I was subscribing it on and off as my usage increased with the team.
Just paid for pCloud, they have 500gb for a lifetime fee of 175usd. And support down to 10.9.
My migration of data will complete in about a day or so... TGVW. I wish you and everyone on the same boat, all the best in looking for the right service...
C.
Legacy systems are hard to support. Move on.
Apple made computers that could be upgraded but once the upgrade level was reached, that didn’t mean the computers no longer worked. I’m running a MacbookPro from 2009 and is ALL I CAN AFFORD. I bought it new and it has done me well but now I am 75, retired, with limited pension, and no way can I afford to replace it. It is running 10.10 and to withdraw support with ONE MONTH notice is a disgrace! I’ve used dropbox for at least ten years I think and been happy to pay despite it being used rarely.
IF THERE IS A WAY TO KEEP THIS RUNNING AT LEAST ANOTHER FEW MONTHS TO GIVE PEOPLE CHANCE TO MIGRATE OR FIND A WAY TO UPDATE, that would be useful and HONOURABLE!
- You hit the nail in the Dropbox coffin. My notice was served 21 days in advance.
Not only withdrawing support, they will DISABLE the ability to SYNC files!!! I am happy to use unsupported software at my own risk...
Ironically - I have never used Dropbox support channel until now and for the wrong reasons. 11 years of trouble free run! How many apps can beat that?
Are you Dropbox guys listening yet? Hello? I'm 8 hours from completing my migration to pCloud which I paid for! Completely agree with this. We run very stable El Capitan macs with bespoke applications. One month to upgrade the OS, rewrite and test our apps simply isn't enough. If they'd given notice six months ago I would have accepted it, but just over a month isn't viable.
Legacy systems are hard to support. Move on.
Capitalism works....If there is a need, someone is doing it.
Not a great answer. You have heard from me and others that upgrading is not always an option.
Your "solution" is to upgrade.
I hoped someone might at least take the comment seriously and look into ways to extend support.
Regurgitating the already stated, and already disliked, position is not helpful.
justmeinNJ
Walter: I'm another one that will have to find some other service and stop paying you. Can I claim a credit for the unused part year?
I'm very unhappy about the very short notice and will go out of my way to let people know this is how you treat paying customers.
Not even giving a consistent end date is very poor too, is the organisation in crisis there?
I want to continue with Adobe apps I purchased, I do not want monthly fees but Adobe required new CC cloud subs for new OS, my CS6 will not run - I have tested this. I do not want a new machine for my main work platform, it is very stable, current uptime 120 days. I like to run low level logging software and the old style Apple logging rather than unified logging. I have exactly what I want except I must suddenly find a new file sharing system, and this will involve others who also pay leaving so here goes a chain of loyal paying customers who will probably all turn into advocates against DropBox.
So I must choose CS6 or DropBox? Bye bye Dropbox!!!- I'm one of those that has several aged macs for different reasons. My oldest Mac hasn't synced with Dropbox anymore for a while now, but I don't do major work on it anymore. I use it with some old applications that aren't available anymore. But my next oldest Mac is my main hub for the same reasons many of you say. That being disconnected from Dropbox will seriously affect my work. I think rather than us complaining to each other, we need to connect with someone at the top who can listen. Customer support on Twitter just gives a canned answer. Does anyone have any friends in the media? Or a business account on LinkedIn?
I've gone into "no hope with them" mode. Looking at my migration options, starting with 1Password. If that goes to iCloud OK then so does everything else, even though I have suspected data losses in the past with Notes and some other stuff. I'll just keep on top of good local versioned backups too!
Looking through some of their support site and other commentary about DB I think they've had their day and got to the hard point of trying to expand from a place you would not start from. It's tough and they'll give us all a hard time on the way I suspect.
A shame as I like the incremental efficient file synch stuff, though there was lots of data replication and high CPU usage etc at times that has annoyed me for years...
- Colin W.1, same here. Publisher working third book using cs5 and 6 from decade ago. Elcapitan 10.11
I don't know if you chased up the thread, I've moved to pCloud with a lifetime subscription. Basically Downloaded, installed, pointed the main computer to sync whatever thats in the Dropbox folder, and installed pCloud on the rest of the computers to sync over LAN, Re path links to pcloud folder. Works out cheaper too as it is a one-time payment.
Shame on dropbox, they had to do this so suddenly, I had to migrate my cloud data 3 days before a flight.
Walter--echoing some of what others have said, here are my gripes:
1) The email I got about the October 2022 upgrade did not provide an exact date in October. I contacted the service rep on line and she said she did not know an exact date when OS10.11 would no longer work. She would have left it at that but I pressed her to ask someone higher up. I got a reply an hour os so later to the effect that an exact date for cut-off had not been set. Here, you are saying October 17. Why do you have the date but your service reps do not? The date is rather critical since my choices were to either right away spend 4-5 hours (ie, losing a work day) getting my current OS upgraded or plopping down $5k immediately at the Mac store to get a new computer delivered in time.
2) I asked the rep if I upgraded to Catalina--OS10.15, if Dropbox would still support me past October. The response "to the best of my knowledge". So now I'm trusting my files to a company that does not know when its roll-out date is and isn't really sure what will still be working afterward. When I hit the support page re system requirements, it only says that I will need Monterey (ie, 12.0), but does not mention 10.15 and up and how long those are expected to work--or if I'm losing functionality if I stay with 10.15 and not Monterey.
3) Too short notice--so even assuming October 17 is the roll out date, I need to buy a new iMac to run Monterey. But the Mac store says the package I would need to buy will take longer than that to deliver.
4) Beyond all of that--The latest iMac version that supports Monterey was sold in 2017. Basically what Dropbox is telling us is that to continue using Dropbox we are required to invest $5,000 to $6,000 every five years in a new computer, while the current one is still working just fine otherwise. I can't see how this is a sustainable business model on your end. I'm resigned to upgrade the computer about every ten years, but five is pretty extreme.
My Gawd. This entitlement behavior is sickening. You pay for a service. The provider ( a business for profit) elects to not provide service any longer. Move on.
Legacy systems are hard to support.
Capitalism works....If there is a need, someone is doing it. Find them.
You typed a novel here....time would have been better served finding a solution. It's out there.
I picked up a used certified MAC for under $300 by the way. Comes with a 1 yr warranty as well. Upgraded to Catalina. Works good, lasts a long time.
Appreciate this response, Walter, but Dropbox still does not fully work on the latest Mac OS. To remove support from any Mac OS at this point is extremely irresponsible.
- @alluvialsphinx I didn't even realize this! I fully agree. I posted to @dropboxsupport on Twitter and I suggest others do this too.
I second everything that has been said. For me this unwanted upgrade means that I have to abandon my perfectly working system and buy a new computer, since the one I use now doesn´t work with later versions of OS X. And I really hate to be forced into upgrading hardware that works. We have a climate crisis and it shouldn´t be allowed making upgrades that forces people to consume more hardware, a consumption that inevitably speeds up climate change.
Hi Walter,
Does the end of support for OS X 10.10 and OS X 10.11 systems mean that Mac folders will no longer sync? Or is the end of support for some other Dropbox app that opens in a separate window?yup pretty sure they mean that sync will stop, that is done by background software and they are choosing to switch that off so they can move forward with new or better features. I have yet to find out why, at a tech level that might be. I have a few ideas why but they do not fully pan out to me... maybe some useful info at the ever-great former writer for macUser, Howard Oakley e.g. at
https://eclecticlight.co/2022/01/29/looking-ahead-to-macos-12-3-python-dropbox-and-onedrive-changes/
So maybe it is lack of Python they are tooling up for or the changing emphasis in disk formats as SSDs take over...
I hope to find out more and agitate, this is bad news for me as I'm 100% with the publisher people on page 1. Bad news and I need longer to move to some other service and stop paying them
I just received two email today. The first informing me that 10.11 support would end in 14 days - quite a shock. Then a second email telling me that support ended today.
Dropbox - you really have gone the way of Twitter: Down the toilet.
So very sad.
Hello, I just received the message from Dropbox that they will no longer support OS 11 ONLY 2 days ago and came upon this thread. It has been working (and still does), but I am very concerned since others note that the end date for support was supposed to be in October. Like others, I have an older Mac desktop that is really an archive of life and work, with applications that will not work with a newer operating system. I am heavily reliant upon Dropbox to move between my home and work computers, and will be unable to continue if they don't sync. Does anyone know when the actual D-day of no support is? I am looking into the other options noted in the thread (pCloud). If I go that route, how do I migrate my Dropbox contents to that drive? I use the Dropbox window on both my desktop and laptop, the latter that has a later operating system; do I have to remove it from one or the other before or after migrating to a new cloud system? Help! I have tons of folders and files going back years, since I have been using Dropbox for at least a decade.
- Hey DrJ1,
It's easy. Take the oldest machine (with Dropbox folders), install pCloud (or whichever new syncing app you choose), point the new app to sync your Dropbox folder and all its contents
Once a copy is synced to pCloud, download pCloud onto your other machines, and sync as usual. If your machines are LAN together, select "sync over LAN". Besure to delete your Dropbox and its contents before syncing over pCloud. You may have to repay the links if you're working on apps with linked files etc. But I've taken the hit and repath every file I need to...
It takes time. Mine took 4 days for 50gb due to slow connection. And another few days to re-path my live working folders.
Once bitten twice shy, I have kept my Dropbox subscription only as a backup for newer machines. Funny it used to be the other way around, the backups are the older machines!
So sad to read a standard reply to loyal users.
I started using Dropbox in 2011, it was great. Sorry to say, I have to leave it now. You cannot force us to buy a new Mac to use your services. Bye bye.Same problem here. I can not upgrade my Macos, otherwise, other apps won´t work.
The dropbox answer to all of us is simply a joke.
So, after 10 satisfactory years running four different accounts for my different businesses, I'll look another storage service, and stop recommending dropbox.
Bye
Miserable decision and miserable answer from the support too.
I'm thinking of migrating too.
This behavior is not up to the mark of the quality of the software.
- This is a serious issue for a LOT of people. Marking this as "solved" is even insulting.
You are not ending suport for an older os but to older, perfectly working, computers that cannot upgrade (and Apple is as guilty).
Just keeping the older versions of the client available is too much of an effort?
Im a a totally faithful client and I have recomended DB to a lot of people, beeing "the technical guy", and some of those are now asking me for a solution that does not imply dumping their 17" 2TB SSD 2008 MacBook Pro. (And with what?)
This is just crazy.
