Dropbox Location Change on MacOS 12.6

[OldMacGuy]

Just installed DropBox update v157.4.4808 on a MacbookPro 13,3 running MacOS 12.6.  DropBox location was moved by installer to ~/library/CloudStorage and alias moved from "Favorites" to "Locations" in sidebar.  DropBox support doc "https://help.dropbox.com/installs/macos-faqs" says new location due to change in MacOS.  HOWEVER, installed same DropBox version on an iMac 18,3 running MacOS 12.6 and the location did not change!  DropBox alias remains in "Favorites".

Anyone else run across this discrepancy?

Anyone have an idea as to cause of this discrepancy?

[mrc247]

How can I force the Dropbox location change?

I want to update to macOS 13 and want to do the Dropbox Location Change first.

I have Dropbox version 161.4.4923 installed.

However, I am not offered the option to do this and my files are still in the old location.

[Megan]

Hi @mrc247, thank you for reaching out.

Full support for macOS 12.5 and higher has started rolling out. Broader availability has begun this month as we work to preserve the reliability and quality of our sync experience. You will be notified when you’re eligible.

If you’re interested in joining our private beta, you can turn on early releases. You can also keep up to date with what is supported on macOS 12.3 and higher here.

Thank you!

[mk53]

Dropbox v161.4.4923 was automatically installed on my Macbook Pro under Mac OS 10.14.6.

My Dropbox folder is still located in my home directory, so it is NOT in ~/Library/CloudStorage.

I have a 2 TB Dropbox Personal Plus account with some 784 GB of data of which 337 GB on the

local disk. 

My question is:

Can I now safely update MacOS to 10.12.3 and later versions? Will the migration of the Dropbox

folder to ~/Library/CloudStorage happen correctly, despite v161.4.4923 already having been installed

on my system before the Mac OS update?

[Jay]

Hi @mk53, the rollout to the new location of the Dropbox folder and its other features is being done gradually at this stage.

This means it is not guaranteed that the Dropbox folder would immediately change location when you upgrade.

[CountryGents]

I completely agree with this comment and its stern tone. This will make people leave dropbox most certainly

[CountryGents]

Same here, involved in music production and we all rely on Dropbox for our collaborations. This has to be resolved..

[mf88]

This thread is well over a month old. Dropbox has not yet answered our direct requests for direct answers. I figure there has been ample time for Dropbox's representatives in this forum to relay our messages to their more-knowledgeable coworkers and provide answers to our questions. Seeing as how none of these have happened, I interpret that to mean that Dropbox doesn't truly care about all of their paying customers. And we Mac users who are affected by their change must be a small enough segment of their customer base that they are willing to let us leave. As a supporter and formerly enthusiastic user of the service since Dropbox's early days, that's really a shame.

[mscottpath]

I also commented on this issue a month ago and had hoped to hear something 'useful' from the Dropbox team.  They seem to be completely IGNORING our concerns about the relocation of the Dropbox folder and the newly imposed inability to have it reside on an external drive.  I've already moved the bulk of my files to another service (Sync.com) and will NOT be renewing my 2 TB Dropbox plan. While I've used both Dropbox and Sync for the last several years, I had, on the whole, preferred Dropbox.  However, the REQUIRED location change for the Dropbox folder makes it unusable for me on my SSD limited laptops (and even on new Mac desktops which also have small SSD and also lack SSD upgradability).  

[Jay]

Hi @mscottpath, we appreciate your feedback on the recent changes to the Dropbox folder location. As part of the Dropbox for macOS update, the Dropbox folder must be located in ~/Library/CloudStorage

Some other things to note about the Dropbox folder location:
 

• Changing the location of your Dropbox folder is no longer supported by macOS. 
• Due to the change of the Dropbox folder location, files that were previously linked in some third-party applications may need to be linked again.
• Storing your Dropbox folder on an external drive is no longer supported by macOS.
• Your Dropbox folder in Finder will now be found under Locations and no longer under Favorites.
• Individual folders can be moved from your Dropbox folder to Favorites for quick access.

As with any operating system, macOS is updated regularly and with that we must keep the Dropbox desktop app aligned with any requirements set out by an OS. 

Keeping aligned to those requirements ensures that the Dropbox desktop app will provide the best possible experience for all our customers in the future.

[mscottpath]

Jay, obviously Dropbox is being purposefully tone deaf to the concerns of its users.

Multiple post have stated that the inability to place the Dropbox folder on an external drive IS A BIG PROBLEM. None of the response provided by the Dropbox team to date will even acknowledge this is a problem for (at least some) users. I will be cancelling my 2TB plan that I’ve had for years because Dropbox no longer serves my needs. I suspect that Dropbox will be looking at the exodus of a significant number of paying customers as the company does not really seem to understand how much of the user base uses Dropbox.