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Forum Discussion
Dropbox support for macOS 12.3
So I'm referring to https://help.dropbox.com/installs-integrations/desktop/macos-12-monterey-support
Does this mean it will be 100% safe to upgrade to macOS 12.3 as long as I keep Smart sync to Loc...
You can never ever say its 100% safe - simply because you'd be using a Beta OS and also a Beta version of Dropbox. However, it should work well, but, be cautious of the fact it is beta at all levels.
I know previously at last minute notice Apple have changed how stuff worked in beta versions meaning stuff which used to work no longer did when updated to the next release so thats also something to be aware of.
It seems the limitations come from macOS 12.3+ related issues with regards to cloud synchronization. Besides Dropbox, I have GoogleDrive, OneDrive and iCloud Drive installed as well, and they are working no better:
- GoogleDrive implements a dirty workaround with a local, virtual SMB server. This is really "dirty" since macOS' SMB implementation is also buggy, so it leads to even more issues and degraded performance
- OneDrive seems to be the only solution that fully relies on macOS' native cloud sync, so it comes with all the limitations (similar to what iCloud Drive has): your offline files cannot be stored on external devices anymore. So, if you need a larger set of offline files and your internal HDD has limited capacity, you're screwed. macOS' native cloud sync stores offline files in the user's Library folder only, and there is no way to change that. In addition, OneDrive's sync engine is not only slow, but also error-prone and leads to sync conflicts pretty often, even if you're the only one working with a file.
- iCloud Drive: it definitely works the worst: no chance to define where to store offline files, super-slow sync with standstills sometimes for hours. Restoring broken or deleted files just works if you're lucky, mostly the files are gone forever.
Although I am heavily impacted by the limitations the Dropbox client has these days, it is still clearly the most reliable cloud sync solution for macOS.
The workaround for Dropbox is to get a large enough (external) HDD and then make all the folders that contain files you need to open outside Finder available offline. This also solves the issues with embedded assets in Adobe documents.
The workaround for Dropbox is to get a large enough (external) HDD and then make all the folders that contain files you need to open outside Finder available offline. This also solves the issues with embedded assets in Adobe documents.
@G-Tech — yes I've come to the same 'solution', through a long chat I had with one of the Dropbox techniciens but also because that's the way I've been working from the start, on my iMac (2021): all my "everyday" folders are local with the green icon (have always been) and the rest is online only with access through the web portal only. I just wanted everything on my iMac to sync continuously.
But ever since I got the last (2021) MacBook Pro a few weeks ago, and I have a mini-network going, I understand the Dropbox problem more fully, the 'pain' it might be of not having cloud files (blue icon) that sync continuously, with nothing local. Of course with 1To of storage on the Macbook, I will eventually transform these cloud files to local 'green icon' ones and work like that if there is no other solution upcoming.
I was glad to have Monterrey 12.1 on the laptop, and not the latest macos, so everything works fine for now, but sooner or later, maybe with Big Sur, I'll have to update the systems. I hope there is some news at that point. The technicien at the other end of the chat assured me they were still working on the problem.
Thanks for the info!
Be VERY careful with data on an external hd
See:
The risk would be too big for me with 14 TB data…
We’ve been using Dropbox with external drives for years. Never had a problem. If the drive gets disconnected, Dropbox just quits with an appropriate notification.
