I have a notification asking me to "Get started" with File Provider, but nothing happens.

[RReuscher]

When I click on the dropbox icon in the menu bar it tells me that Dropbox for macOS File Provider is now ready and gives me the options to "Get Started" and "not now". Clicking on Get Started bring up a dialog box that tells me it's going to move my files to secure location, and has continue button. Clicking the continue button the next dialog box talks about what is going happen and  has start button. I click the start button, it spins for a file like it's doing something and the dropbox crashes and restarts and I have to login again. The message about file provider is back. 

This is a free account, and Mac OS 15 Beta (I want to use the Beta Dropbox feature of putting the dropbox folder location on an external drive to save space on the internal SSD and I read I have to be on the Mac OS Beta (which I was and the drive have to be formatted as APFS Encrypted, which I have done), but I never get far enough in the process to even point to the external drive. 

Any suggestion on fixing this issue with their software. 

[Hannah]

Sorry to hear that, @RReuscher.

Let's start from the basics; if you haven't already, can you restart your computer, to see if that helps?

Also, are you currently using the beta version of the Dropbox app as well? Or just the macOS 15 beta?

You can check that by hovering over the Dropbox icon in your menu bar; which version do you see?

Let me know and we'll go from there.

[RReuscher]

I don't think I was. When I read the articles on the Beta and being able to move the location of the dropbox folder (which is why I want the beta), I didn't see anything about downloading a beta version. However based on your reply, I searched for dropbox beta and did find the website to do that and downloaded it and installed it. Version is 207.3.5611 and says up to date. 

With this version I was able to turn on the File Provider for Mac OS support, so that part works now. However when I bring up preferences and sync, it tells me that I have to be /user/AccountName/Library/CloudStorage/Dropbox and won't let me change it.

Found your page about it again, followed the instructions. signed out, signed back in, but when on the Advanced Setting page it still won't let me change the location from Default Location , click the down caret and nothing happens, it does not bring up a dialog box to navigate to the external drive location I want to store folder at. Tried the process twice and still does not give me the option of changing the location when I sign back in.

Latest Mac OS 15 Public beta.

[Megan]

Hey @RReuscher, let me also jump in here! 

As part of the Dropbox for macOS on File Provider update, the Dropbox folder must be located in ~/Library/CloudStorage.

Some other things to note about the Dropbox folder location:

-You can now choose the location of your Dropbox folder when you log  in.
-If you alter the location of your Dropbox folder, you won’t be able to open certain online-only files in third-party application.
-Storing your Dropbox folder on an external drive is no longer supported by macOS.
 

You can see more about this here. 

[RReuscher]

That's not what the beta version says. https://help.dropbox.com/installs/mac-external-drive-support

the whole point of going to the Beta Dropbox version was to get back external drive support. 

[Jay]

Hi @RReuscher, did you receive a specific notification asking you to 'Try Dropbox on File Provider in beta', as the article mentioned, in order to be given the options necessary to have the Dropbox folder located on an external drive?

[RReuscher]

I did not. I missed that line buried in the middle of the document. You might want to put that at the top of the document, instead of burying that inside the document. or maybe even put that on the community page has the beta downloads. 

How do I get to be part of the beta?

[Jay]

There isn't a way to apply for this specific beta, as invites are sent out to eligible users randomly.

However, if you do receive the notification in the future, you would be able to enter that version of the Dropbox Backup feature.

[RReuscher]

Seems a poor way to do this since you have to be running the Mac beta and the specific requirements for the dropbox code its self. wish I'd read that as I wouldn't have converted to the Fileprovider feature and lost the ability to use my external drive.