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Forum Discussion
Dropbox for macOS syncs when the app is closed - what can I do?
*I'm copying and pasting my final reply to Dropbox support, who told me to come here - Dropbox syncs on Mac even when the app isn't open.*
Dropbox should only sync WHEN THE APP IS OPEN. You hav...
I have an iCloud account on my Mac, and using iCloud Drive with the "Desktop & Documents Folders" option active.
I noticed that files in the Dropbox folder are syncing to my other devices, even when the Dropbox application is not running.
I presume that this is because the Apple File Provider API is doing the sync to my other devices, and this API does not need Dropbox to do that.
Correct?
So, if I do not have the Desktop & Documents Folders" active, does Dropbox stop syncing when it is not running? Or do I have to stop iCloud Drive entirely? Or does it always sync, even without iCloud drive? Does it sync to Dropbox.com using the same API? How does this work?
Thanks for any insights you can give. Not really a problem, but it really bugs me 🙂
Hannah
Dropbox Staff
Dropbox StaffHey the_name_youll_be_known_as, indeed, what you're seeing is expected with the File Provider API.
You can see Emma's response here for more info.
Hey Hannah,
Thank you for your quick answer.
As the Apple File Provider is doing the sync, even when Dropbox is not running, I presume it is syncing only between iCloud configured macOS and iOS devices and not to the Dropbox server.
Is this correct?
If Dropbox is running, does it sync to the dropbox.com servers AND the iCloud servers?
Does it transfer the data twice?
I am somewhat concerned about my Internet bandwidth and most of all the cost (data roaming in the EU is still VERY expensive and limited).
- Hannah
Hey the_name_youll_be_known_as, happy Monday!
Dropbox isn't really connected to iCloud; they are basically two different services, which shouldn't even interfere with each other.
If you make changes to your Dropbox files using the local Dropbox folder on your computer, for example, Dropbox will sync these changes to our servers and any other devices you have linked to your Dropbox account, like a phone you've installed the Dropbox app on.
I hope this helps clarify things a bit, but if you have more questions, I'd be happy to help!
Hi Hannah, happy Monday to you as well 🙂
Dropbox isn't really connected to iCloud; they are basically two different services, which shouldn't even interfere with each other.
After some experiments, I'm starting to get it.
1. The DropboxFileProvider process on macOS and iOS use Apple File Provider to synchronise the files
2. This process runs even when Dropbox is not running.
3. Allthough one might think that ~/Library/CloudStorage/ is used by iCloud, it is not used by the Dropbox folder, which resides in the Cloudstorage folder.
4. The DropboxFileProvider syncs to Dropbox and not to iCloud.
So there is absolutely no double upload. I think point 3 got me confused to start with.
CloudStorage ≠ iCloudStorage.
Thanks! -- peter
