Why is the Dropbox Desktop App no longer available?

[thecandidate]

The dropbox desktop app had such a great user interface and was a good workflow for our team.. unfortunately as of 17 Jan 2022, it has been dropped.. I wonder why this change was made, and i'm just hoping the application is being improved instead of being killed.

What we enjoyed out of the desktop app was the ability to pin specific files to the main dropbox for quick access, which everyone was able to identify quickly. with the Finder app, it was hard to see pinned items, and with the website, its a redundant process – requiring lots of extra steps – having to open up the website to identify the folder before pinning them. the website does not give as much visual cues as the desktop app previously had. 

Please, dropbox, #bringitback! 

[Walter]

No worries @MCLF - I'm just glad to hear it's sorted now.

See you around the Community and take care!

[KimFelton]

This is a great suggestion....but....I don't want to pay for another subscription just to get the same benefits I was already receiving from Dropbox. I have a business account, for a law firm. It has been an absolute pain in the ass to navigate through files through the finder on Mac. Opening and working through the browser is also inefficient and doesn't provide the same necessities as the desktop client did. It seems like Dropbox is randomly rolling features in and out without customer feedback. The best SaaS companies are the ones that ask for feedback, and LISTEN to their customer base.

Oh look guys! Walter is still here....except he's not responding to any of the valid concerns here.

I'm currently in the search for a cloud storage option that provides a desktop app similar to the dropbox client, and has many of the same functions as Dropbox. I checked out Box but I'm not crazy about their a la carte price model for getting all the functions, rather than bundling them. If anyone has suggestions, I'm all ears!

[Paul A.25]

I'm running Kubuntu 21.10. I've managed to work around the loss of the desktop app.  Here's how:

1. After installing Dropbox, I issue the command dropbox start -i.

2. Dropbox starts up and begins madly syncing a whole lot of stuff I don't want.

3. Meanwhile, the little. Dropbox icon (bless it) has appeared on my taskbar.

4 I click on that icon and choose Pause Syncing.

5. I go to Preferences/Sync/Selective Sync.

6, I uncheck Select All, then check any single folder (important), then Update.  Alternatively, I can just click the folders I want stored locally.

7. I exit by clicking OK as necessary.

The Update empties out my local Dropbox folder except for my selected folders.

[matildamarshmallow]

But the experience is NOT streamlined now that Dropbox has dropped the desktop app. It only makes keeping organized and reaching files more quickly MORE difficult. By deciding to drop the app, Dropbox has not streamlined anything for their customers—but I guess they have streamlined things for themselves by not having to administer it anymore. 

#PleaseBringTheAppBack

[sethhasty]

I hate being over dramatic about this... as I am apathetic about 99% of things that happen in life, but as a neuro-divergent adult with extreme executive function disorder, adhd, etc... i took me so long to get comfortable with my stack... and then the key "HQ" of my workflow is just taken away... its such a joke.  

I cant find anything,  the way I worked with clients is upside down and totally screwed...  Cancelled my account and still looking for an option.

[tmwrght]

@Paul A.25 I'm sorry you have issues with the Mac system. Just trying to help others achieve the same Pin functions and Selective Sync that they enjoyed in the desktop app. I share your frustration of the needless removal of features people rely on. Have a great day

[foreverflyy photos]

efficient for whom?? not my workflow you have destroyed pretty much every reason I used Dropbox for my photography business you killed the desktop app you destroyed the Android app you added hidden restrictions keeping me from even downloading my files to abandon your crummy platform how exactly are you helping efficient workflow I can't download folders to my phone any longer I can't access project files on the go my workflow deals with 1gb+ files in multitudes and you service corrupts them any time I try and download them

[Paul A.25]

I emphasize: don't panic when Dropbox starts syncing files you don't want.  This is bad behavior and a flaw in the program, but you can work around it.  It occurs because in order to get that little Dropbox icon on the taskbar, you have to start syncing before you have a chance to do the selection of what is to be synced.

Hint to designers: this doesn't have to happen. When the program is started with dropbox start -i, you should immediately start a selective sync, not a full sync.

[JayBe13]

Funny how a Apple/Mac user gets help quick and it is not a CANNED script like us PC users. Guess we know what OS Dropbox care more about.

*edit forgot to finish a word.

[foreverflyy photos]

don't get it twisted I have a Mac too and they are little to no help as well just look at their app being removed or just syncing whatever it wants or if you delete the Dropbox app since it no longer is supported it just DELETES your files from the computer all together...